As day lengths increase, plants begin new growth. Repot rootbound plants, moving them to containers 2 inches larger in diameter than their current pot. Check for insect activity and apply controls as needed. Leggy plants may be pruned now.
Dormant mail order plants should be unwrapped immediately. Keep the roots from drying out, store in a cool protected spot, and plant as soon as conditions allow.
Loosen winter mulches from perennials cautiously. Re-cover plants at night if frost returns. Clean up beds by removing all weeds and dead foliage at this time.
Mid- to late March, apply broadleaf herbicides now for control of cool-season perennial and annual weeds. These must not be applied to areas that will be seeded soon.
Cultivate weeds and remove the old, dead stalks of last year's growth from the asparagus bed before the new spears emerge.
Delay planting if the garden soil is too wet after the snow melts! When a ball of soil crumbles easily after being squeezed together in your hand, it is dry enough to be safely worked.
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