Umm-umm! It feels like spring. Time for Captain Bringdown (aka Greengirl Connie) to remind you that it’s still darn early to do much in the garden. I know it’s beautiful. I know you want to get outside and get a jump on those chores. But you can do harm if you start too soon. Read my early spring dos and don’ts first:

DON’T RAKE. Especially if the soil is soft and squishy. You can damage those tiny grass plants if you rake too early.

DON’T REMOVE YOUR WINTER MULCH unless you see plants trying to grow up through the mulch. Then, just push the mulch to the side. We could still get some stinging cold.

DON’T WORK THE SOIL. Wait until it’s dried a bit.

If you simply have to do something in the yard:

DO cut back last year’s perennials, if you left them standing.

DO pick up trash and other winter debris in your yard.

DO plant up a pot of frost-hardy pansies. But be ready to bring them in the porch if the temperatures drop.

Captain Bringdown sez: Be safe rather than sorry. Have a great, garden-light weekend!

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 3:13 pm and is filed under Weekend to-dos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.