
Even though we've started to have some warm days, don't be fooled: it's still too cold to plant those tender annuals. You need to wait until at least after Tax Day (our last expected frost) and even then, I'd keep and eye on the 10-day forecast for temps in the 40's or lower.
Trust me when I say I know the urge you’re feeling right now to get outside and work in the yard. So what can you do right now to clock some time in the yard and garden?

Clean up from last year. If you left your perennials and tender annuals to die back naturally (providing an excellent winter habitat for beneficial inspects and pollinators), now is the time to go ahead and start cleaning that up.
Plant shrubs and trees. Fall is the ideal time to plant shrubs and trees, but early spring (now) is the second best time. Planting now helps them get established before the shock of summer heat and humidity.
Plant leftover daffodil bulbs. Did you forget about that bag of bulbs you bought last fall? As long as they’re not moldy, squishy, or dry and hollow feeling go ahead and plant them. They won’t bloom this year but will bloom next spring and every year after that!
Plant your spring garden. It’s too early for tomatoes, cukes, and squash but it’s the perfect time for sugar snap peas (a favorite of my kids), carrots, radishes, and other cool-loving veggies. Choose varieties that have a short days-to-mature time so you can get a harvest in before it’s time to plant those heat-lovers in last April/early May.
Make summer garden plans. Expanding an existing garden or bed? Putting in a new one? Now’s the time to think that through so you have a plan come game time. Just be aware when surveying a new sight for a garden or planting – the leaves are not on the trees yet. So a spot that’s sunny now might not be sunny in a few months.
Fertilize. I recommend testing your soil to get info on exactly what it needs (you can get free kits and instructions at Renfrow in Matthews, your local library, or your ag extension office). If you haven’t had a chance to test your lawn soil, fertilizing your lawn with a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 is a pretty safe bet. Now is also the time to fertilize camelias, azaleas, roses, hydrangeas, and shrubs. Your favorite big-box or mom and pop store (such as Renfrow) can help you find the right stuff. If you have a perennial bed, you can go ahead and apply compost to it to help feed your soon-to-emerge plants through the season.
Apply pre-emergent. This needs to be applied before the soil temp reaches 55F, so needs to be done very soon. Pre-emergent applied now helps guard against summer weeds such as crab grass. DO NOT apply pre-emergent if you plan to seed this spring. Pre-emergent works by prohibiting not just weed seed but all seed from germinating.
Prune. If you have roses, shrubs, or trees that need to be pruned you can go ahead and do that. Pruning stimulates new growth so it’s not something you want to do in late-fall or winter when we might have a warm spell (promoting growth) followed by a hard freeze (killing that growth).
Mulch It’s a popular chore this time of year (because who wants to move mulch in the heat of summer, eww), but be careful with this one. Mulching now will lock in cooler ground temperatures so you won’t want to mulch any place you plan to plant tender annual flowers and vegetables that need warm soil. Mulching foundation beds with shrubs and around trees is totally fine and a great way to help them retain moisture as the weather heats up.
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