Don't let the nice weather fool you — it's still too early for some gardening work, experts advise
MINNEAPOLIS — Sunday was a perfect day to get outside and do some yard prep for spring and summer.
The nice weather can be misleading though; there's still some gardening work it's too early in the year for.
Carolyn and Mark Muchow have been tending to their home in Minneapolis for decades. They were busy working on Sunday.
"I'm going to lay some grass seed on the bare spots," Carolyn said. "Trying to do that and clean up the leaves and cut back because I've got some new peonies here that I planted last year."
Muchow says she mostly sticks to perennials.
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If you're looking to plant annuals, Laura Mathews with Tangletown Gardens in Minneapolis says to be careful right now.
"You don't want to plant any of those warm-weather annuals that can't take a freeze," she said. "So it's not time for tomatoes or basil or petunias or anything like that because those things are not ready for our temperatures."
Mathews says now is the time to assess your yard and make a plan.
"If you have any shrubs that need to be pruned or any trees, this is your last chance to do some pruning before they're finally leafing out," she said. "It's a great time to put down seed while the weather's still cool to fill in spots in your lawn as well."
Mathews says it's safe to plant pansies, violas, kales and grasses. She also recommends planting trees now before it gets too hot.
