Midwest Region

• Start some vegetable seeds indoors, such as broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. (See our Best Dates to Plant chart on Almanac.com/Gardening.)
• Prune trees and shrubs if they're susceptible to disease if pruned during warm weather. (Prune while they're dormant.)
• Prune dormant fruit trees; the fruit will be larger if it has more room to grow.
• Before planting outdoors, have your soil tested. Find your local cooperative extension on Almanac.com/Gardening.
• Continue providing food and water for the birds and other wildlife.
• Move potted plants to containers that are about 2 inches larger in diameter than their current pot.
• Trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted as soon as they are available at the nurseries.
• Keep the roots of mail order plants from drying out and plant them as soon as conditions allow.
• Sow some flower seeds indoors now, such as petunia, salviaa, snapdragon, and verbena.
• Sow grass seed if weather allows.
• Remove winter protection from roses.
• Fertilize your perennial beds with a balanced fertilizer, such as 6-12-12, and your vegetable garden with 12-12-12.
• Don't work the soil if it's too wet. It should feel like crumbly cake in your hands.
• Towards the end of the month, it may be time to sow seeds of eggplant and pepper indoors. (See our Best Dates to Plant chart on Almanac.com/Gardening.)
• Apply a dormant oil spray to your fruit trees to help control insects.
• Sow peas outdoors, even if it's snowy!
• Remove mulch from established strawberries; remove dead leaves from asparagus and rhubarb.
• Sidedress asparagus and rhubarb with nitrogen fertilizer.