How to Plan a Spring Vegetable Garden
Spring is the beginning of the gardening season for most of the country. Although you cannot start planting until the temperatures warm up, planning a spring garden can begin in winter. Use this time during the gardening off-season to reflect on last year's garden and plan for the coming year. You can also start transplants indoors in winter to give you a head start when spring arrives. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Assess what worked and what did not in last spring's garden. Consider all the factors, such as the garden location, what vegetables you planted and where they were planted. Write down notes or a diagram.
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Decide what vegetables you will plant this year. Traditionally, vegetables that mature in late spring are planted in early spring, including asparagus, cabbage, peas and beets, and vegetables that mature in summer, such as tomatoes, peppers and beans, are planted later in spring.
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Start seedlings indoors so they are ready to transplant outside when the soil temperatures are appropriate. Place single seeds in peat pots and keep the tray near a sunny window while the seeds germinate. Keep the peat evenly moist.
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Prepare your garden soil by spreading a layer of lime and garden fertilizer on top of the garden. Work this into the top 6 inches of soil with a shovel or cultivator.
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Sketch your proposed garden. Draw scale spacing appropriate to the plants that will go in the garden.
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Move transplants to larger pots filled with potting soil when they are too large for the peat pots.
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Harden transplants by placing them outdoors for a few hours during the sunniest part of the day. This will help to prepare the plants for outdoor conditions.
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Transplant vegetables when the soil temperatures are warm enough for your chosen vegetable varieties.
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Tips & Warnings
In fall, after the summer garden season is over, use a cultivator to blend the dead garden into the top 8 inches of soil. Over winter this will decompose and become a rich layer of compost.
Count backwards from the transplant date using the transplant age to find your indoor planting date. For example, tomato transplants are generally large enough to transplant at about 8 weeks old. Count backwards 8 weeks from the transplant date to determine the indoor planting date.
Rotate crops to different areas of the garden each season.
A digital probe thermometer can be useful for determining soil temperature.
Do not plant too early. Wait until there is no chance of frost before moving your plants outdoors.
References
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