Spring! The word has a nice ring to it as we anticipate many more pleasant days and nights in the weeks to come.  For all of the avid gardeners out there, this is the season during which you reap the reward for all of your hard work during fall and winter. Your cool season bedding plants should now be blooming profusely and the trees planted this past winter are flowering or putting out new leaves. From one day to the next, something new is blooming. 

Loretta Boswell

Tung Nut trees are among several trees that are blossoming at this time of year.

The list of flowering plants and trees is long, and let’s not forget all of the bulbs we planted too.  On a recent trip into Covington I saw flowering Bradford pears, crabapples, tung nut trees, redbud trees, red maple trees, azaleas, roses, wisteria vines, hummingbird vines, daffodils, calendula, and marigolds.  These are just some of the flowering plants to be seen now.  There is no denying that this is a beautiful time of the year. 

Home landscape:  The downside or upside of gardening in the south, depending on your attitude, is that it is a continuous effort.  Although we slow down in winter, there is always something to do, but nowhere near as much as what we will need to do come the spring and summer. For example, once those beautiful azaleas finish blooming, get out the clippers and prune and shape each bush.  It is important to do this as soon as you can before the bush develops buds for the next blooming period.  Also at this time, fertilize and mulch well.

For those who love their lawns lush and green, now is the time to fertilize.  Peaceful Valley Farm Supply recommends the following for fertilizing lawns:  Cottonseed Meal, Turf & Hort Mix, New Era Compost, BioGro Fish Pellets, Earthworm Castings and Foothill Fertilizer.  Their website is GrowOrganic.com.  Of course fertilizing and spring rains will result in fast growing grasses.  Before getting busy with other projects, get the lawn mower ready by changing the oil, filters and cutting blades.  The type of grass you have will determine the height of the cut.  LSU Ag Center recommends the following cutting heights:  common Bermuda, 1 ½ in.; hybrid Bermuda, 1 in.; zoysia, 1–1 ½ in.; centipede/carpet 1 in. (2 in. shade); St. Augustine, 2 ½-3 in. (3 shade).

Weeding is not exactly anyone’s favorite activity but there are ways to slow down how fast weeds spread. One way is to use a biodegradable mulching film and another is the use of Coco Fiber weed mats which can be placed around young trees and bushes.    Both allow air and water exchange and can be covered with pine straw for a finishing touch.   The weeds in my garden beds are a good signal that the mulch I added last year has broken down and that a new layer is needed.  Up to a four inch layer of mulch will do the job of controlling those stubborn weeds.  Great mulches to use in our area include pine straw, chopped leaves and pine bark.  Keep mulches at least 6 to 12 inches from house slabs as a termite precaution and pull away from tree trunks about 4 inches so that the trunk base does not stay wet. 

Those beautiful cool season bedding plants will at some point start to die out and it is not too soon to think about what type of summer replacement you want to put in.  For low growing plants (less than two feet), you can use impatiens, periwinkle, dwarf cosmos, begonia, dwarf pentas, ageratum, salvia, marigold, portulaca, verbena, rudbeckia, and Gerbera daisy.  Taller plants include butterfly weed, cleome, pentas, cosmos, sunflower, salvias, and lantana. 

Loretta Boswell

Asparagus is one of the vegetables that have been planted in the past month for a summer harvest.

Vegetable gardening:  To insure a productive summer garden, this is when you get real busy.  Last month we planted or seeded vegetables for early summer harvest.  These included broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, chard, beets, potatoes and leaf lettuce.  Now we are planting veggies for a latter harvest.  These include snap beans, tomatoes and peppers.  As the soil warms up we can start planting eggplants, cantaloupes, squash, cucumbers and watermelons.  Black plastic can be used to help the warming process along and would be beneficial where you plan to grow eggplant and okra as these two need very warm soil to germinate.  To avoid frustration, don’t even try to plant eggplant and okra until May.  You will be plenty busy enough in April as you add butter beans, cucumbers, peanuts, pumpkins, winter squash, summer squash, sweet corn and sweet potatoes into your garden beds. 

This is a great time to check your soil.  Soil nutrients are depleted after multiple plantings and demanding vegetables such as corn really take nutrients out of the ground.  Although I add compost between plantings, a soil test alerts me to specific deficiencies and, depending on what is to be planted, dictates specific amounts of an amendment to be added.  Soil test directions and boxes can be picked up at your local LSU Ag Center.  In my organic garden, I use the following amendments:  Dolomite for raising pH; Blood Meal to add nitrogen; Bone Meal and Rock Phosphate to add phosphorus; and Greensand to add potassium.  I use Maxi Crop as a foliar spray to fertilize leafy vegetables and liquid Fish Emulsion when putting out transplants. At recommended intervals after the plants are up, I use a mixture of the above amendments to fertilize the plants. 

Within the last two weeks, our asparagus bed has started sending out shoots.  This bed is over five years old and has not disappointed us yet.  It does require regular weeding, additional compost and mulching but the reward is a continuous supply of asparagus into the summer.  Below is a recipe for an asparagus soup.  Remember, we still have some chilly days yet to come.  This soup will help you get warm!

Roasted Asparagus Soup with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Parmesan Croutons

Recipe courtesy Robin Miller 2007 (foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients:

4 slices bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 leeks, rinsed well and chopped

2 cloves garlic minces

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Roasted asparagus, chopped, about 4 cups

1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1- inch pieces

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

½cup diced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

Directions:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray

Arrange bread cubes on prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.  Sprinkle cubes with parmesan cheese.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

While the croutons are baking, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add leeks and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, or until soft.  Add bay leaves and thyme and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Add asparagus, potato and broth and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until potato is fork tender.  Remove bay leaves, and using an immersion blender, or a regular blender working in batches, puree soup until smooth.  Ladle soup into bowls and top with sun dried tomatoes and croutons.  (This recipe cautions to allow the hot soup to cool for five minutes before blending)

Mark your Calendars:

March 29-30:  Baton Rouge Spring Garden Show.  Parker Coliseum on Highland Road, 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day.

April 5-6:  Spring Garden Show in New Orleans.  City Park Botanical Garden, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day. 

April 11-13:  Strawberry Festival in Ponchatoula.  Memorial Park and North 6^th St. Friday 4p.m. to 11p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  For more info call 800-917-7045 or log on to www.lastrawberryfestival.com

April 12:  Spring Garden Tour in St. Francisville from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The gardens on the tour include Ouida Plantation Gardens, Wyoming Plantation Gardens, The Myrtles Plantation Garden and Hillcroft House Gardens.  Tickets are $10.  (985)687-7258 or (225) 635-3614. 

Thank you for reading.  For questions, comments or to have your special gardening event listed, please contact me at lally@bellsouth.net.

Loretta Boswell

St. Tammany Master Gardener