MISSOURI — The end of March through mid-April is ideal for planting cool-season crops like spinach, lettuce, kale, beets, cilantro, potatoes, radishes, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. If starting plants from seed, test old seeds before planting. Most leafy green seed is only good for a year.

Cold frames, high tunnels, and floating row covers are used to get an early start to the season and will give protection on cold nights. Raised beds are popular with gardeners as they allow for good drainage and the soil to warm faster. They are also easier to care for with typically less weeding than a garden. When the beds are planted intensively, there is more foliage cover which shades out weed growth. Strawberries, rhubarb, and asparagus do well in a raised bed. Containers are also popular for growing vegetables for the same reasons.

Insects and diseases are typically a problem when growing fruit. Apply dormant oil in late winter or early spring while the plants are still dormant. Apply it on a day when temperatures are above freezing for at least 24 hours. Pruning of fruit trees and small fruit plants should be completed by mid-March. With trees, prune out waterspouts (thin, branches growing straight up), suckers at the base of the tree, crossing branches, and diseased and broken branches. The goal is to open up the tree for good air circulation. Elderberry plants can be cut back to the ground. They bloom and fruit on new growth. Apply a complete fertilizer such as 12-12-12 to fruit trees and small fruit plants at the time of pruning. There is generally a rule of thumb on the back of the bag of fertilizer.

Blossoms of fruit trees are vulnerable to cold temperatures. A fully opened blossom can be damaged in 28-30 degree weather. It is difficult to fully protect the flowers on the trees, but there are things you can do that may help. Before a frost, water the soil around the trees. Wet soil stores heat during the day which is then radiated back into the tree at night.  Pull back the mulch around the tree, as bare soil absorbs more heat than mulch. Covering fruit plants with sheets or tarps may offer some protection.

Wraps put on trees for winter protection can be taken off by the end of March. Wrap left on can encourage insect and disease problems.

Weed control is important in late February through March. Chickweed, Henbit, and Shepherd’s Purse are winter annuals that germinate by seed and appear in garden beds and landscapes in early spring. PREEN is a pre-emergent herbicide that prevents germination. Apply this before these weeds get out of control. Once germinated, post-emergent herbicides will have to be used for control.