The Garden

Spring weather changes rapidly and one can never be quite sure what the week will hold. As the earth warms up and rains fall, it always amazes me how quickly the landscape can change. Spring also gives a wonderful case of cabin fever and ample time to start getting your hands dirty!

After completing my spring checklist, the fun of planting the garden with early plantings starts. Soon enough, I will be able to begin choosing gorgeous flowers and plants to adorn the beds.

April can be a major transitional month for gardening and many times, it is the month that I start planting certain items in my garden.

SEEDS I PLANTED:

• spinach
• lettuce
• radish

PLANTS I PLANTED:

• broccoli
• cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• seed potatoes (The old timers say potatoes should always be out on Good Friday, rain or shine. Mine were not, but that’s just fine!)

A good way to check the plants that can be planted is to check what a local nursery has in stock. Right now, my favorite nurseries had the three plants I desired to plant and that was all they recommending planting at this point. And if you do not have a local nursery, check out Rare Seeds for a large selection of seeds.

MAKE A GREENHOUSE

As it is still April and quite volatile (at least weather-wise), it is important to take proper care of the plants you put in this early. To protect the plants from wind and cool nighttime temperatures, I use plastic containers to cover the plants until they have grown a little. For plastic containers, I save gallon jugs throughout the year. When spring comes, I cut off the bottom of the container and place overtop the planting. Vinegar gallon containers are perfect as they come with a small hole at the top.

This gives the plant a small greenhouse: warming up during the day and protecting the plant at night. These containers will also keep the plant moist.

MEASURE IT OUT

To start your garden, make sure you have clean and straight rows for your vegetables. I use a garden tape measure that allows me to keep straight lines, ensuring my rows will turn out correctly with evenly spaced plants.

A garden tape measure is not essential but will help you fit all desired plants in correctly. If you aren’t willing to commit to buying a tape measure just for the garden, try an inexpensive normal tape measure.

STAKE IT

After planting seeds it is highly important to mark where and what you have planted with stakes. This ensures that you will not make a mistake by digging in an already-planted spot! Looking for some stakes? Try out these functional, attractive, and inexpensive markers.

With early plantings such as these, you will be able to do a second planting later on in the season! This is simply a start to my garden. As the season progresses, I will give updates on what I am planting and how the garden is progressing! Even if you aren’t planting a garden this year, I hope my journey may inspire you to do so next year![hr]

Images by The Gray Boxwood[divider]