Proverbs 28:19 Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
Spring is just around the corner and it's time to whip those gardens into shape. After a long cold winter, I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty in the garden. Every year when I see the first Easter Lily peaking through the ground it makes my heart sing and puts a pep in my step. Gardening is my happy place, it's my therapy, and makes me feel proud to see the things I've planted spring to life, and I love the fact that I am putting high-quality food on my table.
Cleaning the garden space
Start by cleaning out the garden area by removing any debris that has fallen in your beds over the winter months. Remove sticks, any fresh leaves, plants, and weeds until you have bare soil. If there is dead organic matter such as leaves that are already broken down, you can leave them as they make wonderful mulch for your garden and help retain moisture and help keep weeds down. When the soil is workable, start preparing your beds by loosening the soil turning it with a spade to a depth of 12 to 14 inches. Turning the soil will also reveal any unwanted pests that need to be taken care of before planting. Mix any compost and amendments into the soil. Testing the soil for proper PH levels will let you know what amendments you will need to add. If you have clay soil you need to add compost to improve soil texture and nutrient content, and it will also help retain moisture in the soil. It is also a good time to fertilize the garden, and the fertilizer you use will be based on what plants you will be planting, for example, Tomatoes need calcium, and some plants need more nitrogen. Two weeks before planting use organic fertilizer in order to give it time to absorb throughout the soil.
Prune Trees
Now is the time to get those pruning shears out. Late winter and early spring is an excellent time to begin pruning some of those trees and bushes because it allows you to see the structure of the branches and you can shape the tree or bush before the buds begin to bloom out. The trees you can prune in late winter and early spring are "new wood" so pruning done at this time gives them time to recover in order to put energy toward the new growth in summer. The following are some of the trees and bushes that fall into this category.
- Dogwood
- Hydrangea
- Crape Myrtle
- Butterfly bush
- Red Bud
- Honeysuckle
- Wisteria
- Roses
There are some important things to consider before you start snipping away.
- Make sure to clean your pruning shears with isopropyl alcohol between each cutting to ensure you are not spreading disease among the trees or bushes. The trees and bushes considered "old wood" should not be trimmed at the same time as "new wood" varieties. To prune "old wood" varieties wait until after the bloom season. "Old wood varieties are:
- Rhododendron
- Macrophylla
- Forsythia
- Lilac
- Mountain Laurel
- Magnolia
- Spirea
- Weigela
Pruning fruit trees should also be done in late winter to early spring to protect tree health. Timing and the method used can increase your yield and quality of fruit. Most fruit trees don't need to be pruned yearly when they have already been trained and established. However young trees need pruning in order to produce thick stems and to allow light to come in to promote flowering. Pruning will also reduce fungal and bacterial diseases. Fruit trees need to be pruned when first planted. You will need to cut the new stem off about 22 to 30 inches from the ground, removing any side shoots. It is important that you prune your fruit trees for the first three years in order to increase branch strength, and promote fruiting. The best time to prune fruit trees is in the summer after they have been newly planted and new growth has begun to bud from the initially pruning.
Dividing Perennials
February is a great time to divide those perennials such as Hostas, Day Lillies, and Shasta daisies. Overcrowding can cause plant deterioration over several years of overcrowding. To dig up and divide, dig around the plant giving enough room as not to damage the roots. Put the spade under the root and lift it up out of the ground, divide the tubers, you can cut it with a knife if necessary. Plant the divided roots into a larger area immediately. (If the root clumps are extremely large and can't be pulled up, you can divide the root while still in the ground by taking two garden forks and placing them back to back in the center of the clump to break it apart.)
Planning your garden
Look on a zoning map to see which zone you fall in, most have a grow calendar that will let you know what to plant and when. You can also check with local nursery experts in your area that can provide helpful resources and information. When planning your garden know which plants are sun-loving and which do better in partial sun and shade, and also use companion planting which helps with maximizing your garden efficiency. Companion plants can beneficial to one another by adding needed nutrients to the soil and helping control unwanted pests. Here are a few examples of companion plants.
- Basil and Tomatoes. Basil helps the tomatoes produce bigger yields, and repels flies, and mosquitos.
- Pepper and Basil. Basil repels spider mites, aphids, flies, and mosquitos. Basil also gives the peppers a better flavor.
