Plan and Prep Your Spring Garden

Article contributed by Down to Earth Living located at 1040 Route 45 in Pomona, NY www.dteliving.com 

How to Plan and Prep Your Spring Garden

Take heart—winter will soon be coming to an end and spring will be upon us. Now is the time to take stock of your garden areas, decide what changes you would like to make and stock up on supplies.

If you have any notes, photos and sketches of your gardens from over the years, review them now to help assess which areas might benefit from a few adjustments. Do you have too much of one color, size or texture? Aim to include plants with complementary contrasts to create a visually attractive overall effect. Identify the height and width of the plants you want to include so you can allow for future growth. It is important that one plant doesn’t overwhelm the space and block sun from its neighbors, so put tall varieties toward the back with low-growers in front.

If you’re planning a vegetable garden, consider the sun requirements of different crops. With five to six hours of sun, think about root crops like carrots, radishes, beets, onions and potatoes, in addition to the leafy crops. With seven to eight hours, you can grow fruiting crops like tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, and beans. Note which plants work together to resist pests, which can lessen or eliminate the need for pesticides. Basil, chives, dill, marigolds and nasturtiums are excellent garden additions on their own—and do double duty repelling insect infestations.

Once you’ve got a pretty good idea of what you’re going to plant—and where—it is helpful to draw out a diagram. Choose a method that works for you: some people are fine with a simple sketch, while others will want to draw diagrams to scale. Design software is available for those who would prefer a more detailed digital diagram. With your plans complete, you can start ordering plants from Down to Earth Living for later delivery. Sow seeds of annuals like petunias or tomato and pepper plants that require a long growing season into small pots so they will be strong enough to transplant when the weather is warmer.

Now is a good time to take cuttings of indoor plants such as geranium, coleus, fuschia and begonia so they will be ready to use as bedding plants in late spring. Prune forsythia, pussy willow and other harbingers of spring and bring them inside to force their blooms a little earlier than nature intended. Early spring is also a good time to prune summer and fall-blooming shrubs.

Check your gardening tools and make sure they’re in good repair and replace any that cannot be fixed. Stock up on fertilizers and pesticides (natural or chemical), plant ties and weed barrier fabric—all things you’ll want to have on hand to get started once the weather warms up.

But do be prepared for the possibility of a late spring frost and have a supply of old sheets, towels and tablecloths (plastic is not advised) to cover your tender seedlings from the cold. You can also cover individual plants with inverted flowerpots and buckets. In extreme cases, potted plants can be brought into a shed or garage.

Just a little bit of late winter planning can ensure a long growing season of flowers and crops to enjoy all spring and summer long.

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