Gardening in South Mississippi – January and February

If you think there’s not a lot to do in the garden in the last hours of winter, take another look at these late winter garden chores and get busy.  One of the first things that need to be done is to disinfect all of last years starting pots with a weak solution of one part bleach to ten parts water.  After that you can begin testing the germination of any old seed by putting a few of each on a wet paper towel and sealing them in a zip lock bag.  Place them in a warm sunny window or another good light source and wait one to two weeks.  If they germinate plant them in your starter pots indoors or in a green house. 

Around the last week of January and the first week of February, begin to sow indoors lettuce, arugula, spinach, turnips, onions, leeks, chives, broccoli, cabbage, chard, and Brussels sprouts.  If you want an herb garden, sow indoors parsley, basil, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, lemon balm, thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, tarragon, marjoram, etc.  Also start chitting (sprouting) potatoes and sweet potatoes. 

Outdoors in the garden add compost, manure, and wood ash top improve vegetable beds, digging it in well about 6” to 12” deep. Add a little lime for Cole crops in the brassica beds and also where you want to plant onions.  Continue harvesting late winter crops such as cabbages, Brussels sprouts, kale, turnips, leeks, radishes, mustards, collards, spinach, mibuna, mizuna, and any other remaining crops. 

Make hot caps out of coke bottles and milk jugs to protect new seedlings.  Begin to sow outdoors around the first of February directly in the garden.  Plant kale, collards, spinach, cabbage, kohlrabi, turnips, beets, peas, carrots, radishes, onion, garlic, shallots, and chamomile for the herb garden.  As weather permits, start planting chatted potatoes and asparagus transplants. 

In the flower garden deadhead winter annuals such as mums, to prolong flowering. Divide and transplant larger clumps of existing bulbs like spider lilies and day lilies.  Prune fruit trees, crepe myrtles, privet hedges, and roses.  Plant new roses lilies, and other perennials and bulbs.  Rake and compost any left over fallen leaves. 

Now is a good time to start shopping at garden centers and nurseries before the spring rush.  Shelves should be newly stocked, and workers will likely have a little extra time to answerer questions and help you in your gardening endeavors.  Also do your mail-order seed shopping now.  By the end of February you should have all your winter gardening tasks completed.  You’ll be ready to start your spring garden in March and April and not feel like you have to do everything at once.  God bless and go grow something!

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Gardening in South Mississippi – March and April.

The first of March usually begins the spring gardening chores.  By this date you should sow indoors or in a greenhouse all warm weather crops for a head start on the growing season.  Sow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, corn, pumpkins, squashes, gourds, melons, okra, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, green beans, lima beans, New Zealand Spinach, and peanuts.  Also sow fast growing annuals for the flower garden like marigolds and zinnias.

By about the first week of April, start transplanting these into the garden.  Side dress heavy feeders like corn and peppers, and tomatoes with a good fertilizer. Mulch around young plants to keep moisture in the soil and protect from drought when the soil warms up.  Also transplant all your herbs started or over-wintered indoors at this time, although some not greatly affected by cold spells may be transplanted outside a bit earlier. These are chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, mint, lemon balm, oregano, parsley, sage, tarragon, thyme, and chamomile. 

Another outdoor chore that should be done at this time is pruning the azaleas after they have finished blooming to promote bushiness.  Deadhead spring-flowering bulbs but don’t remove the foliage.  Let it die down naturally. Also deadhead perennials and cut back hard after flowering to promote re-blooming and bushiness.  Then plant summer-flowering annuals in flower beds for summer color.  Also plant lilies, begonias, cannas, dahlias, gladiolas, and other summer-flowing bulbs now.  Rake and compost any fallen leaves left on the ground over winter. 

In mild weather harden off indoor raised seedlings by putting them outside a little while during the day.  Start hoeing or pulling any new season weeds that begin to appear in the garden.  Prune old growth from perennial herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and sage.  Divide larger clumps of chives as well.  Continue harvesting anything left from the winter garden and any new spring greens that may be ready.  Put up supports for climbers while the ground is still soft.  Use hot caps on any cold nights to protect new seedlings.  Earth up early potatoes or put straw over them.  Thin out young seedlings where necessary and transplant them elsewhere if you don’t want to toss them.  

By the end of April all your spring gardening chores should be completed and you can look forward to the bountiful harvest to come.  Watch out for insects and diseases and spray or dust when necessary.  Do this close to sunset if possible and before the flowers bloom so you don’t get the bees and other beneficial insects. Now you can sit back with a cold glass of lemonade or herb tea, and watch your garden grow.  God bless and go grow something!