- Cucumbers and Marigolds. Marigolds repel beetles and aphids. Beans and peas are also good companion plants to cucumbers.
- Onions and Carrots. Onions planted near carrots will repel carrot fly and aphids. Cabbage and tomatoes, along with marjoram and rosemary do well with onions.
- Summer Squash and Corn. The corn gives the vines of the summer squash a wonderful place to vine upward. Beans and peas are also good for the same reason.
- Green Beans and Corn. Not only is the corn good for the bean vines, but the beans provide nitrogen to the soil which is beneficial to the corn. Planting marigold or rosemary with corn and beans will repel bean beetles.
- Carrots are sensitive to heat, so plant in partial sun and plant with companion plants such as tomatoes which when they get large enough can provide some shading. Carrots also release solanine which is a natural insecticide that takes care of pests that target carrots. Tomatoes will benefit from the carrots also. The carrots will help aerate the soil helping air and water to get to the root of the tomato plant.
- Radish and Cucumbers. Radishes will attract cucumber beetles away from the cucumbers.
- Lettuce and Mint. Mint will repel slugs away from the lettuce. You can also plant garlic or chives to repel aphids.
- Corn and Green Beans. Pumpkins, cucumbers, and melons also do well with corn.
Indoor seed starting
Zone 3 and 4
Many cool-weather plants can be started indoors in January and February. Zones 3 and 4 can experience late frost up to the end of May, and it can frost as early as October 1st. Due to the short growing season, seeds need to be started inside so they have time to reach full maturity during the summer months. Seeds should be started 10 to 12 weeks before the last frost. The vegetables you may want to start are:
- Leeks
- Artichoke
- Brussel Sprouts
- Onions
Herbs and flowers
- Mint
- Chives
- Thyme
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Snapdragons
- impatiens
- Delphinium
Seeds that can be started 6 to 9 weeks before the last frost are:
- Celery
- Peppers
- Shallots
- Lettuce
- Melons
- Tomatoes
- Eggplant
- Swiss Chard
Herbs and flowers
- Lemon Balm
- Sage
- Basil
- Coriander
- Dill
Seeds to start indoors 3 to 5 weeks before the last frost are:
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Pumpkin
- Cucumber
- Kale
Planting outdoors in zone 4 should be done around mid-April to mid-May depending on what kind of plant it is. Some seeds that can be sown directly in the garden during this time are:
- Bush beans
- Pole beans
- Beets
- Carrots
- Asparagus
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Collards
- Radish
- Watermelons
- Pumpkin
- Rhubarb
Zone 5 and 6
Vegetables like Brassicas, onions and other cool-weather veggies can be planted outdoors as soon as the soil is workable. Due to shorter growing season zones, 5 and 6 should start some seeds indoors. You can start lettuce inside, or in a cold frame in mid-January, and can plant them outdoors the last of February. Swiss Chard can be started indoors in February and planted outside in mid to late March. Broccoli is best started indoors in February and can be put outside in April. Start Cucumbers, melons, and squash indoors around the end of March, and transplant outside in the garden in May.
Zone 7 and 8
This is the zone I live in. Our temperatures during the summer can be very hot, and it is really humid. We deal with a lot of pests in the garden because it doesn't freeze really hard enough to do an efficient job of killing off those pesky bugs. In zone 7 cool-weather plants like cabbage, carrots, lettuce, peas, broccoli, potatoes, radishes, spinach, turnips, and kale can often be planted outside in late February. In late March corn can be planted, and in April warm-season plants such as beans, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, okra, squash, and tomatoes can be planted. In zone 7 many people get second plantings late summer into fall. Cold hardy plants can be planted in late August and September or at the latest early October. For zone 8, follow the advice for zone 7, just plant 2 to 3 weeks earlier than zone 7 and 2 to 3 weeks later in the fall.
Zone 9 and 10
Because of the warm weather in zones, 9 and 10 gardening can take place nearly all year long. Cold hardy plants can be started in late summer and early fall (August to October) Warm-season plants can be planted in the garden from late March to April. If you are starting seeds indoors, starting them around mid-January, or 6 to 8 weeks before your last frost day is ideal.
Helpful Tools For Seed Starting
- Heat mat to speed up germination.
- Spray bottle
- Grow light
- Moisture gauge
- Potting table
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