How Does Your Garden Grow?
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
It’s still bitterly cold out. Snow is piled high. However, beneath all that wintry mess, the first green shoots of spring are beginning to awaken.
It is hard to imagine that in just a couple of months, we will be enjoying a beautiful spring, but it’s really just right around the corner. It’s time to start thinking about your spring and summer garden, and if you start early, you can have a bountiful harvest for next to nothing. With the economy so poor and the prospect for improvement almost non-existent, you are going to need a garden this summer to supplement your grocery budget. Gardening brings immense fulfillment and joy, and your whole family can get in on the action. It costs very little to get started, and your minimal investment payoff is huge! Little ones will love tending to their own plants and guess what - it’s a great way to get finicky eaters to try something new if they’ve grown it and it’s ‘theirs’. Gardening can be therapeutic too. There is nothing better than sinking your hands deep into the soil and working your frustrations out!
You won’t want to plant anything until after the last frost, but you can start seeds inside now and have some beautiful, hardy seedlings to put out come planting time. To get started, you will need:
- A sunny window, or windows, if you’re feeling ambitious
- Empty egg cartons with a small hole in the bottom for drainage
- Potting soil
- Your favorite veggie seeds
The easiest vegetables to grow are tomatoes, but peppers, okra, and peas are possibilities as well. Check with your local nursery to find the varieties best suited to your area.
You should allow approximately 6 weeks for your seedlings to germinate and grow. During the last couple of weeks, bring your seedlings outside during the day or even overnight if the temperature isn’t dropping below freezing. Getting your plants acclimated to the outside gradually is very important. Putting them in the ground outside without acclimating them will shock the plants and possibly kill them. Do not transplant your seedlings until after the last frost has passed.
While you wait for your seedlings to mature, you will prepare your garden. Till the soil using a hoe or, depending on the size of the area you are cultivating and the hardness of the ground, you may have better luck with a rented tiller. We have a 100 sq ft area, and I have to confess that we love our tiller. When you are tilling, you can treat your garden to any number of soil additives to make it a better growing environment for your plants. If you have a compost heap, this is a great time to make use of it. It is a little known fact that used coffee grounds are a fabulous fertilizer, so if you start saving your grounds now, you’ll be set when you get ready to plant. If you aren’t sure what you need, consult the local nursery to find out what works best for your area. The folks at the nursery are a treasure trove of information, and one you should definitely take advantage of.
If you don’t want to plant an in ground garden, don’t despair! Many a fine tomato has been cultivated in a container garden. Container gardens are perfect for those who don’t have the time or space for a large garden. You are really only limited by your imagination when it comes to the containers you use. Planter boxes, large pots, bathtubs, barrels, and even hanging baskets make great containers. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to find some great containers - check out yard sales, thrift shops, and the Goodwill - often you’ll find ceramic pots for next to nothing, and who knows? You might happen upon a claw foot tub for your goodies!
