Mild winter gives Catonsville gardeners head start
By Danielle Rexrode
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE
Many of us don’t think of March as an optimal time for outdoor leisure. But to die-hard gardeners it’s a busy month full of cleaning, pruning, seeding, and mulching. And with 110-acres to care for, the grounds crew at Charlestown doesn’t waste any time.
At the mercy of Mother Nature
“If there’s no snow this month we primarily begin winter cleanup for the upcoming spring season,” says Pat Watsic, grounds supervisor at Charlestown.
“Since this winter has been unusually mild, most of the flower beds have already been cleaned and mulched. The remaining beds will be cleaned; the cabbage/kale that was planted in September will be removed; we will begin pruning the rose bushes and hydrangeas (depending on the temperature), cut the liriope (ground cover) down to ground level, and cut back the ornamental grasses around the property,” she says. “If the mild weather continues, it would allow us to get an early start on shrub/tree pruning or replacement, lawn care, pest control, weed control, aerating, renovating, and seeding.”
The grounds crew at Charlestown aren’t the only ones getting their hands dirty this month. Some of Charlestown’s more serious gardeners are already getting to work in the 100, 10x10 gardening plots within the community.
“Some people get out there in early March but since there’s always chance of frost I usually wait to put my stuff in the ground,” says lifelong gardener Henry Bourke, who moved to Charlestown from Brooklyn (Maryland) ten years ago.
“The last two years I’ve planted six tomato plants, lettuce, radishes, and squash. My wife cans the tomatoes and we eat them all year long. We usually have enough that we’re able to give some away,” he says.