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March, out like a lion or lamb?

Peach blossom pink is the pastel color as March reaches its swan song. As March reaches its final few days, the peach blossoms adorn orchards and backyard peach trees and the color of pink is dominant across the Piedmont and into the sandhills. The soft pink peach blossoms may not have much fragrance but surely their pastel color attracts the bees. Whatever they lack in fragrance, they more than make up for it in color. We are sure they are a welcome sight for bees in their forage for nectar. Their pink blooms certainly add much color to the landscape of very early springtime.

Will March go out like a lion or a lamb? With only two days remaining, will the month of March go out like a lion or a lamb or maybe a bit of both. Could it be possible for the month to go out with a dusting of snow? Snow can surely come anytime during the month of March. It would be no surprise for a snow to fall during the last days of March.

Still a few March days remaining to fly a kite. Most kids and adults do not fly kites as they did years ago. Kite flying seems to be a lost art and the only place you see people flying them is at the beach. When we were kids, on a sunny Saturday in March, the whole sky would be filled with kites flown by every boy and girl in the neighborhood. Most of them had long tails made of old shirts and scraps of cloth. Making homemade kites was an art-form back in the 1950s and we would use dogwood sticks, butcher paper, and glue made from flour and water to make durable kites. We would use balls of twine from local cotton mills to send kites out of sight. Parents of the 21st century need to establish a tradition of teaching their children to fly a kite. The art and sport of kite-flying should be revived and Carolina blue skies of March filled again with kites. Yes, and also the lost art of kite-making.

The end of March signals the time to set out new rose bushes. As we reach toward the final few days of March, many hardwares, nurseries, see shops, Home Depot, Walmart, Lowes have all varieties and colors of rose bushes on display. There are many types, colors, and sizes of rise to choose from, but they very best is the Knockout. Roses can be planted in the early spring because there is not much danger of ground freezes as we approach April.

When selecting roses, purchase those in soil-filled containers and definitely none of those in plastic bags lined with sawdust that are usually dried out. Roses packed in peat pots are fine if you check them to see if the medium inside is moist. When planting roses, dig the hole a bit larger than the pot or container and fill the bottom of the hole with water and allow the water to soak down into the soil. Fill the bottom of hold with peat moss or Black Kow composted cow manure. Add more water to keep hole. Place rose in the hold and add soil and peat moss of Black Kow around the roots. Water and add more soil and Black Kow or peat moss.

A good tip is don’t disturb the soil in the rose container but carefully remove rose bush from the container to the prepared hole. Tamp soil for contact with the roots and water the rose each day with a sprinkling can but don’t overwater. Keep moist but not soaking wet.

Beware of setting out early tomato plants. Tomatoes are already showing up in garden shops, hardwares, Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, and some supermarkets. March and April are not the time to set out tomato plants because after all, they are warm weather vegetables and the risk of frost, cold weather and low temperatures are too risky. Wait until nights get warmer and the temperatures more stable to plant tomatoes.

When can we expect the last frost? Frost can occur any time until the end of April. The last frost date is April 15, but this is not a sure thing, actually frost can occur even into early May. Even with frost in the picture for a while longer, the positive news is the danger of ground freezes is practically over. Wait until the ground and the nights get warmer to set out tomatoes, or any other warm weather vegetables.

Still time to prune grapevines. There is still time to prune grapevines because they are still dormant but not much longer. Prune and cut back long runners and branches on the vines in order to promote production and health of the whole grape vine. Cut back all branches that bear a lot of leaves but no grapes. A harvest of many grapes is produced on branches that are cut back toward the vine. Use dormant days to repair supports, posts, trellises and arbors.

Building up your soil with bags of “Black Kow” and bales of peat moss. Black Kow in a yellow 25 or 50 pound bag is sold at most hardwares, Lowes, Home Depot and seed stores. It is known as compost with the most and also as mature manure. It can be used in the garden or beds directly and mixed with peat moss to improve moisture retention and soil texture. It can be used in flower beds, garden rows, or beds or improve any type of soil. It works well in container gardens, around rose bushes and azaleas. Both Black Kow and peat moss have earthy aromas and both are totally organic and will perk up any shrub, plant, flower or vegetable you apply it to.

Last call for a row of Irish potatoes. Irish potatoes require a long growing season of more than 90 days and should be planted before March comes to an end to assure a harvest before Dog Days begin in July. They will sprout quickly as the days of April start next week. Do not cut seed potatoes when planting them because this promotes mildew, rot, and mold and invites rodents, groundhogs, and other critters. Plant whole seed potatoes about ten to twelve inches apart in a furrow with a layer of peat moss in bottom of furrow and on top of the seed potatoes. Hill soil up on each side of the furrow. When potatoes sprout, side dress with an application of Garden-Tone vegetable organic food on both sides of the row, hill up on both sides of the potato row. Feed potatoes every two weeks.

Planting a bed of colorful zinnias. Planting a bed of zinnias will attract butterflies, finches, humming birds, and all types of pollinators to these beautiful flowers. Most hardwares, seed shops, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, and most supermarkets have seed racks loaded with zinnias of every size, shape, and color. While shopping each week pick up a pack or two and many varieties and you will be ready to sow a bed in early May.

Buying a few bottles of Alaska fish emulsion. One of the best liquid plant foods that produces speed results is Alaska fish emulsion. When mixed with water and poured on plants and vegetables you can expect a quick, organic response. It smells like fish but works like a miracle!

Hoe Hoe Hoedown: “Rare steak!”- Customer: “Waitress, please close the window” Waitress: “Is there a draft, sir?” Customer: “No, this is the third time my steak blew out the window!”

“Nasty, Nasty”: – A man goes to the doctor and the doctor says, “You have the dirtiest, most unkept body I have ever seen.” The patient says, “That’s funny, that’s what the other doctor told me yesterday.” Then the doctor asked, “Then why did you come to see me?” The patient answered, “I wanted a second opinion!”

“A just reward”- “What do I do with this speeding ticket?” growled the angry motorist. The police officer handed him a receipt and said, “Keep it, when you get four of them, you’ll get a bicycle.”

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Ray Baird

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