FEED THE SOILHeavy winter rains most likely have washed away valuable nutrients from your garden soil. Beef it up by adding generous quantities of compost manure before planting.
PLANT VEGETABLES -- Plant potatoes, onions, peas, broccoli, lettuce, chard, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower. Sow seeds of carrots, beets, radishes and mesclun greens. If the weather is warmer and drier by the end of this month, plant warm season vegetables like squash, corn and beans.
BEWARE -- Don't even think about setting out transplants unless you are prepared to battle slugs and snails. They can smell a transplant a mile away, and it won't take them long to get to it. Trap or bait. Greenhouse gardeners should inspect plants regularly for whitefly, aphids and spider mites. Check plants once a week. As days warm and greenhouse are vented, pests blow in with the breeze.
GROW FLOWERS -- Look for dahlia tubers, callas and canna lilies. Set out gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
PRUNE -- Remove the faded trusses of rhododendrons. Prune after bloom is the rule for flowering trees such as plum, cherry, peach and tulip magnolia.
