March
Spring? How to know if it's really time to put out some plants or is it just a tease of good weather.
From your imagination to reality
Spend a little time creating a plan for where and when your crops and flowers are planted.
Many many planting guides online. Just google your zone and literally hundreds of options will pop up. Make sure to confirm your zone when looking at the guide.
Some spring signs to take note of
Redbud trees
My favorite spring "sign". When these buds appear, get the tools out and prepare to plant.
Winter flowering shrubs
These guys will start to fade when the days get longer and the soil temps rise.
Ground temps
The definitve stat. Nothing beats a thermometer to confirm if your ground is ready and your plants will survive.
Spring Bulbs
Liars... A week of warm weather can make these little gems go nuts. Do not put too much faith in these flowers. They are in league with the "Spring of Deception". So pretty though. I do love them.
Feel at home
Plan and design your ideal space
As we discussed earlier, now is when you hammer out the scale of this year’s garden. Flowers, Vegetables, start from seed or buy the plants. Make your decisions and decide where they are going to go. Some things to ponder:
Succession planting for leafy Greens
You can start leafy greens indoors by seed in late February and keep starting another round evey 2 weeks. This will keep you well stocked with fresh salads.
Raised Beds
When space is a premium or you want to baby your plants. Raised beds are the way to go. I will say ANY root vegetable will do better in a well draining raised structure
Cut Flowers
Always a hit when the color starts coming in. Plan on some tried and true varieties to harvest some happiness. Zinnias, dahlias and snapdragons are some easy wins.
Crops for preserving
Eat well through the lean months with beans, peas, and corn. Pickle some okra and of course all the cucumbers.
Structure
Pick out your trellis loves and decide how pretty you want those beds to be. Plenty of inspiration on Pinterest and google.
Organic or Non-organic
Lets make this heated debate easy. Small gardens are doable with some bought organic compost and a spray bottle of organic pest control. If you are laying into a large garden, the cost of organic is extremely prohibitive. Just stick with pelleted fertilizer so runoff is minimal and keep the bug killer on the shelf! You need those pests in a healthy garden.
To DO
01 Clear up your your vision
Decide what you want and where you want it.
02 Set Budget & timeline
This one is pretty self explanatory. Time and money.
03 research & Design
Look online and flip through the seed and flower catalogs. Lots of inspiration online to help you decide what you want to see out of your garden.
04 Implementation
Get outside and get to work. Small gardens can be maintained with an hour or two a week. Large gardens will require daily maintenance.