Prepping for Your Garden
There are so many ways to plan a vegetable garden, and many of the details will depend on where you live, how much space and sunlight exposure you have and what you intend to plant. I’m currently planning out my Spring garden and wanted to give some general tips and resources that I’ve found helpful, in case any of you are planning yours!
GET YOUR SEEDS
First off, I purchased my seeds! I wrote a list of the vegetables, fruits and flowers that I wanted to try to grow (key word, try), and went from there. There are so many ways to get your seeds and I’m definitely not an expert here, but I knew I wanted organic seeds and to order online. I purchased my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, which after a little research seemed like a solid option. Fair warning, many seed retailers are backordered so if you’re looking to purchase online I’d say order sooner rather than later!
PLAN YOUR GARDEN
This step comes with a couple secondary steps, and involves a little bit of research and note taking.
First, I’ve taken my list of seeds/items I plan on growing and have written next to them when and how each item wants to be planted. For example, some plants do better if you start their seeds indoors, some like to be planted directly into the soil. Again, this will all depend on what you’re growing but a great resource I’ve used is The Farmers’ Almanac. Specifically these articles 1, 2, 3.
Once I created my list of what and when to plant, I figured out with a very loose sketch where everything would be planted. Some plants grow great next to each other, and some do not. A good resource to help you figure out your garden layout is here.
PREP YOUR SOIL
Once it gets a little warmer here, I will start prepping the garden and soil. I’ll have to first clear out the weeds that grew in last year and any debris from this past winter. I didn’t add any compost to my soil in the fall, so I will have to do that this Spring and till it into the soil. Once that is done, I will end up adding a little bit of organic fertilizer to the soil and mixing it in before I plant.
MISC.
While I’m waiting for the warmer weather so that I can start, I’m also trying to figure out what tools and other items I may need. For example, I know that I need a new pair of gardening gloves, I need a few trellises for the vining plants I plan to grow, some tighter wire fencing for animal control and will need some stakes to mark out where I’ve planted-- I’m gathering those items now so that I’m ready to go when the time is right!
Are any of you planning out your gardens this Spring? What are you most excited to grow?