One of the most satisfying and rewarding moments is watching your garden grow new plants, vegetables, and more in the spring. It’s special to know that these organisms are healthy because of your hard work. However, there’s always a small window in regards to when you can garden or when it’s the right time. If you’re just starting in gardening or you have years of experience, here are some tips and tricks on producing vegetable gardens this spring.
Which Vegetables Grow the Best in Spring?
When deciding on what vegetables you’d like to grow in the spring months, there are many options:
- Peas
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Radishes
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Beets
- Swiss Chard
- Kohlrabi
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Potatoes
A lot of these vegetables are cold-tolerant which means you can start planting them earlier in the spring before it hits high temperatures.
When is the Right Time to Plant?
Crops like peas and spinach can get right to planting in March when the soil is ready. Then radishes, beets, and carrots can follow suit a couple of weeks later. Make sure to look back to your seed packet when it’s time to plant to determine the seed spacing and depth. Draw furrows into the soil surface where you want to sow your vegetable seed, then drop those seeds into the furrow with appropriate spacing.
Also, early March is perfect for planting vegetable crops like broccoli and cauliflower indoors.
Inspect Your Garden
Before you start any kind of planting outdoors, you must observe your garden and see if there is any damage from the winter.
Ask yourself these four questions:
- Is there cold, ice, or snow damage to the plants?
- Are there beds that need to be cleaned out?
- Have hardscaping elements rotted?
- Are there signs of animals?
If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, these issues need to be addressed first before planting your vegetables. By fixing any hardscaping issues and performing a spring cleanup, you will be all set to plant.
Test Your Garden Soil
When growing vegetables, you’ll need to make sure your soil is safe to use before adding it to plant roots. Test your soil every three to five years to see what nutrients or organic materials it needs; you can DIY test your soil or head to gardening stores and find a kit. Once you’ve tested your soil, talk with someone at your local garden center about what specific products you can use. It’s recommended that you top dress the soil with an inch or two of compost in early spring right as your bulbs are starting to grow.
Gardening can be a fun process, but it can also bring some questions on the right way to go about it. To promise positive results when planting your vegetable gardens, make sure to follow these tips and tricks. They will promise you a healthy garden full of vegetables that will be ready to feast on come the spring and summer months. How will you prepare your garden for success?