Spring is the season of renewal, making it the perfect time to start your garden. Whether you are new to gardening, or have a green thumb, planning is essential to a successful garden. Now is the time to put some serious thought and even a a little elbow grease into your upcoming garden!
Where will your garden be? Thinking about available space, sunlight, soil and growth is all part of what should be considered in where your garden will be placed. If you planted last year, remember to plan for crop rotation as well to keep your soil healthy and thriving! Make a note of where the sun hits in your proposed garden space and for how long it sticks around. We keep our tomato plants facing southwest to get the maximum sun exposure possible. Remember to check for shade like a roof, garage or tree, as it can impact your sunlight. Other plants like lettuce, beets and carrots don’t need a lot of light and actually thrive in low light. Plant those in your shaded area (or in between vertical vines) to maximize your gardening space. Simple tricks like this will help you get the most of your garden and just needs a little planning to get there. By organizing where your garden will be ahead of time, you will save a lot of time, money and headaches.
What will you grow? The types of plants are endless and the varieties of these plants cause even more decisions that have to be made. My first and biggest advice is to think about what you eat the most of. I eat tons of cucumbers and cook from scratch every single day. So I will be focusing on planting cucumbers through the season and planting an extensive herb garden. For the cucumbers we plant 2 plants at a time every couple of weeks during planting season. This ensures we always have cucumbers ready to harvest without being overloaded and not being able to eat them as they are ready. I hate wasting produce. We plant as many herbs as possible and lots of them. We always have a plant ready to be harvested, but when they are producing in bulk we freeze, dehydrate and eat them all year round. Think about what you eat a lot of and use these tips to help decide what and how much to plant.
I always recommend to start small and work from there. Gardening is my therapy, but it is also work. I enjoy weeding and watering and tending and harvesting. I enjoy canning and freezing and dehydrating and labeling. Many people can’t be bothered with all of the steps and work that goes into growing a garden and enjoying it all year round. Think about the work you are willing to put in up front and start small to see how you like it. Even if you just have a single basil plant for cooking, you will be gardening and doing a great job!
Have you already started small and want to expand your planting? Build on what you already have by thinking about what works and what didn’t. Did you do well with cucumbers, but not tomatoes? Try adding pickles and moving your tomato plants to a sunnier area. Bonus points if you can start your tomato seeds indoor and plant your starts instead of just the seeds! If you started small and want to grow more, but don’t have a lot of space to work with, think about square foot gardening or going vertical! We use a very small backyard and plant cucumbers to run up a vertical trellis. In the same box I have lemongrass and other herbs growing along with radish plants. A large pot holds peas around the border and turnips in the middle. Growing vertically allows them to grow up and out of the soil, while root veggies grow into it. Just do a little research to make sure the plants are compatible and you can really maximize your space to get more from it.
Winter is also a great time to clean up and get your garden ready. Pull out your tools, pots, starters, mats, lights and whatever else you use for your garden. Make sure everything is clean, oiled and in good working condition. Now is the time to plug in heating mats and check grown lamps. It is the time to oil and sharpen scissors and shears. Check your supply of planting soil, mulch, garden ties, labels and more. Take inventory of the seeds you have and what you need to get started for the year. Take note of any supplies that need to be restocked or replaced. You are one step closer to spring and your garden!
Now that you are ready, it is time to make a loose diagram of what is going where. If you are starting seeds I always say the earlier the better and I usually start tomatoes and peppers after the holiday celebrations and chaos dies down. We took down Christmas decorations last week and are now ready to work towards spring! If you are starting seeds and don’t have a lot of experience in it, read your seed packets and know your expected frost dates. I start mine earlier than the suggested time of six to eight weeks before the last frost and shoot to get the plants themselves planted before the 6-8 week mark. My goal is to have tomatoes and peppers started by the start of February, along with any early plantings and herbs. That was while living in zone 6b, now we live in 12b and I’m starting over again with learning the ropes. The crazy thing is now is the peak planting time and it just blows my mind.
Okay, so now that you are prepared, research and ready to plan make sure to take notes of what you did. Some people keep gardening journals so they have a resource to look back on. Others take notes and just keep them handy for future reference. I take photos that I always think I’m going to look at again, but never do. I created a notes sheet for this season and hope to use it regularly while learning our new environment. Click the link here to get this printable for yourself. No matter how you decide to keep track of your garden, keep learning and enjoying the process.
We hope you enjoyed reading about the basics of planning your spring garden. We can’t wait to see your photos of herbs, veggies, fruits and flowers! Make sure to tag us when you share your own progress and best wishes for a bountiful garden this year! As always, thank you for reading and joining us on this journey.
Simply, Beth