March 2012

“If you are enough lucky to be Irish, then you’re are lucky enough”
Old Irish Saying

Mid-Atlantic weather watch: Fair and cold (1,2) with light snow or rain (3,4); fair and cold (5,6,7) with heavy snows, rain along the coast (8,9,10). Windy, colder with flurries in the northern part of the region (11,12,13), remaining windy and cold, flurries in the north (14,15); cloudy and cool (16,17,18,19,20) turning windy and colder with some flurries in the north (21,22,23,24). Cloudy in the north 25,26) with showers in the south. Fair and cool (27,28,29) with more windy and cool weather in the north and STORMS in the south (30,31).

Full Moon: March’s Full Moon will rise March 8th at 4:39 AM EST. Many Native American Tribes called it Worm Moon because March’s warmer temperatures often softened the earth just enough to allow earthworms to begin burrowing out of the ground. It also has been known as Sap Moon because the sap would start to rise and run at this time throughout the region.

Special Notes: The Vernal Equinox will occur on Tuesday, March 20th and signals the arrival of Spring (finally!). Don’t forget to set your clocks one hour ahead when Daylight Savings starts on Sunday, March 11th at 2:00 AM EST. Take advantage of the high winds during March (throughout the month, as The Almanack predicts!) and “go fly a kite” with a child. Nothing is more exhilarating except maybe flying itself!

The Garden: Get the rake out and start clearing away old grass and debris from the lawn (that is, if the temperatures have warmed up and the snow has all gone!). Apply a pre-emergent fertilizer to the lawn during the month for healthier grass and there will fewer weeds to contend with later on in the Summer. Seed any bare spots when the soil warms up. Begin removing protective mulch from around rose bushes. Don’t feed azaleas or rhododendrons until after they bloom. Then, give them a fertilizer that is specially formulated for plants that prefer acid soil. And don’t forget to throw old coffee grounds around the base of these blooming beauties! As soon as your compost pile thaws, begin to turn it with a fork as best you can. Start slow-growing and cool season seeds such as onions, leeks, parsley, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant and peppers. Remember to plant peas around St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th). Transplant and fertilize sprouting seedlings after a light rain when the ground is much easier to till. For plants that need protection from heat and wind, plan your planting on a cloudy day or late in the afternoon.

J. Grubers' Thought for Today's Living:

"Gardens are for all ages: the young, for hope of the future, the elderly for fond memories of the past, and for those in between, the rewards of a good life now”

Index of Past Month's Entries