Preparing Your Spring Garden
Always, always the very first thing you should do before planting any garden is to have a soil test done.
Your local extension office will help provide you with essential testing information. Once you have received the results (Results will reveal its pH, phosphorus, lime, potassium, soluble salts, soil texture, plus more) and added the necessary amendments, you are ready to loosen the soil and begin.
Nitrogen (N) promotes strong leaf and stem growth and dark green color, such as desired in broccoli, cabbage, greens and lettuce, and herbs. Add aged manure to the soil and apply alfalfa meal or fish or blood meal to increase available nitrogen.
Phosphorus (P) promotes root and early plant growth, including setting blossoms and developing fruit, and seed formation; it’s important for cucumbers, peppers, squash, tomatoes—any edible that develops after a flower has been pollinated. Add (fast-acting) bone meal or (slow-release) rock phosphate to increase phosphorus.
Potassium (K) promotes plant root vigor and disease and stress resistance and enhances flavor; it’s vital for carrots, radishes, turnips, and onions and garlic. Add green sand, wood ashes, gypsum, or kelp to increase potassium.
Soil Fixes
If you have clay soil, add compost, and peat moss.
If you have sandy soil, add humus or aged manure, peat moss, or sawdust with some extra nitrogen.
If you have silt soil, compost, or well-rotted horse manure mixed with fresh straw.
Make sure your garden area has at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight each day. Have a watering source within easy reach and infusion of organic matter rich in nutrients is important. These step will help you maintain a healthy garden.
Decide on the types of fruits and vegetables you want to grow. We always encourage you to grow what you and your family enjoy eating. You can always plant a few extras to share with neighbors or the food banks. Do you want to start from seed or buy starter plants for an early beginning?
Keep your plot manageable – gardening should be fun not hard work.
Crop Rotation
If you’ve planted a garden before – make sure to rotate your crops. (Crop rotation is also used to control pests and diseases that can become established in the soil over time. The changing of crops in a sequence tends to decrease the population level of pests. Plants within the same taxonomic family tend to have similar pests and pathogens.)
Starting Seeds Indoors
Decide if you want to start from seed or buy starter plants. If you start from seed - Fill clean containers with seedling mix or make your own newspaper pots. ( Newspaper is biodegradable, breaks down quickly & helpful in gardens.) Use soilless peat moss and mix in equal parts vermiculite and perlite to hold enough water and allow oxygen to flow. Pour soilless mix into a large bucket and moisten with warm water. Fill your containers to just below the rim. Make sure you read the seed packet for planting instructions. Follow by gently pressing the seeds into the mixture and gentle watering (you could cover with a plastic but not necessary. But if you choose to do the plastic poke holes for ventilation). A grow light might be required if you don’t have enough light from a window source. Bottom heat is encouraged. Seeds sprout best at temperatures of 65 to 75°F. Keep out of drafts.
If the seedlings outgrow their containers or crowd one another, repot them into larger containers filled with a mix that includes compost. Extract the seedlings with a narrow fork or flat stick, and handle by their leaves and roots to avoid damaging the fragile stems. Tuck the seedlings gently into the new pots, and water them to settle the roots.
Once the likelihood of frost has cleared, take the seedlings outdoors and continue watering them in their trays. Do this for a week or two, to help them transition from the indoor environment to the outdoor one. This is called “hardening off.” Don’t start your seeds too early, especially tomatoes! Most annual flowers and vegetables should be sown indoors about 6 weeks before the last frost in your area. You can check with your local Extension Office for FROST dates.
Average Date of Last Spring Freeze
Once your last frost is cleared – plant your seedlings in your composted garden bed. Good Luck with your gardening this year. We’ll be giving tips on how to keep them healthy and growing strong in future BLOGS.
