As the calendar changes, think of gardening tasks

The first day of April. Time to turn over a page on the calendar.

And time to begin work on the lawn and garden.

Just because spring has officially sprung doesn’t mean it’s time to start planting – the real April Fools’ joke in the Inland Northwest is played by Mother Nature. We’ll see warm weather one day, frost the next for the next several weeks. In fact, the average date for the last frost of the season is May 15.

Still, there is plenty to do.

Odds are your lawn mower can use a good tune-up: new spark plug, oil change, blade sharpening. Do the maintenance now and it will be ready to mow when you are – and that’s probably going to be sooner, rather than later.

And if you grow your own vegetables from seed, it’s about time to start them indoors so they’ll be ready to go when the weather warms and the danger of frost passes. And if you’re interested in heirloom vegetables, the type not normally found on the seed rack at your favorite garden center, you still have time to order seeds online or from a catalogue – if you hurry.

The Washington State University Master Gardener Web site (http://www.spokane-county.wsu.edu/spokane/eastside) has a list of garden chores that should be done this month.

They include:

•Seeding or sodding your lawn. Newly seeded lawns may take several weeks to germinate.

•Fertilize your lawn for the first time this year.

•Weed. Use a hoe to rid your lawn of weeds. The more you eliminate now the less you’ll have to worry about later.

•Now is a good time to start marigolds, zinnias, cosmos and nasturtiums indoors.

•Remove the protective mulch around roses, clematis, azaleas and other tender shrubs, but hold off pruning these plants until next month to prevent cold damage. You can finish pruning all but your flowering shrubs and trees.

•You still have time to transplant trees and shrubs.

•Fertilize spring-flowering bulbs as well as ornamental fruit and berry plants that were not fertilized in March. Same with deciduous and evergreen ornamentals and fruit trees not fertilized last month. Fertilize spring-blooming shrubs after flowering completes.

•Plant new berry plants this month but you should not fertilize strawberries until August.

•You can begin cultivating the soil in your garden bed as soon as it’s dry enough to work. Remember, plant roots need 12 inches of loose soil. Mix in a few inches of peat moss or organic material.

•As the month wears on, you can transplant cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. It’s recommended to fit the stem of your broccoli and cabbage plants with stiff paper disks to help control root maggots.

•You can also sow seeds of carrots, greens and beets this month. And you can plant seed potatoes and onion starts. However, you should plan on using plant covers to help keep insect pests out.

A successful garden requires a regular investment of time and energy. A little regular gardening will pay big dividends as the weather warms.