Southeast Region

• Continue another planting hardy vegetable crops that mature quickly. Good choices are turnips, mustard, radishes, and spring onions.
• Thin plants when they are 2 to 3 inches tall to give them room for growth.
• Side-dress your early-planted crops with compost.
• Once all danger of frost has passed, you can transplant tender vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers. Before planting, harden-off by placing containers outdoors in a sheltered area for a few days.
• If danger of frost has passed, plant warm-season crops, such as beans, squash, and corn.
• Remember to water your plants, especially any transplants.
• Keep a look out for insects. Control aphids with soapy spray on leaves.
• Dianthus and other cold-season annuals should flourish this month.
• Plant bulbs for spring and summer flowers such as dahlia, canna, and gloriosa. Amend beds with organic matter and provide stakes for growth.
• Plant warm-season annual flowers, such as asters, calendulas, cosmos, impatiens, phlox, salvia, and zinnias.
• Continue pruning summer-flowering shrubs, such as althea, hibiscus, and oleander. Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs until the last flowers have faded (but before new buds set).
• Prune trees and shrubs before the end of the dormant season.
• Rake up any leaves from your lawn and fertilize it after all danger of frost has passed.
• If you have not done so already, you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide to your lawn to help prevent any summer weeds.
• Apply a layer of mulch around your newly planted shrubs, flowers, and vegetables.
• Fertilize azaleas, camellias, ornamental shrubs, and palms, if needed. Use a fertilizer that has at least 30 percent of its nitrogen as slow-release.
• You can plant lawn seeds now, if needed.
• Mow your lawn at recommended heights (St. Augustine and Bahia: 3 to 4 inches; Centipede: 1.5 to 2 inches; Dwarf St. Augustine: 2.5 inches).
• Fertilize lawns with a slow-release nitrogen after danger of frost is clearly passed.
• Check sprinkler systems for any issues and fix, as needed.