March is the month that gardeners start to prepare for the upcoming growing season and there are surprises coming up through the soil.

If you start plants and vegetables from seed, now is when you start to prepare those seeds and seed-starter medium indoors so they are ready to roll out to the garden in mid-May.

Sedum is the last flowering plant to stick around in the fall and the first plant to come back in the spring. It emerges as the last of the snow melts away around here.

Today is Pi Day for math fans as the date of March 14, 2015 translates to the mathematical equation of Pi which reads as 3.1415. The month, day, and year, in numbers today is 3/14/15.

So, we decided our contribution to Pi Day would be in the form of a pizza pie.

We can pick up some good-quality pie dough which makes dinner little more than an easy assembly of ingredients.

We use a basic tomato sauce with a base of onions and garlic started in olive oil in a pan. Then we add our tomatoes and allow the sauce to simmer a bit to thicken.

You don’t want to skimp on the cheese since good pizza is made from only a few ingredients. Don’t reach for fresh mozzarella as it has a higher water content and that can make the pizza soggy.

Save the fresh mozzarella cheese for your caprese salad or other salads.

Try a mixture of a few cheeses mixed together. Many markets carry bags of shredded mozzarella along with other cheeses and it can be a nice twist of flavor for your pizza topping.

Remember when spreading sauce on the pizza dough that less is more.

Too much sauce weighs down the dough and prevents the pizza from cooking through evenly.

We like to make pizza on the grill but tonight the pizza will be made in a super-hot oven.

You want to really crank up the oven heat to get a nice crust on your pizza as the toppings melt.

We like some fresh oregano leaves scattered on top when the pizza comes out and piles of shredded basil ribbons.

The herbs get some gentle heat as the pizza cools and the herb flavor mixes with the tomato sauce and melted cheese.

Our indoor herb garden in pots has gotten us through the winter once again. We know the herbs want to feel the warmth of spring sunshine just as much as we do!

Take a look at my latest at Parade. http://parade.com/382048/aliceknisleymatthias-2/signs-of-spring-with-beets-and-holiday-ham-ideas/