7 Tips to Get Your Garden Growing This Spring

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been impatiently waiting to get out in the garden and start the growing season — especially since winter seems to have been stubborn about relinquishing its hold this year. But even though the weather is warming, don’t rush off to the garden center and buy every plant you see. Those tomatoes may look tempting, but they’re not ready for prime time yet!

For best results, you’ll want to ensure your vegetable and flower beds are properly prepared, and then choose plants that thrive in cooler weather. You’ll also want to ensure your plants are properly mulched to retain moisture in the soil and reduce the amount of times you need to water. 

Ready to get started? We’ve got you covered with some handy tips to get things growing.

1. First things first: Clean up the gardens by removing any left-over leaves, dead stems and plant debris. Toss them in the compost pile, or place them somewhere out of the way on your property. (Please don’t burn them or send them to the landfill.)
2. Now it’s time to see if you can start digging in the dirt. Grab a handful and form it into a ball — if it crumbles easily when you squeeze it, it’s go-time. If it’s gooey or sticks together without crumbling, you need to wait until it dries out a little more. While April showers bring May flowers, they also mean it’s just too muddy to work outside. 
3. Some gardeners prefer to lightly till their soil. If you choose this option, add a layer of compost first so that it mixes in— this will provide food for the plants later. You can add another light layer of compost on the top when the planting is done. 
4. Another option that’s becoming more common is no-till gardening. In a no-till garden, the soil is not turned over. Instead, additives such as compost and manure are layered on top of the soil and allowed to create a nutrient-dense base. This method drastically reduces soil erosion and runoff that pollutes waterways with silt and fertilizers. 
5. If you’ve completed the previous steps, you’re ready for planting. For May and June, choose cool-weather crops like lettuce, cabbage, kale and beets. They’ll grow best now, before the weather gets hot — and depending on the variety of lettuce you choose, you could have salad fixings within 45 days! It’s also a good time to start potatoes, as they need the head-start to make the most of the growing season.
   It’s also time to plant rhubarb, asparagus, horseradish and June-bearing strawberries. You’ll need to wait a few seasons to harvest rhubarb and asparagus (check with your garden center for details), but horseradish will be ready in late fall, and the strawberries should be ready within four to six weeks. Remember — only the stems of rhubarb are edible. The leaves are toxic, so they should go directly into your compost once you start harvesting. Some people eat horseradish leaves; others save them for the compost.
   For some quick color in the flower garden, annuals including pansies, petunias, snapdragon, dianthus and alyssum are a good bet.
   For perennials, the Penn State Extension suggests natives such as Columbine, Butterfly weed, Turtlehead and Joe-pye weed. It’s also a good time to consider starting a butterfly garden and help save the Monarchs!
6. At this point, many gardeners will also add a layer of mulch. However, if mulch is applied too early, it keeps the soil from warming up properly, which can hinder growth and increase the chance of causing plants to rot. For best results, wait until June. We recommend opting for organic mulch. You can use grass clippings (be sure they’re not from a lawn that relies on chemical additives such as pesticides or herbicides), leaves, straw, or shredded wood mulch. 
7. Finally, to keep your garden irrigated all year round while also conserving water, add a rain barrel. It’s the perfect way to capture and re-use water for free!