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             The Gardener Guy of Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Ready Get Set Go!

It's time to clean up the lawn. Snow is gone, and the soil has dried up nicely in most places. It's time for a light raking to get rid of dead grass and winter debris. If you have some dead spots in the lawn, you can sprinkle lawn seed on them now. Scratch the surface with a garden rake to loosen the soil, spread some seed, then press down the soil a little too make good contact between it and the seed.

It is important to keep germinating seeds and new grasses from drying out. One way of doing that is by mulching lightly with straw or hay. That shades the soil and reduces evaporation. Hope for rain, but water as needed.

Overseeding is another task you might undertake during the month of May. This entails sprinkling a light dose of grass seed over an existing lawn - 5 to 7 pounds of seed per 1,000 square feet. Since it only involves spreading the seeds, it isn't much work - but only a portion of the seeds will actually take hold. It's best to do it when the soil surface is moist and rain is forecast. If you use a conservation mix with several kinds of grass and clover, you will increase the biodiversity of your lawn, which makes for a healthier lawn.

I rarely bother to fertilize the lawn, but this is a good time of year to do so if you are so inclined. Autumn is also good. I reject the idea that I must "weed and feed" the lawn with chemical fertilizers and herbicides to have a nice lawn. Grasses are pretty tough and I don't feel the need to pamper them. If the lawn is green and I can mow it, it's a lawn - dandelions and all. Spreading a light layer of finished compost over the lawn - a quarter to half an inch - is also great way to improve the soil on your lawn, especially if you do it every year.

Crab grass is not much of a problem for me. I keep the blades on my lawn mower up high - at 3 inches or so - and my grass shades out crab grass, keeping it from starting up. I also recognize that crab grass does best in compacted soil, so I try to vary my route when walking over the lawn. Some people spread corn gluten on the lawn now. This is said to be a natural way to inhibit germination of grass seed, so don't use it if you have just overseeded or reseeded.

Recently I saw a newspaper photo showing a woman spreading chemicals to kill grubs in the lawn. I don't recommend doing so. Strong chemicals are toxic not only to the grubs, but to cats, dogs and people, too.

You can diagnose the severity of a grub problem by counting how many grubs you have in a square foot of lawn. Just use a steak knife to cut the turf, then peel it back. Only if you have 10 or more grubs present do you have a problem. Even then, I wouldn't use chemicals - birds and moles will do the job eventually. Beneficial nematodes are available to treat for grubs. Go to gardens alive!, for more information about them.

I am planting seeds of cold hardy vegetables now, too. I have planted - or will soon plant - carrots, beets, spinach, and peas outside. I will wait before I put even cold-hardy transplants into the garden, because there is no point in rushing the season. But soon I'll plant seedlings of leeks, onions, lettuce, broccoli, kale, Brussel sprouts and kohlrabi. There isn't too much point in putting them out until the soil warms up to 50 degrees or more.

If you started broccoli indoors and have transplants that are a bit long and leggy, it is good to plant them deep, covering up much of the stem. That way they will be shorter to start with, develop deeper roots, and not flop over so much.

Other than preparing the soil well and adding compost each year, "hardening off" is probably the most important thing you can do for your vegetable transplants. Whether you buy or start your transplants, they need a week or more of conditioning before they go in the ground. Don't assume the garden center has done the hardening off - ask!

I start the process of hardening plants off by putting them out on the north side of my house where they get just morning sunlight. Over the course of a week I increase the number of hours of sun they get, and by the end of the week I let them have a full day's sun and a sleep-over with their friends. But I only let them out all night if it will stay above 40. I don't let peppers, tomatoes, eggplants and heat-loving plants out after dark unless the night promises to stay warm - 50 degrees and above. I don't want to shock their tender sensibilities with temperatures they can't handle.

I love spring with its flowers and the special green of new leaves. But later, when the lettuce and tomatoes are ripe, summer will please me even more. I can barely wait.

Henry Homeyer is a gardening consultant and the author of three gardening books. His web site is www.gardening-guy.com.