March is an ideal time to begin preparing gardens for gardening season.  Whether it’s testing soil or picking the right plants to go with vegetables, the warm-weather days provide good opportunities to get started on these plans.  Cleaning gardens is also a significant first step to ensure this season’s plants can thrive in them. 

Gwen Podeschi and Linda Smith are Master Gardeners with the University of Illinois Extension.  They say cleaning gardens gets rid of last season’s growth, and good weather is the best time in which to do this. 

Fall is the best time to test soil.  For those who did not do so last fall, Farm Supply locations will accept samples and provide testing results. 

Gardening experts advise planting pollinator-friendly flowers next to vegetable plants to attract pollinators to both kinds of plants.  Plants native to the area work best.

The Extension will host a workshop on grafting fruit trees.  It’s scheduled for Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to noon at their Montgomery County office in Hillsboro.

Registration for the workshop is available here.  More information on the University of Illinois Extension is available at extension.illinois.edu.

Gwen Podeschi and Linda Smith appeared as a guest on the WTIM Morning Show.