The middle of March is your cue to start growing cool season crops such as peas, sweet peas, lettuce, radish, cabbage, kale and anything else that has instructions on the seed pack that tells you to plant in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked.

Soil that drains well such as in raised beds will be warmer and ready for seeds sooner than soil that is high in clay or remains wet from being located in a low spot. You can also begin sowing seeds indoors of plants that need frost protection such as marigolds, tomatoes, peppers and squash. New seedlings grown indoors need lots of light to keep them from growing spindly so if you don’t have a bright greenhouse consider overhead fluorescent grow lights to get your indoor seedlings off to a bright start in life.

Q. When can I prune back my beautiful forsythia shrub? It is starting to block a pathway, but I do love the early spring color. T.R., Puyallup

A. Forsythia can be pruned after it finishes blooming so that it has plenty of time to make flowers for next year. Forsythia is a rather free-growing shrub that prefers a location where it can keep growing out and up. You may want to transplant it now to a location where you won’t have years of annual pruning ahead of you.

Q. How long will seed packets be good? I have found some old seeds at the home of a relative that passed away. Some are flowers and some are veggies but the dates on the packets are up to 5 years old. M.R., Enumclaw

A. Some seeds are viable for a thousand years. (seeds found in ancient burial sites prove this) but each variety is different and how the seed has been stored is also a consideration. I suggest you plant the seeds but consider it an adventure and expect a low germination rate. You may be pleasantly surprised at what plants and memories of your relative pop up.

Q. Daffodils are supposed to be poisonous. So what is eating my mini daffodils? The petals disappear but the foliage remains. Anon, Olympia

A. I suspect slugs or snails if daffodil petals show bite marks. Sometimes the tiny baby slugs hatching now are hard to find as they feed at night. Set a damp bit of newspaper near the daffodils or set a small clay pot on its side where you suspect slugs or snails. You will solve this mystery and find the guilty party hiding out where it is cool and moist.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.