Even amid warm weather, hold off on gardening until April

If you enjoyed the spring weather this last weekend, you aren’t alone. Hundreds of Columbia residents went ouside and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

Even with the spring weather, you may find it hard to believe that the official start to the season is just 5 weeks away. The ground is still littered with dead leaves, twigs and things that remind you of what used to be life. However, if you look closely enough, you’ll find that green blades of grass are beginning to make their way to the surface in preparation for spring and new life. For some that means that the warm season is here and it’s time to start planting, but should you?

“It’s way too early to start planting. We’re in Missouri,” Giving Gardens Greenhouse supervisor Carol Gasperson said. “Our last average frost date is April 15, but our last possible frost date is May 15.”

Even with the early springlike weather this month, it takes only one weather system to remind us that it’s still officially winter. If you are a gardener suffering from spring fever and wanting to plant, Gasperon has advice to get you prepared for the upcoming planting season.

“Right now I would suggest you maybe clean up your flower beds, get rid of leaves, maybe mix in some compost or till in some compost,” Gasperson said.

If you do want to plant, Gasperson advises that you stick to succulents and leave them inside until it’s time to transfer them outdoors in April or May.

Next weekend is another example of the spring tease, as the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team is expecting highs to climb to near 70 degrees once again.