By Ruth Korn, Garden Club R.F.D.
March can be a frustrating month for a gardener. Northeast gardeners are tired of being cooped up and would give anything to be able to go out and play in the dirt. Still, there is plenty that can be done inside and outside – on a nice, sunny day – that will be of value to the spring garden and beyond.
For instance, start seeds of cool season veggies and/or of annual flowers on a windowsill or transplanting root-bound plants into larger containers with fresh potting soil, dampening the soil prior to repotting.
Perhaps, finding a sunny day, you might prune trees and shrubs that are still dormant. But don’t prune early spring-flowering trees and shrubs until right after they bloom; and don’t touch maples until after they are in full leaf-out. You can remove suckers and dead and diseased limbs and prune for shape and airflow through the branches. Sturdy twigs and thin branches can be utilized as props or stakes for top-heavy plants like peonies, dahlias and cosmos.
While outside, keep an eye on “frost heaves.” This term refers to water-saturated soil that lifts upward, due to expansion when the water freezes. This is important to watch for because the upward movement of the soil brings with it the crowns of the plants, exposing them to the colder air and making them more vulnerable. Solution: Apply mulch to protect the plant crowns.
Finally, cut branches of pussy willow or forsythia bushes to bring into your home so that you can force them to bloom. Winter honeysuckle, flowering quince, flowering dogwood, magnolia and some fruit trees also fall into this category. Before placing in a vase, give your branches a fresh cut plus a vertical slice up the center to expose them to more water in your vase. If you want to speed the process, place your branches in warm water and change the water daily. The length of time it will take to bloom will vary depending upon the species you are working with.
Now let’s turn to what science has told us about the effect that gardening has on the gardener and why it is good for you.
Gardening is a mood booster. Studies in the United States and around the world have found that gardening improves your mood and increases your self-esteem. When people spend time in a garden, their anxiety levels drop, and they feel less depressed. In a multiyear study published in 2011, people with depression participated in a gardening intervention for 12 weeks. Result: Several aspects of their mental health, including depression symptoms, were significantly improved and those improvements lasted for months after the intervention ended.
Gardening builds strength, promotes sleep, and helps you to maintain a healthy weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said the gardening is exercise. Activities like raking and cutting grass might fall under the category of light to moderate exercise while digging and chopping wood might be considered vigorous exercise. Working in the garden uses every major muscle group in the body. Have you ever woken up sore after a day of yardwork?
Studies have found that the physical exertion of working in a garden may help offset both age-related weight gain and childhood obesity. And researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have reported that gardeners are more likely to get a solid seven hours of sleep at night.
Outdoor gardening can help your body fight disease. A little sunshine in the garden goes a long way in your body. It works with your skin to produce vitamin D. Researchers estimate that a half hour in the sun can produce between 8,000 and 50,000 international units of vitamin D in your body, dependent upon what kind of clothing you are wearing and the color of your skin. Vitamin D is essential for such functions as the strengthening of your bones and your immune system. Scientists, of course, warn that overexposure to the sun’s rays increases the risk of skin cancer but using appropriate sunscreens and watching the clock reduces the chances of overexposure.
Gardening can help you manage eco-anxiety. The American Psychological Association has stated that, for many people, watching the unchecked effects of climate change increases stress levels. Researchers say this is because people feel powerless to do anything about it. To combat this negativity, one can garden with the aim of mitigating climate change. The National Wildlife Foundation makes the following recommendations that will lower your carbon footprint and decrease your own environmental anxiety: Use manual tools instead of gas-powered tools; use drip lines, rain barrels, and mulch to cut your water consumption; compost to reduce waste and decrease methane production; plant trees to absorb carbon dioxide.
While March can still be cold, gardeners can rejoice in the fact that the first signs of spring are also beginning to appear, and with them, all the good things that gardening will do for the home gardener. Take advantage of it.
Garden Club R.F.D. is a member of the Garden Club of New Jersey, the Central Atlantic Region of State Garden Clubs, Inc. and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Meetings are held at The Little Red Schoolhouse, an historic site, on Middletown Lincroft Road in Middletown. For more information contact Ruth Korn at 732-671-4410 or email to ruthkorn77@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared in the March 18, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
