March 5-11, 2012

The seasons bring the flower again,

And bring the firstling to the flock.

-Alfred Lord Tennyson

Becoming completely full on March 8 at 4:40 a.m., the Red-Winged Blackbird Moon wanes throughout next week, entering its last phase at 8:25 p.m. on March 14. Rising late in the evening and setting after sunrise, this moon lies overhead in the very early morning hours.

Planting of all onion sets and flower bulbs is favored at this time, especially when the moon passes through the water sign of Scorpio on March 11-13. Seed onion, carrots and turnips, too. Then put out new shrubs and trees.

Fishing is favored by the moon’s position overhead before dawn, especially as the cold fronts of March 9 and 14 approach. And the dropping barometer is likely to affect your mood (possibly making you more irritable), as well as your weight (you may weigh a little more on those days – as opposed to on days after high pressure – unless you pig out because you’re irritable).

In the Southeastern states, the morning gains half an hour this month, the sun coming up around a quarter past six by April Fool’s Day. Sunset slowly moves later in the day, adding another 15 minutes to the 15 it gained in February.

In the Pacific Northwest, the day now lengthens more than twice as quickly as it does near the Gulf of Mexico: the morning increases by a full hour during March, and sunset becomes up to three-quarters of an hour later. In the Midwest and the Northeast, the gains are similar.

Reminder: Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on March 11. Set clocks ahead one hour.

March’s second quarter brings one more major pivot in the year’s weather patterns. The rate of spring’s advance quickens, and odds for milder weather increase with every sunrise. Chances for an afternoon above 40 degrees climb to 40 percent throughout all but the northernmost states by the end of the week.

The third cold wave of the month arrives on March 9 or 10, but it is typically one of the mildest so far in the year. Frost strikes the early garden 60 percent of all the nights, however, and there is still a 5-10 percent chance each day next week for a high only in the teens or 20s in the Ohio Valley.

Odds for rain or snow are about one in three most days of the period; March 10 is the wettest day and has a 50 percent chance for precipitation.

Zeitgebers for this week include leafing honeysuckles and pussy willow catkins breaking open. White tundra swans usually arrive along Lake Erie at this time of the month. In Washington, D.C., the florets of cherry trees are just beginning to show, and the trees should be in full bloom by the end of the month.

Daybook

March 5: Wild violet leaves start to grow as the day’s length approaches 11.5 hours. Woodchucks are digging up the hillsides, and ducks and geese are scouting for nesting sites. Red maples flower. Chipmunks are out.

March 6: Winter juncos depart. Horseradish leaves are usually an inch long by today. Male red-winged blackbirds (that arrived about two weeks ago) sing in the swamps as females join them in their nesting areas. Cut back tips of black raspberry branches to produce a larger harvest; remove dead berry canes.

March 7: Warm-weather crops such as tomatoes should be ready to set out on the first of May if you start them under lights this week. Try cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, squash and all delicate herbs or flowers indoors before full moon.

Seed tobacco and set out pansies, cabbages, kale, peas, collards and Brussels sprouts as the moon waxes.

March 8: Beginning today, the first major storm window of March opens – and stays open through March 14. Full moon today is expected to bring cold and snow across the North, as well as frost deep into the Southern states.

Coltsfoot is budding and the first bluebells press through the mulch in the mountains of southeastern Ohio. Azaleas are blooming all across the Deep South. All along the Ohio Valley, buds lengthen and brighten on multiflora roses, honeysuckles, mock orange and lilac.

March 9: Fertilize evergreens before spring growth begins, and then spread manure on the flower and vegetable plots as the moon wanes. Animals given dry hay before being let out to new pastures tend to gorge themselves less and develop bloat far less frequently. As the days lengthen, watch for your mares to come into heat.

March 10: Crows are pairing off and selecting nesting sites. Lawn growth is usually perceptible now, three weeks before grass is ready to cut. Purple martins migrate. Peregrine falcons lay their eggs. Bald eagle chicks hatch. Ducks arrive in their most attractive mating plumage.

March 11: As the moon wanes, put in all of your root crops, shrubs and trees. Daylight Saving Time began this morning at 2 a.m. Adjust the feeding schedules of your animals and family to minimize hunger and irritability.