1. If the weather permits, now is a good time for some woodland maintenance. It’s important to remove vines such as bittersweet, honeysuckle and wild grapes that can eventually strangle the trees.
2. Check indoor ficus, jade, citrus and cacti for fluffy white mealybugs which tend to gather at the intersection of leaves and stems. They can be removed with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.
3. If any houseplants show aphid damage -- curled leaves, malformed buds, and a ‘honeydew’ or sticky substance on leaves you need to take action. In general pests on houseplants can be controlled by an insecticidal soap spray -- for maximum effectiveness buy a soap and pyrethrine combination and spray on a regular schedule.
4. Finish placing your seed orders and make sure that you order sufficient seeds for multi-season crops such as lettuce, spinach and herbs that do well in spring and fall -- your favorite varieties could be out of stock by late summer.
5. If you don’t already own a cold frame, consider buying or making one with some lumber and old window frames. You can then push spring planting forward and start sowing cold tolerant crops such as lettuce, mustard greens and spinach.
6. Cut some forsythia branches when the temperature is above freezing and bring them indoors to force. Choose branches with fat flower buds and place in water a cool, dimly lit place.
7. While you’re outside cutting branches, pick up any sticks from the lawn, remove leftover leaves on garden beds and dead wood in evergreens.
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