ELAINE CERNY: MY GARDEN PATH — So long winter?

Believe it or not, winter “may” be behind us. At least pretty much. You never know for sure, do you? Anyway, we lucked out with a pretty mild season, all in all. I’m not complaining and I haven’t heard anyone else whining, either. Remember the old adage about March coming in like a lamb and going out like a lion?

There isn’t a whole lot we can do outdoors this early, but we can get our hands into the dirt, just the same. If you haven’t already started some seeds in the house, go ahead and get that going. There are lots of seeds that you can start in the house, some for future veggies and some for future flowers.

It’s always best to start those slow-to-mature vegetable seeds such as tomato plants. As these aren’t safe to plant into the garden until mid to late May, you’ll want to get them going long before that date. Choose what varieties you want and get them started. You’ll need some seed starting mix, a tray or some small pots. Don’t use garden soil as it’s not sterile and you probably won’t get good results.

Get some of these seeds potted up, following the package directions. Water them well and either place them in an east or south window or put under some type of “grow” light. Before long, these little guys will be up and off to the races.

Some vegetable seeds do better if they’re directly seeded into the outdoor garden. These would include things like carrots, beets and corn. Late May or early June will work fine for these.

As for flowers, there are many of those to “start” indoors too. Some are grown from bulbs or corms instead of seeds. These include dahlias and tuberous begonias, among others. They need a head start on the season. If you wait until the first of June to plant them, you won’t see blossoms until August, if then.

Dahlias need to be planted into fairly large individual pots where they are covered by several inches of potting soil and left alone until you see a green shoot or two coming up. Then, keep them watered and in a sunny spot until after the last frost outdoors. Dahlias are very sensitive to cold temperatures, so don’t get in a hurry to move them outside to an area with all-day sun.

Tuberous begonias grow from individual round bulbs which have a depression at the top. When planted, you will need to keep that area at top uncovered until they sprout and then you can cover them with a bit more soil. Keep in a sunny window until late May before moving them to a good spot. That would be a place with morning sunshine and afternoon shade.

Always read the information on any seed packages you purchase. They all show the number of days until bloom or harvest. This number is calculated from the time they go into the garden, not when they’re started indoors.

You may have a few early flowers blooming in your yard. I’ve had primroses in bloom all winter. These are very tough little guys. I hate to see them on racks for sale in stores in February. People mistakenly think these must be houseplants … wrong! If you can’t wait until the snowbanks are truly gone, keep them on a cold windowsill and don’t let them dry out. Primroses are wonderful perennials, but pathetic houseplants.

Other chores for us “green thumbers” include caring for our houseplants. Many need to be transplanted now as they’ve been semi dormant all winter and are just now waking up to stronger sunlight. Some of these just need a dose of liquid fertilizer. Others may also need to be transplanted into a bit larger pot. For African violets, remember their cardinal rule: the pot should never be more than 1/3 the width of the leaf span. Putting them into a larger pot may seem like a good idea, but they bloom much better with crowded roots.

For a good time and interesting speakers, you might want to check out the Post Falls Garden Club. They meet at 6:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month, except December. The location is the Post Falls library, located on north Spokane Street just north of Seltice.

I recently saw a sign I can relate to. It said, “I’m Not Too Old, I Just Need To Be Repotted.”

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Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is currently serving as secretary for the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls. Her column appears in the Press every other Sunday from March to October.