Wichita gardener’s almanac for March 12, 2016

Happy spring — Despite the warm weather, it’s been kind of a shock to see all the yellows of the forsythia and daffodils, the pinks of the cherries, plums, apricots and magnolias, and the whites of the flowering pears and other types of cherries out in force this week. Add to that daylight saving time this weekend, and it’s hard not to declare springtime, though it arrives officially March 20. To the extent we can avoid worrying about a freeze, it’s time to enjoy and savor!

Check the water situation — We have gotten some rain, and more is in the forecast, but is it enough? Check your soil saturation, because plants need a deep soaking to stay healthy, especially if the temperatures take a dive.

Plant — Broccoli, lettuce, potatoes, radishes, peas, turnips. In a normal year it’s a bit early for the following, but since we have an early warm-up, consider planting these too: cabbage, cauliflower, onions, spinach, beets.

St. Pat’s spuds — Now through the end of March is the time to plant potatoes; you could celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday with a spud-planting party. Ward Upham of K-State gives these pointers in this week’s Horticulture 2016 newsletter:

Buy seed potatoes, most of which can be cut into four pieces for planting. Each piece should be 1.5 and 2 ounces and include at least one eye. Cut the seed two or three days before planting, then plant each seed piece 1 to 2 inches deep and 8 to 12 inches apart in rows. You may not see any sign of growth until mid- to late April. As the potatoes grow, pull soil up to the base of the plants to keep sunlight from hitting the new potatoes, which are borne above the planted seed piece.

Strawberry mulch — The soil temperature has been well above the 40-degree threshold for removing straw mulch from strawberries, at least enough to let leaves show through. But keep the mulch handy between rows so you can re-cover the berries if a freeze is forecast, and leave some mulch in place to keep berries from touching the soil and rotting, Upham says.

Garden events

Gathering for Gardeners — Don’t forget that this weekend there’s the Gathering for Gardeners from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in Hutchinson. The day of free seminars by gardening experts is at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 407 E. 12th, just west of the Cosmosphere.

Talk on daylily flower forms — Daylily grower and hybridizer Sherryl Fitzpatrick will give a program on the different forms of daylily flowers at the meeting of the Suburban Garden Club on Monday morning at Botanica. A social will be at 9:45 a.m. with the meeting starting at 10 a.m. It is free and open to the public. Lunch for those who are interested will follow at La Galette, 1017 W. Douglas.

Soil-amendments talk — Extension agent Matthew McKernan will give a program on soil amendments for our area at a meeting of the Wichita Daylily Club at 7 p.m. Monday at Botanica. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Talk on new annuals, herbs and vegetables — Rita Arnold of Arnold’s Greenhouse will be at Botanica on Wednesday to give a talk on new annuals, herbs and vegetables for 2016. Her lunchtime lecture, at 12:15, is included in Botanica admission. Syl’s will have lunch for sale for $8 from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Raised-bed talk in McPherson — Ward Upham of K-State will be in McPherson on Thursday to give a talk about fruit, vegetable and raised-bed gardening. The talk, sponsored by the McPherson County master gardeners, will be at 7 p.m. at the 4-H building at 710 W. Woodside. The cost is $5.

Home and garden show in Newton — “Gardening Through the Ages: Victorian, Victory and Modern” is the theme of the 2016 Harvey County Home and Garden Show next weekend in Newton. The show will feature a farmers market, home and garden exhibitors, plant suppliers, an art show, garden and home seminars, door prizes, and lunch for sale. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 19 and noon to 5 p.m. March 20 at the National Guard Armory, 400 Grandview in Newton. Kids can make a mini scarecrow at 2 p.m. both days. Admission is $1.

Here’s the schedule of seminars:

March 19: 9 a.m., Seven Principles of Xeriscaping by Lyon County extension agent Travis Carmichael; 10 a.m., Turning Your Trees Green by retired extension agent Bob Neier; 11 a.m., Facts on Mulching, by Sedgwick County extension agent Matthew McKernan; 1 p.m., Landscaping Outside Living Areas by Scott Davies of Brady Nursery; 2 p.m., How to Develop a Pollinator Garden by Scott Vogt of Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Hesston; 3 p.m., Women and Aprons: Their Shared Stories by Caroline Stucky; 4 p.m., Growing Mushrooms by Reno County extension agent Pam Paulsen.

March 20: 1 p.m., Three L’s of Home Security by Newton police Lt. Scott Powell and detective James Pfannenstiel; 2 p.m., Backyard Fruit by Harvey County master gardener Marion Deckert; 3 p.m., Cats Catch-and-Release Program by Kevin Stubbs of Caring Hands Humane Society; 4 p.m., Domestic Animals vs. City Ordinances by Jennifer Burns of the city of Newton.

Grow Good Food Gardening Classes — The Extension Service will offer a a series of eight weeknight classes over the spring and summer called Grow Good Food Gardening. Each class will cost $5, or you can subscribe to the series for $35.

Each class will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Here’s the schedule: March 21, indoor seed starting for vegetable gardening; March 31, growing strawberries; April 12, choosing summer vegetable varieties; April 25, growing vines and vertical gardening; May 17, my tomatoes are planted, now what?; June 7, weeds, water and the weather; July 12, scouting and controlling garden pests and diseases; and Aug. 1, growing a fall salad garden. Register online at sedgwick.ksu.edu.

Annie Calovich

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Wichita gardener’s almanac for March 12, 2016."