Garden Prep Task List for the Emergent Season
Garden Guru's Spring Prep Guide:
Get your green thumb ready as we're about to dive into an early spring garden prep list - a collection of tasks to help you kickstart your garden well before the last frost. Let's get this growing season underway!
In the Garden a Month Before Last Frost:
Want to make the most of your garden? Plan your plantings according to your local last frost date. Already got it? Fantastic! Here's what I do about a month before mine:
Planting Time:
Cool-weather crops are your best bet this time! They can handle a frost and even tolerate a freeze. These can usually be planted 4-6 weeks before your last frost date.
I plant crops such as onions, potatoes, peas, carrots, beets, spinach, arugula, and various greens due to their frost tolerance and preference for cooler weather. Cabbage and broccoli transplants are also planted a month before the last frost.
Start planning to sow peppers and tomatoes indoors roughly 6 weeks before your last frost date, and start squash, zucchini, and cucumbers in soil blocks 3 weeks before you want them in the ground. They're a bit trickier to transplant, so keep that in mind.
Early spring is also the perfect time to plant bushes and trees, especially before they bloom. Blueberry bushes or fruit trees are an excellent addition to your garden and will help attract beneficial insects.
One crucial tip: Remember to jot down every plant you put in the ground! You'll learn valuable lessons by taking notes on your garden year after year.
Materials and Tools:
If you've built new raised beds or need to replace soil in existing ones, gather those materials now. Don't forget to start thinking about mulch to keep weeds at bay. You'll want to have those supplies handy when you need them.
If you haven't yet, start gathering seeds for warm-weather crops like beans, corn, black-eyed peas, cucumber, squash, watermelons, melons, okra, and anything else you cannot plant outdoors until after the frost danger has passed. No need to search for seeds when it's time to plant.
Also, think about the new garden tools you'll need for the upcoming season. Last year, I knew I needed a new hoe and found one at our local garden show. Consider pruners, weeding tools, gloves, or anything else you'll need in the coming months. You can check out my top gardening tool picks here.
Projects:
Some of my first tasks this time of year include:
- Weed the garlic and onion beds: These crops battle weeds fiercely, so I need to make sure they can grow uninhibited.
- Fertilize perennial crops: Add compost or organic fertilizers to blueberry bushes and other established trees and bushes. A little nitrogen like cottonseed meal or soybean meal will do the trick.
- Amend the soil: Add compost to ground beds, raised beds, and containers to give your plants a nutritious boost for the season.
If you plan to build DIY garden projects like trellises or raised beds, this is the perfect time to get started.
Let's get growing! With this list, you'll be well on your way to an efficient, thriving garden. If there's anything I missed, drop a comment and share what you're doing in your garden!
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Sources:1. The Old Farmer's Almanac2. Garden Guides3. Bonnie Plants4. HGTV5. Gardening Know How
- Dive into garden planning as you gather your gardening resources, including garden tool recommendations, for the upcoming season.
- To get your garden off to a strong start, plant cool-weather crops like onions, carrots, and peas a month before your local last frost date, and sow peppers and tomatoes indoors for a higher success rate.
- Bushes and trees, such as blueberry bushes, make an excellent addition to any home-and-garden, especially when planted early in the spring.
- cultivating a thriving garden is easier with regular record-keeping - be sure to jot down every plant you put in the ground so you can learn from your mistakes and successes year after year.
- Gardening doesn't have to be a solitary pursuit - share your own tips and ideas with others in the lifestyle community by joining a garden podcast or engaging in conversations about gardening on social media.
