March Gardening in Tucson

Things in March start warming up and the plants start awakening from their winter sleep. During this month, things become busy for gardeners as they prune, transplant, plant, and get all their labor intensive work done around the yard.  We are reminded that summer is just around the corner and things need to get done.  Every weekend is important as we start the countdown to 100 degree days. Garden centers bring out everything that's green and blooms with many people spending lots and lots of money on new exciting plants. It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a garden center.  Everyone and I mean EVERYONE is out shopping for plants. My recommendation is to try and stay focused on what you need to get done around your yard.  Remember that gardens evolve and take time. March is the month to begin all your fun ideas!! For example, my focus this year is on purchasing citrus plants for our project on the East Side while I need to purchase bamboo for the planters along the Southern Side Planters.  Also watch as plants begin to leaf out and come back to life.  Here is a list of things to do around your own yard.

What To Plant:

• Desert-adapted landscape plants-Transplant trees, shrubs, vines, ornamental grasses, ground covers, perennials, succulents, and cacti.
• Cool season veggies-Sow seeds for a late crop of quick maturing carrots, green onions, baby leaf lettuce and radishes.
• Warm season veggies-Sow seeds for lima and snap beans, corn, cucumber, jicama, melons, and squash.  Transplant artichockes, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes.
• Citrus-Transplant 2-5 year old citrus trees.  It takes about 3 years for trees to bear a reliable citrus crop after transplanting, regardless of the tree's age or size; so it is more economical to purchase smaller specimens.
• Herbs-Get your herb garden ready. Transplant basil, bay, chamomile, chives, epazote, feverfew, lavender, lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon verbena, oregano, rosemary, sage, and santolina.  Basil, rosemary, and lavendar thrive here!!

To Do:

• Prune plants before new growth occurs this month. Wait until the threat of frost is over.  For Tucson, the general average last frost date is March 15th.
• Fertilize plants before they begin to leaf out.
• If you have Live Oak, get ready for leaf drop.

Source:  Phoenix Home and Garden and personal experiences

There you have it.  It's quite the list of things to get done.  Break up the tasks so that they don't overwhelm you.  Do not transplant palm trees at this time as the ground needs to warm up more for these plants.  Now that you can start planning, we'll explore the magical idea of a Moonlight Garden tomorrow. Afterwards, I'll speak about allergies and issues in the desert.  This is the month when everything begins so stay tuned for more from the garden.

February Gardening in Tucson

I wanted to begin this particular series sooner, but I have a long list of garden journal "to do's" and so this post is overdue.  This blog is a resource for Tucson gardeners, travelers, travelers to Tucson, for my records and observations, etc. Over the past year, since March to be exact, I didn't write as much because I was collecting a lot of data from the plants and experiments done in the garden.  While I do not have a degree in plants or botany, I do have a lot of experience with them.  I am a docent at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and help educate people on the joys of gardening and plants because it's really what I love doing the most.  Sometimes I'll write from a newcomer's point of view to help guide the person better in addressing their issues on certain plants.  The professionals on these blogs are always correct in such matters as, "Plant natives.", but many people do a google search for a plant right after purchasing it. Hence the posts on lilacs, hostas, and bulbs.  Many of us move to the desert and get extremely excited about being able to garden most of the year here.  We bring with us our experience from our past lives and try them in the desert.....and not usually to success.  A plant ends up failing and gardeners feel frustrated.  I don't grow hostas or other similiar bulbs here because they take too much work and I do plant mostly natives with several exceptions in regards to pots and planters.  You'll see more of these series on plants coming up as Spring is about to be "Sprung" here and our garden centers open up for major business.  It's a lot of work, but I've found the internet to be pretty lacking for Tucson gardeners and focusing more on Phoenix gardeners which are in different zones. My hope is to build a database for Tucson gardeners from observations, findings, and experiences here.  So here are some things I've found from readings and personal finds.  Here's the February "To Do" List for Tucson.

What to plant

-pepper and tomatoes

-bare-root plants like roses and fruit trees

-cool season vegetables(beets, carrots, kohlrabi, radishes, turnips, salad greens)

-landscape plants(transplanting natives, but wait until after March 15 to plant frost tender tropicals like bouganvillea and lantana) If you like palms, wait until summer to put this plant into the ground...I'll speak more about this when I get to the palm series.

Maintenance

-clean up your yards, but do not prune until mid March

-for those with live oak trees, get ready for leaves to drop....it's a mess

-maintain roses-rake up and dispose of leaf litter around bushes to prevent powdery mildew.  Apply fresh mulch.  Fertilize now and when new growth is about 2 inches long.  Continue feeding every six weeks to prepare for April and May's peak bloom period.  See my past blog on roses and their performance in the El Presidio Garden.  You'll also be able to see exactly when those roses began blooming here.

-Feed fruit trees before they begin to leaf out and fertilize apple, apricot, peach, and plum. Apply nitrogen fertilizer at the plant's outer canopy range and slighly beyond. This is where the roots are actively growing.  Water deeply after application.

-Improve garden beds. Layer 4-6 inches of compost or well-aged manure on top of the soil. 

-Harvest citrus

-Divide herb plants like chives, lemon grass, mint and yarrow.

-Water and feed lawns

Source:  Phoenix Home and Garden(February 2011)

Great magazine and I highly recommend it for your coffee morning reads. I've been subscribing now for over 15 years.