Plant Your Dream Garden!
Here we are at the tail end of winter on the edge of springtime. The air is warmer, the morning dew is back, and the birds are returning slowly from down south. It’s sometimes surprising how quickly spring is upon us and because it’s so lovely and pleasant outside, we easily become distracted by the fair weather and all that it brings. Before then, there’s one more thing to do!
Just as we told you to take advantage of the cold to spring clean, we’re going to suggest that you take advantage of the fact that it isn’t volleyball or picnic weather just yet. And go straight to your garden! Because right now is the perfect time to turn the soil and get the vegetables into the ground. You can also plant your seedlings in small pots indoors and do a transfer when the weather and the sprouts are ready. Planting your vegetables now is going to set you up for a nice harvest later. And you know how much fun it is to be out in your garden picking your own veggies for dinner.
What vegetables are good for this time of year? The hardy ones! Beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, leeks, lettuces peas, radishes, spinach, swiss chard are all frost tolerant and perfect for planting right now. And you won’t have to wait long – kale produces edible leaves just a month or so after planting and peas make an appearance after about sixty days!
A few tips for preparing:
-- till the soil, it’s compacted and needs to be broken up after the long winter
-- mix in a compost layer
>-- consider an organic fertilizer that will suit the veggies you plan to plant [shallow, light feeders like lettuces can do with a few inches of fertilizer but big feeders like broccoli and cabbage need the fertilizer to run deep!]
-- remember that some plants need to start inside and become proper starter plants before they go into the ground (like broccoli) so if you haven’t planted them yet, consider picking this guy up at your local nursery
Just think, you’ll have your first harvest before spring ends. Just in time for your Memorial Day barbecues! They just taste better when they come from your garden, don’t they?
Good luck with your growing!