FERTILIZE
Send in separate soil samples (forms available here) for your lawn, ornamental beds, and vegetable garden.
WATER
Water everything well before a freeze, but avoid overwatering.
PLANT
Plant bare root and container-grown roses, shrubs, fruit and nut trees, groundcovers and vines. Start warm season vegetables like tomatoes and peppers indoors. Plant spring-flowering bulbs if you have not already.
SOIL
Add compost. Check winter mulch and replenish, if needed. Cut down the cover crop and turn them under or leave on top for mulch.
LAWNS
If lawn has a history of brown patch problems, treat with a labeled fungicide late in the month. Repeat treatment in three to four weeks, if needed.
DISEASE/PEST
Check for mealy bugs and scale on indoor plants or those being overwintered in the greenhouse or garage.
MAINTENANCE
Cut back perennials and ornamental grasses that have died back from cold. Cut perennials two to four inches above the ground. For grasses, cut back to six to 10 inches. Clean and sharpen tools. Inspect garden hoses and replace as needed.
GARDEN
Onion transplants should start appearing in the garden centers later in the month. Patty recommends ‘Texas Legend,’ ‘Texas Early White,’ ‘1015Y Texas Super Sweet,’ ‘Yellow Granex’ and ‘Southern Belle Red.’ Plant seeds of turnips, radishes, carrots, arugula, beets, kohlrabi, and peas directly into garden beds. Water as needed to keep soil moist and protect from frost if needed. Plant transplants of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Swiss chard, collards, lettuce, spinach, Asian greens and artichokes. Cut back yellowed asparagus foliage.
TREECARE
What you can do:
- A good time to finish cleaning up old leaves around trees. They can carry disease and harbor over-wintering insects.
- Continue inspecting all landscaping for any storm damage to trees and shrubs.
Consider requesting a professional to:
- Prune ornamental & shade trees because branch structure visibility is best and insects/diseases are inactive.
- Safety-prune structurally weak limbs/branches in order to avoid storm damage to family members, sidewalks, lampposts, play sets, garages, autos, utility wires, and residences.
- Take care of any tree removals. Removing trees while the ground is frozen minimizes the impact and potential damage to sensitive areas of gardens and lawns.