March 2025
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March Newsletter

Welcome to the March Edition of the Backyard Farmer newsletter! As the days grow longer and the soil begins to warm, it's time to give your landscape and garden a strong start for the season ahead. This month, we’re focusing on a few key tasks: caring for newly planted trees and shrubs, direct sowing cool-season crops, spring lawn care preparation, and attracting and excluding wildlife. Whether you're nurturing young plants, planning your first early harvest, or staying ahead of spring weeds, we’ve got expert tips to set you up for success. Let’s dig in and get growing!


🌱 😂  Gardening Funnies: 

Why do weeds never make good friends?
Because they always take over the conversation!

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Why do gardeners always seem so calm?
Because they know how to weed out the stress!


Discover our All-American Selections

Find out what AAS Winners will be in the Backyard Farmer garden this season


Video: Caring for New Trees & Shrubs

If you have planted new trees or shrubs in your landscape in the past year or plan to this year, caring for your new plants during the first year is crucial to longevity. Nebraska Extension Educator, John Fech explains the Do's and Don'ts to set your trees up for success. 


Care for New Trees & Shrubs


Video: Planting Cool-Season Crops

March is the perfect time to start cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, and kale. For an early harvest, sow seeds in a hoop house for added warmth and protection or start them indoors in pots near a sunny window. Watch this video and you’ll be enjoying fresh greens in no time!


Early Greens


Spring Lawn Preparation

Spring is the time to wake up your lawn and set the stage for healthy growth. Start by raking up winter debris and thatch to improve airflow and soil contact. Early-season care, including light fertilization and overseeding thin areas, will help your lawn green up beautifully and stay resilient through the growing season. If you are not overseeding, apply a fertilizer with crabgrass preventer, timing it when soil temperatures reach 55°F for three consecutive days.  


Video: Preemergent Timing


Website: Spring Turf Tips



Wildlife: Attracting and Protecting

Install birdhouses and nesting boxes for desirable species, such as bluebirds or swallows, but place them in areas where they won’t interfere with gardens.


Remove any brush piles, which may attract small mammals like rabbits or rodents.
Use wildlife-friendly fencing to protect early-growing perennials and vegetables.


Video: Attracting Desired Birds


Video: Excluding Rabbits



Upcoming Events

GRO Big Red Virtual Learning: Rain Gardens

Date: March 12, 2025

Time: 12 - 1:30pm CT

Zoom: Registration

Details: Rain gardens help harvest the rain and reduce runoff to streams and rivers. They need to be in the right locations with plant selections considered for three moisture zones. Learn about rain garden plants that succeed in Nebraska.

Plant Talk: Oaks, Willows and Prunus 

Date: March 13, 2025

Time: 12 - 1pm CT

Zoom: Registration

Details: Join us for this free, online Plant Talk about oak, willow and cherry trees, all of which are keystone species that support native insects. NSA staff Justin Evertson, Bob Henrickson and Brad Kindler will discuss examples of these species and explore what planting them could look like in your landscape.

Level 1 UNL Beekeeping Course

Date: Tuesday nights - March 18 thru May 6

Time: 6 - 8pm CT

Location: UNL East Campus

Registration

Details: Introductory level course that focuses on beekeeping, including topics on beekeeping equipment, protective gear, honey bee biology, stressors, and management basics. Sessions 1-4 include lectures, hands-on activities, and demos by several speakers. Sessions 5-8 of the course is field training that gets you in the hives. Learn how to setup the equipment, install and handle bees safely, and perform hive inspections.Registration required and cost is $120 per person for all 8 sessions


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