OK, a quick show of hands: How many of you are ready to get out there into the yard or garden? That’s what I thought. If we can’t ski without a snorkel, the least we can do is start planning our gardens.
March is a perfect time to get out last year's notebook of what worked and what didn’t in the garden. … Oh sorry, what was that? You don’t have a notebook dedicated to your garden? Huh, no judgment, I promise, but I would love to encourage you to start now if you don’t already have one going. It is very common for farmers to track everything that goes into seed trays and what days planting begins. But it is just as valuable for home gardeners to keep track of the weather, the days you start seeds and get things in the ground.
The biggest advantage, at least for me, is that my memory is not as great as I would like it to be, and while I can remember the blizzard of 1979 as if it were yesterday, I cannot tell you what the last day of frost was in 2025 without looking it up.
Another advantage of keeping a gardening journal is how it can evolve over time. You might start by writing down just the dates, temperatures, number of seeds started, or the number of different types of tomatoes you plan to grow in a given season. What can happen is turning that laundry list of items into a proper field journal.
What’s that, you ask? Well, I am so glad you did. A field journal is a fantastic resource for a lifetime of information around our observations and experiences in our environment. What I mean is that the field journals that I created over 20 years ago are still of interest to me when I am planning things in my farm spaces today. I have a record of the weather, but I also have a written log of where I was, what the bird song might have been and a hand-drawn picture of the first flower to emerge in the field. Sometimes, it's also a great chance to write down how you feel or think about the setting in which you find yourself at that moment in time.
What I am getting at is having a record of our gardening or hiking experiences can provide us a valuable resource over time. That said, if you are interested in learning more about creating a real field journal – yes, there are actual techniques involved – I will be creating a class on field journals later this spring.
Now that you are ready with pen and paper in hand, March is a great time to look at the trees in your yard, the possible plant stubble left from last fall and decide what your goals are for this coming growing season.
Do you have the tools and ability to prune your trees? Are they fruit trees or a giant cottonwood? Take a look at the bark, is there anything different that you hadn’t noticed before, like the beginnings of a canker or more sap than you think looks normal? This is the time to either reach out to your local Extension specialist or favorite arborists to schedule a consultation to take care of those trees. March is a great time to prune those fruit trees after all.
As for the ground, whether it’s a raised bed or flower pots, or a new plot in your yard that you want to turn into a garden space, this is when to dream up what would look good where, and if you have not yet ordered seeds or plants, keep your eye out for what your local grange, garden club, or extension office is doing this month, because we will all have seed sales throughout the month of March (that was not very subtle of me was it). I will be posting that information on all our social media platforms next week, so keep an eye out and support your friends and neighbors where possible.
Lastly, have fun with your creativity! I love March and April, mostly because I haven’t messed anything up, I am not behind in my planting, weeding, watering, etc., or killed any plants yet. That will come later in July, August and September but that’s for another conversation.
Heather Houk is the Horticulture and Agriculture specialist for the La Plata County Extension Office.
