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HOMES PLUS APRIL 2015 2 243384004 Repair, don't fertilize, lawns It's still too early to fertil- ize the lawn, but now is a good time to reseed any bare patches. "If you fertilize too early, the roots won't develop strong underneath before they push to grow on top," said Wied, who recommends people wait until Memorial Day to apply lawn fertilizer. "But, early spring is a great time to repair bare spots. Rake it up, add some fertiliz- er on those spots and sprin- kle some seeds." Plan, don't plant (yet) A string of warm days makes it tempting to till the soil or even plant a few veg- etable seeds or flowers. Resist. "One of the common mis- takes is getting out there and planting a plant too early," Wintersberger said. "I've experienced this myself over the years, where I've decided to plant geraniums — planted all these things — and later they were touched by frost and I lost them." It's usually too early to till the soil, as well. "The soil may look dry on top," Wied said. "But dig below it a couple inches, and it's still pretty wet. If you dig that up too early when it's still moist, it will harden into large clumps." Not only is that a pain to work with later on, it's not conducive to growing strong, healthy plants. Satisfy the urge to plant by starting seedlings indoors instead. "Come the second or third week of April, start those tomato seeds indoors," Wied suggested. "And then depending on what kind of spring we get, if it's a dry spring, toward the end of April you can start working the soil and getting your gar- den ready for crops that can tolerate cool weather." The calendar may say April, but if there is one thing gardeners quickly learn it's that gardening isn't always calendar relat- ed. "As gardeners, you learn you use the calendar as a guide," Wied said, "but it's the weather that calls it." Submitted photo If you can't wait to plant, start seedlings indoors. The second and third week of April — that's now — is a good time to start tomato seedlings. Before transplanting them into the garden, harden them off by gradually introducing them the outdoors. There is a lot to do before planting, including assessing winter damage and pruning judiciously. Continued from Page 1 Patience From your stone selection - to managing the unique details of your fabrication - to meticulous installation - you will work with the owner of the company. GRANITE • MARBLE • QUARTZ DISTINCTIVE CUSTOM COUNTERTOPS Experience the Granite Direct Difference 262-544-5558 S31 W24651 Sunset Dr. Waukesha www.granitedirectwi.com 243410003

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