An extra day of winter occurred this year
Winter of 2024 received a bonus day on Thursday as we celebrated Leap Day on Feb. 29. The year of 2024 is known as Leap Year because it contains 366 days and this event happens once every four years. Our Northampton County grandma always said that the extra day gave all old maids an extra day to find a husband. One of her old wives tales was that during a leap year, women could ask men to marry them or for a date, (sort of a Sadie Hawkins Day) in the “Lil Abner” comic strip by Al Capp.
Lion and lamb month began on Friday
The first day of March occurred on Friday. Will the month be like a lion and roar its way into the month or prance around like a lamb? We can receive a mixed bag of weather tricks during the month that can include wind, heavy snows, cold nights, sleet, freezing rain, as well as the arrival of spring and a lot of mixed weather patterns. March can be unpredictable but it can bring a few warm days to make the month interesting.
Winter’s shortest month is concludes
The shortest month of winter has come to an end with 29 days instead of 28. We are now into the early days of March and there are plenty of cold days remaining as the winter moves along as the month of spring’s arrival blows its way in. We can expect plenty of cold weather as well as some hefty snow and cold nights even into the month of April. Will March have more lion-like weather than lamb-like? We can be sure of one thing. Most likely the month will have a lion-like personality.
Celebrating Saint Patrick a bit early
Saint Patrick’s Day is Monday, March 17, and you can begin to celebrate the day a week earlier with a pot of Irish shamrocks and display a bit of greenery on the kitchen table. Most supermarkets feature pots of shamrocks decked in Saint Paddy’s wrap for around three dollars a pot with shamrocks in all their glory. They are a cousin of the clover but have larger, more colorful leaves. One of the plus marks of shamrocks is that later in spring, they have beautiful white star-like flowers. If you purchase a shamrock, you can transplant it to a larger container after Saint Patrick’s Day and place it in a semi-sunny location outside and it will grow larger and produce white blossoms in late May and early June and provide plenty of Kelly green until frost. You can start celebrating Saint Paddy early by buying seed potatoes of Irish potatoes because they are a root crop that thrives in cold temperatures of March. You can choose from Irish cobbler, Red Pontiac, Yukon Gold, and Kennebec. You can buy them by the pound or in 25 pound bags. They can be set out any time in March when soil is workable. They require a 90-day or more growing season and should be set out during March preferably around Saint Patrick’s Day. Give them an extra start by covering the newly set out potatoes on each side of the row with a layer of crushed leaves.
Substitute a pot of clover for shamrocks
Usually in March some greenery shows up in the lawn in the form of clover. Clover is not a bad thing and has a good reputation of producing its own nitrogen which attracts bees and birds to the blossoms and clover seeds and it is green and grows sometimes in the areas where grass doesn’t perform well. Clover attracts insects which prey on garden pests that benefit the garden and other flowers. You can substitute a container of clover for a shamrock and place it on the porch or deck. Feed it with Garden-Tone organic plant food and it will produce foliage and blooms all season.
Enjoying signs of early spring
Hyacinths are displaying their colors and fragrance and the Carolina Jasmine emits its perfume and amber color and both of them are inviting the first appearance of bumble bees and honey bees. The jonquils are also putting on a pretty show as the heirloom flowers of early spring. Their golden glow certainly announces that spring is around the corner. Birds are active on the spring lawn and robins are busy bouncing around the lawn in a never-ending search for insects and grubs or worms. Next week, we will receive an extra hour of daylight, but it will be a while before we notice the difference.
