I am told that in Ireland, potatoes and peas are always planted on St. Patrick’s Day. Here in Southern Maryland, our soils are generally wet and cold and impossible to plow, rototill or cultivate in mid-March. This year may be different.     On February 20, I rototilled my asparagus bed to get rid of the winter annual weeds and cut down the mustard plants that were beginning to flower. The soil temperature was already up to 45 degrees and might well be ready for potatoes...

If you’ve been smart enough to plant horseradish, your reward is at hand. Now that the tops of the horseradish plants have died back to the ground, it is time to dig up the roots and make horseradish with a kick. Add fresh homemade horseradish to cocktail sauce, horseradish sauce or your favorite baked beans, and you’ll feel that kick.     Horseradish plants need to be grown in full sun and in a well-drained soil rich in organic matter. I grow my horseradish in a...

Healthy plants grow, and unless pruned, they often outgrow their function in the landscape. This problem is most often resolved by pruning during the spring and summer. But pruning boxwoods during these months often spreads canker-causing microorganisms between the cut surfaces, infecting the branches. Cankers damage boxwoods and are difficult to control with fungicides. Prune Raspberries At the ground line, prune away canes that produced fruit last year. They are easy to identify because...

Several readers have expressed concern that the warm winter will cause plants to flower and grow. There is no need to worry about native plants in our climate initiating growth or flowering before spring.     Mother Nature took all of these factors into consideration when selecting plants that belong here. In our climate, native plants start preparing for winter in mid-August. Growth begins to slow, scales grow to protect the vegetative buds through winter, and spring-flowering...