At last, we have come to the end of March. That’s good, except who knows what tomorrow will bring? Don’t ever trust those April Fool days.

That being said, we’re off and running as far as another gardening season goes. Of course, most of it still takes place indoors. Guess we can’t have everything.

Just a reminder about starting seeds inside. Remember, there are five kinds of seeds that need to get going indoors. These include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and peppers. Anything else can wait and be directly seeded into the garden.

The first three are very hardy and can go out into the garden in May. It’s best to wait until June 1 before planting out the tomato and pepper seedling as these are real prima donnas and insist on being treated as such.

It’s very tempting to start working in the yard. If you happen to have a sunny exposure and all your snow is long gone, you may be able to do just that. Unfortunately for most of us, either we still have snowbanks here and there, or the soil is still downright sodden. I have both.

I know it’s hard to do, but please do not spray your yard with insecticides. You may be successful at killing some kind of unwanted bug, but in doing so, look what else you’re killing: honeybees, butterflies and even birds as they often eat a bug you’ve poisoned and that poison goes on to kill the bird.

Once you’re able to work in the yard, one of the first jobs is to cut the old growth on the perennials down to the ground. The new growth will be coming from below, so there’s no need to keep the old stuff. It’s an eyesore anyway.

Do NOT include roses in this activity. It’s still a bit early to prune those as that job is typically done on April 15 or after. You can go ahead and clean up the dead rose bush leaves as these often harbor diseases like black spot. It’s never too early for that chore.

If you have trees that need pruning, don’t wait any longer. This job needs to be done before they start to leaf out. Remember, you can prune any time except when the leaves are coming on or falling off. The spring window is closing fast.

As many stores are already offering perennials and trees for sale, you have a decision to make. Either wait a while and lose some of the choices, or buy now and try to keep your purchase dormant until the ground thaws out and the air temperatures stay above freezing at night.

Probably the best way to keep your plant dormant is to put it into an unheated garage. I’ve had good luck by placing these on the floor, next to the wall shared with the house.

Alert … ! This may be your last chance to rest up, so enjoy it while it lasts!

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Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is currently serving as secretary for the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls. Her column appears in the Press every other Sunday from early March to late October. Email: eandtjcerny@aol.com