It won’t be long and we will be out of the freezing temperatures and itching to get out in the garden. While we wait for the ground to finish thawing, here are a few things that you could do to get a jump start on the spring gardening season.
Plan
Get out a piece of paper, pens, and even some colored pencils (if you are fancy) and start drawing out what you would like in your garden. Make yourself an illustration of what is going where so that you can see how it will all unfold this season. Whether it is pairing shrubs with flower edges or making sure that everyone gets along in your vegetable garden, a little planning will go a long way.
Seedlings
If you like to start your plants from the very beginning, plan to start planting those seeds soon. Roughly six to eight weeks before the last frost in your planting zone, you should start your seeds indoors so that they are ready for transplanting when the ground is ready to receive them.
Pruning
Now is the time to be looking for opportunities to clean up your trees, shrubs, and roses with some pruning before new growth starts. It is also a good time to treat your fruit trees with dormant oil.
Hygge
Although we are eager to head outdoors and see the sun, savor the end of hygge season with a few more cups of hot tea, fuzzy socks, heirloom quilts, fires, and piles of books. Round out your Black History Month learning and enter the gardening season research with great reads such as:
- Beautiful stories of gardens across the country including the White House in “American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America.”
- Snuggle up with some littles and indulge in the beautiful story and illustrations in “The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver” or the sweet tale of “Lola Plants a Garden.”
- Learn about how the African American female chef, Edna Lewis, was an advocate for “farm-to-table” before it was a hashtag trend in the book “Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis.”
The time for digging in the dirt is near, friends!
If you want to hear more about how we are getting ready for the gardening season or to learn more about what is happening at our Emerald City, please sign up to join our newsletter.
