Hopefully by now Mother Nature will allow everyone to begin gardening without any further scares of freeze. Many of you have already planted your vegetable gardens and have beautiful flower gardens in bloom with months of enjoyment still to come. Here are a few questions many of us will need to address with spring in full swing!

Q. When do I prune my Azaleas?

A. Azaleas are beautiful shrubs with one downside being they have a short time span where the public can enjoy their flowering beauty when compared to other flowers and shrubs. However like many of our spring flowering shrubs now is the time to prune. Wait to prune until they have finished blooming. Azaleas, flowering almond, forsythia, spirea, flowering quince and Indian hawthorn will set next year’s flowerbuds during summer, so prune after they flower but before they set new buds. A general recommendation for forsythia, flowering quince and others with an arching form is to remove one-third of the oldest and tallest shoots, cutting them to about 4 to 6 inches above the ground. For azaleas and Indian hawthorns, selectively prune each damaged or wayward branch, cutting at the point where it originates from the ground or another branch.

Q. How do I eliminate the fire ants?

A. Bad news, fire ants have been in the US sine 1918, and will remain for the foreseeable future. Recent rains have made us aware since the ants have now built mounds to get out of the wet soil. Management may be accomplished by using baits, liquids (mound drenches), powders/dusts or granules. When treating fire ants remember that they only come out when temperatures are at least in the 70s, and that no fire ant treatments are allowed in the vegetable garden. One of the best ways to keep fire ants out of the vegetable garden is to use one of the baits around the outside of the garden. Amdro is the fastest working bait so it may be the best bet for bordering vegetable gardens; other recommended baits are Award, Distance, and Extinguish. It is best if you live in a neighborhood to try to control ants as a neighborhood as opposed as an individual.

If your neighbor controls for them and you do not all the remaining ants in their yard will form mounds in your and vice versa. Therefore, if ants are a problem in your neighborhood I recommend you and your neighbors tackle this problem together to have a more effective impact for everyone!

Q. If I want to switch from flowers to vegetable gardens, what should I plant?

A. Flower gardens are just not for everyone and if you like the outdoors and gardening you will find a vegetable garden just as fun and entertaining as flowers. Now is a good time to start planting snap beans, lima beans, collards, cucumbers, eggplants, cantaloupes, okra, southern peas, pepper transplants, peanuts, pumpkin, winter squash, summer squash, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and watermelon.

For more information on any of these areas please go to the Mississippi State Web site at www.msucares.com or call the Adams county extension office at 601-445-8201. I look forward to answering your calls next week!

David Carter is the Mississippi State University Agriculture Extension Office county agent for Adams County. He can be reached at dcarter@ext.msstate.edu.