Saint Patrick’s corned beef casserole
The day to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day is almost here and time to prepare a meat fit for Saint Paddy. For this recipe you will need one 12-ounce can of Libby’s corned beef (mashed up), eight-ounce pack of finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, one envelope Recipe Secrets Beefy Onion soup mix, one can Campbell’s cream of broccoli or celery soup, one can evaporated milk, two and a half cups Pepperidge Farm cornbread dressing mix, two eggs (beaten), one cup crushed potato chips, one teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the corned beef until crumbly, add one stick light margarine and melt into corned beef, add beefy onion soup mix, evaporated milk, cream of broccoli or celery soup, two beaten eggs, corn bread dressing, Worcestershire sauce, and crushed potato chips. Heat all ingredients over low heat for one or two minutes. Pour into a casserole dish sprayed with Pam baking spray. Sprinkle another cup of crushed potato chips on top and drizzle half stick of melted butter over the crushed chips. Bake for 50 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Planting a row or bed of early spring greens
As we progress into March, the cool soil is receptive to the planting of a row of spring salad greens. They will respond favorably to the cool soil temperatures of March and provide a harvest in around 45 days or less. You can purchase seed by the ounce for less than $2. You can sow curly mustard or Siberian kale by themselves or get a mixed variety of greens such as mustard, kale, Florida broad leaf, curly kale, tendergreen, and turnip. Two ounces of seed will saw a 40 foot row or a 4x8 foot bed. Prepare a furrow about three inches deep and spread a layer of peat moss in bottom of the furrow. Lightly spread the tiny seed in bottom of the furrow and cover with another layer of peat moss. Apply a layer of Garden-Tone organic vegetable food and hill up soil on both sides of the furrow. Tamp down soil on top of the row for solid soil contact. Water with water wand each week when no rain is forecast. Side-dress with Garden-Tone organic vegetable food when salad develops two leaves.
Season of wild onions upon us
The wild onions are showing their spikes on the lawn in early spring. They have bulbs that are deep in the sod which makes them hard to control. They will be around until warm weather arrives. The only plus they have is the fact that at least they are green. To control them without damaging the lawn, use the weed trimmer and cut the onions down to ground level preferably in a barren moon sign such as Leo, the Lion. This will not kill them, but will stunt their growth and improve the lawn’s appearance and slow down their growth.
Rose bushes can be set out
March is a great month to set out roses for beauty in summer. Many nurseries and garden centers already have a display of roses. Buy those that are packaged in pots or containers filled with potting mediums and not plastic bags filled with sawdust. These bushes probably will not make it because their root system will dry out. When you purchase roses, check the foliage for life and green stems. Make sure the medium is moist and the bush shows plenty of signs of life. There are many types of roses to consider when you make a choice of roses to plant. One of the most poplar is the Hybrid Tea Rose which has a tapered bloom with a single flower on each stem. They are favorites for a rose for vases. The Floribunda produces clusters of blooms on each stem over a long period of season. Grandiflora produce larger flowers on bushes with shorter stems than hybrid tea roses. Knock-outs are very popular and produce over a long season and are a bush type with short canes and blooms of yellow, pink, red, and white and very few thorns. When you set out roses don’t cover the knot at the base of the rose, which is known as the root graft and should be above the soil. It can be covered with mulch in winter. Dig the hole for the rosebush a size larger than the container. Fill hole half full with peat moss and fill hole half-full of water. Place the rose and medium in the container intact into the hole. Add a mixture of soil and peat moss to fill the hole and tamp down soil around rose and water the soil again. After the water soaks down, fill hole with soil and tamp down the soil. After two weeks, apply a layer of Rose-Tome organic rose food. Water roses every week.
Hoe hoe hoedown
“A Do Nothing!” The worst part about doing nothing is you never get a day off.
“Conserving Energy.” Teacher: “What are you doing to conserve energy?” Sonny: “I take a long nap every afternoon.”
“Not that good!” Preacher: “And does your husband always live up to the promises he made when you two were engaged? Wife: “He sure does, in those days he said he was not good enough for me and he has been proving that ever since!”
“Locked up, locked out!” Disgusted wife: “There was a broken lock on the front door. The only way I could get my husband to fix it was to tell him that mother was coming for a visit!”
The almanac for March
March is the month of the arrival of spring and the spring equinox occurs on Tuesday, March 19. The moon will reach its last quarter on Sunday, March 3. There will be a new moon on the western horizon on Sunday, March 10. Daylight Savings time begins on Sunday, March 10, at 2 a.m. Remember to set all your clocks forward one hour before going to bed on Saturday night. The moon reaches its first quarter on Sunday, March 17. We celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day on Sunday, March 17. The first day of spring begins Tuesday, March 19. Palm Sunday occurs on Sunday, March 24. The full moon of March rises on Monday, March 25. This moon is named “Full Worm Moon.” This moon has many other names that include Full Eagle Moon, Full Sore Eye Moon, Full Sugar Moon, and Full Wind Strong Moon. Good Friday is Friday, March 29. Easter Sunday will be Sunday, March 31. Wear warm clothing on Easter Sunday as Easter arrives in the cool month of March this year.
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