Now that spring is officially here, we can really start to think about outdoor activities. Don’t get ahead of the weather though, that could cause more harm than good or cause us to have to do more work later. Nicole Stoner, Extension Educator in Gage County, has shared a to do list and when to do those things.
Local Interest
For some of you this is a reminder as I ran this column last year about this time, for some this is your first read. Planting season can be busy and stressful, so please don’t forget to be safe when handling treated seed and check the seed tag or talk to your seed dealer for specific handling and use directions. Treated seed is another route of exposure for farmers and other handlers, whether this exposure is to fungicide, insecticide, or nematicide treatments present on the seed.
After corn and soybeans, alfalfa is the most grown crop in southeast Nebraska. Based on satellite imagery and crop reflectance, USDA CropScape estimated there was approximately 16,200 acres of alfalfa growing in the summer of 2022 in Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties and 6,800 acres in Johnson, Pawnee, Nemaha, and Richardson counties. Assuming farmers maintain alfalfa stands for 5 to 7 years, there are about 3,800 new seeding alfalfa acres seeded each year.
February and March have inconsistent weather patterns. We can have a day like last Sunday with such unusually warm weather and this can be followed by snow only a few days later. The spring-like weather early can make it hard to stay indoors, but don’t do too much outside too early. When we can go outside, we can take advantage of the great weather by pruning these days. Pruning would be a better option than cleaning up landscaping beds which can injure plants.
It’s hard to think about gardens when the weather is as cold as it was this week. However, it is a great time to start thinking about your gardens for the spring. I will be starting my seeds indoors in the next few weeks to get my transplants growing for my vegetable garden and I have ordered seeds for a few flowers I will start as well. So, when we think about our gardens, we need to think about helping pollinators.
Sulfur and chloride could be two key nutrients to apply during the spring green up phase of winter wheat in Eastern Nebraska. If these nutrients were not included in your fall fertilizer, an early spring fertilizer pass in March across the field may still be warranted. In Eastern Nebraska, local observations and data suggest that sulfur and chloride applications may be needed for some rainfed no-till winter wheat fields.
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