Start seeds so plants are ready by May

Q. For several years I purchased a couple tomato and pepper plants for container gardening. This year I would like to start a larger garden and economize by growing plants from seed. Garden centers now have all their packets of seed displayed. When should I plant the seeds so plants are ready to transplant at the end of May?A. Mid-March to early April is the time to get your plants started. Tomatoes and peppers can be transplanted to the garden after the last frost date in this area; usually between May 15 and 31. To be on the safe side transplant outdoors toward the latter part of May. Check seed packet for time to start plants. Tomatoes and peppers usually should be started from 6-10 weeks before the last frost. The best time to put the plants into the garden is when the nighttime temperature is consistently above 50 F and the soil temperature is 65 F.Q. I'm suffering from cabin fever and want to get into my garden, but the ground is too wet to dig and the perennials don't need tending yet. Is there anything I can do?A. If you have ornamental grasses, now is the time to trim last year's growth before new growth begins. Use a sharp pruning shears to remove all the dead brown growth. Cut the growth into smaller pieces and, add to (or start) your compost pile.#160;Q. I have a philodendron that has grown very long. Can I propagate new plants from this plant? If so, how do I do that?A. Yes, you can propagate new plants from your plant. Spring is a good time to establish the new plants from a healthy parent plant since active growth has begun.It sounds as if you have a trailing philodendron. An easy way to propagate a trailing philodendron is to place a cutting in a container of water with a few pieces of charcoal to control bacterial growth.Use a clean razor blade or sharp knife (cleaned with rubbing alcohol) to make an angled cut just below a node (where leaves come off the stem). The cutting should include six or seven leaves from the tip of a trailing stem or healthy side shoot. Remove two or three leaves from the bottom nodes and place the cutting in water making sure no leaves are under water. Place the container in a bright but not sunny spot with a temperature of 68 to 72 F. Roots should emerge from the underwater nodes in about four to eight weeks. At that time you can plant the cutting in a 3-inch pot using a houseplant soilless mix. Water thoroughly and watch your plant thrive!An alternate propagation method is to prepare the cuttings as you would for water propagation. Dip the cut ends into rooting hormone and insert them deep enough into pots of sandy peat or a peat moss and sand mix so they support themselves. Water thoroughly. Cover the pots with a bell jar or old aquarium or place them in a terrarium and keep them in a warm room out of direct sunlight. Check periodically to make sure the planting medium is moist. In four to eight weeks you should have new plants.bull; Provided by Mary Boldan and Donna Siemro, University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. Send questions to Ask a Master Gardener, c/o Friendship Park Conservatory, 395 W. Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016, (847) 298-3502 or via e-mail to cookcountymg@sbcglobal.net.