Garden chores for mid-March

March feels like the beginning of the gardening season, at least when the sun shines. For vegetable gardeners who begin indoors raising their own plants under lights the season is truly underway.

In addition to vegetables, annual vining plants such as sweet peas can get an early start under lights. Also consider giving tender plants such as canna and elephant ears an early boost under lights or in a sunny window. For most gardeners, a range of outdoor tasks can be accomplished over the next couple of weeks.

When the weather permits and the ground is dry enough, cut back all the ornamental grasses that have added winter interest. Some of them will not show new growth for another two months, but all will benefit from more air and light.

Review your plans for containers ? which ones you?ll use, where they will be placed, what you will plant. Make lists to guide your purchases of plants and potting mix. Good potting mixes are light and fluffy. Don?t be tempted by a seeming bargain that is dense and heavy. (I can testify to the folly of this as I once accidentally purchased a bag of the heavy stuff ? it was a disaster!) Note whether your mix includes a slow release fertilizer.

If you have raised beds, check them carefully now for any signs of deterioration. Corners tend to be ?pressure points,? and now is a good time for repairing and reinforcing.

As you care for your house plants, consider which you will eventually take outside and whether you have any candidates for rooting. Inch plant, for example, can easily be rooted in water, and the plants can then be tucked into container plantings as a very low-cost ?spiller.?

Always guided by weather and soil conditions, begin the process of cleaning up after a hard winter. Even a good sweeping of walkways helps, and you may be able to begin gathering branches and other debris. Begin to clear the dried husks of hosta leaves from the shade garden, and clear shrubs of entangled sticks and leaves.

All this is hardly the most glamorous of gardening tasks. Still, these little steps signal a serious intent to have bountiful gardens this year, and that just feels good.