Well, hey there, gardening friends. Today we're talking about what to do in the first half of March, which is one of the busiest times for gardeners in Austin. As always, this episode is sponsored by ATXgardens.com, my landscape consulting business, and there's a lot to talk about. So let's jump in.

In general, March 1st is the last average freeze in Austin (in town), so a lot is happening in the garden as a result of that. Simply put, spring is here, and with the changing of the seasons, the gardening tasks we undertake change as well. This time of year, everything happens really fast and the plants start growing — especially the weeds.

So make sure you're keeping tabs on all of the cool-season weeds like sticky weed, hedge parsley, rescue grass, clover burrs, grass burrs, and false dandelions. At this time of year, you might also see warm-season weeds starting to grow, like Bermuda grass and Johnson grass, because the weather has been really warm lately.

Those warm-season weeds are starting to get a head start. So make sure you've got a hoe, digging fork, Fiskars Uproot Weeder, and your Japanese hand weeder to stay on top of them. They’re much easier to remove when they’re small, and they’re becoming more visible now, so start looking for them.

See the show notes for links to all of those tools.

Something I tell my customers all the time is that it's important to learn to identify the plants in your yard rather than thinking everything you didn’t plant is a weed. Getting to know those little volunteer plants can be really helpful because they might not actually be weeds. There are a lot of native beneficial plants you'd be better off keeping, like horseherb, sedges, and dichondra.

You get to decide what’s a weed and what isn’t. For example, at my house I keep true dandelions. I eat them and love the flowers. But there are lookalikes, like false dandelion, that I remove because they’re not edible and not attractive. There aren’t enough hours in the day to pull every volunteer plant, so decide which ones you want to keep.

If you’ve been keeping plants indoors or in a greenhouse all winter, now is the time to start watching the forecast. March 1st is the last average frost in Austin, but it’s not the latest possible frost. We often get freezes into March. So you may want to wait a bit longer, but it becomes less likely each day.

If your greenhouse is overheating, it may be time to bring plants out. As of this recording, we haven’t had much rain and none is forecasted, so don’t forget to water. Pots will need more frequent watering, and any plants planted within the past year will need extra attention as temperatures rise and the sun gets stronger.

Now moving on to woody plants — trees and shrubs.

You may have noticed landscapers cutting the tops off crape myrtles. This practice, often called “crape murder,” is outdated and harmful. The only time I top a crape myrtle is if it’s rubbing against a more valuable tree like an oak and removal isn’t an option. Otherwise, avoid topping.

Now is a good time to plant Mediterranean trees like figs, pomegranates, and bay laurels, as well as tropicals like loquats and bougainvillea. South Texas natives like anacua and Mexican olive are also great to plant now.

It’s getting late to plant shade trees like oaks and pecans, or shrubs like roses and hollies. If you don’t already have them, wait until September. If you do have them, plant immediately — no later than April 1st.

Do not prune oak trees right now. It’s oak wilt season, and pruning can spread the disease. In general, avoid pruning trees in early spring unless there is a safety issue.

Now is a good time to trim evergreen shrubs like Burford holly, Texas sage, dwarf yaupon, boxwood, and viburnum. If shrubs in front of windows are too tall, cut them lower than your desired final height. They’ll flush with growth quickly. One hard annual prune is healthier than constant shearing.

Now let’s talk about fruit trees.

Peaches, pears, apples, plums, and nectarines are blooming or finishing bloom. When about 75% of petals have fallen, look for baby fruits. At that stage, you can spray with an organic insecticide like Take Down Garden Spray (pyrethrin + oil) or cover fruits with micro-mesh bags or orchard socks to prevent plum curculio and maggots.

If spraying, do so in the evening to protect pollinators. I prefer covering because it avoids harming beneficial insects.

If your fruit trees were planted less than three years ago, remove all fruits. Young trees need to focus on root establishment, not fruit production.

March is also grafting season, especially when Texas mountain laurels bloom. I’ll cover citrus care and grafting in the next episode. Central Texas Seed Savers also has grafting workshops coming up.

Now for a quick sponsor break.

If you’d like personalized help with your landscape, book a consultation at ATXgardens.com. I recently worked with new homeowners who inherited a garden from an avid gardener. I helped them identify plants, distinguish weeds from intentional plantings, and make the landscape feel manageable. Consultations also make great gifts.

Now back to the episode.

Spring is exciting for perennials, bulbs, and grasses. Finish cutting back all dead perennial tops before new growth makes it difficult.

For ornamental grasses like inland sea oats, switchgrass, miscanthus, and Indian grass, remove only the top half. Do not cut lower than halfway — grasses grow from the bottom up, and cutting too low can kill them.

Muhly grasses, especially Gulf muhly, should not be cut hard. Instead, rake out dead material and snap off faded flower stems.

If grasses have dead centers, dig them up, divide them with a pruning saw, and replant the healthy sections.

Now is also a good time to cut back evergreen herbaceous plants like cast iron plant, liriope, sedges, bicolor iris, Asian jasmine, and holly fern if they look damaged. If they look good, leave them alone.

It’s an excellent time to plant or transplant perennials, grasses, bulbs, cacti, succulents, and groundcovers.

Now onto the vegetable and herb garden.

Add compost and fertilizer before planting. Mulch with shredded leaves or ornamental grass clippings.

Harvest cool-season vegetables now. You can still plant radishes and mustard from seed. It’s too late for most other cool-season crops.

Strawberries and Swiss chard can still be planted from transplants.

Warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants can be planted now, but be ready to cover them if temperatures drop below 35–40°F.

Beans, corn, cucumbers, summer squash, New Zealand spinach, and magenta spreen can be direct-seeded now.

I’m finishing my soaker hose system and animal protection before planting. Raccoons, armadillos, foxes, and possums have been digging in my beds.

It’s also a great time to plant warm-season herbs from transplants: rosemary, oregano, thyme, lavender, lemon balm, catnip, lemongrass, mint, and chives. Basil can be planted from seed or transplants.

Next episode, I’ll talk more about lawn care and the first mowing of the season.

That wraps up today’s episode. Check the show notes for links to everything mentioned. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with a fellow Central Texas gardener. I’m Colleen Dieter with ATXgardens.com, and I’ll see you next time.