Getting the Garden Ready for Spring

Also: Guest writers and a lot to learn!

Spring is quickly approaching! Peas and potatoes are going into the ground now, and my kale, broccoli, and cabbage won’t be too far behind ‘em.

If you left your garden empty over the winter and it’s a mess, this letter is for you. If your garden is in good shape, you might still be able to find some value in this letter as well. My hope is to encourage those of us who might be overwhelmed with getting their garden ready.

Garden Club Talk - and Guest Writers

Before I jump straight into the topic at hand, I wanted to mention something important. I was reminded of how much I still have to learn about gardening still while visiting the South Huntsville Garden club. Morgan was invited to share a little and I accompanied her. It was a delightful time and if men were allowed to join, I might have signed up that night. The ladies were so gracious and asked great questions. Without a doubt, I am sure there were multiple ladies present that could walk circles around my gardening knowledge. Some of them have been growing since I was a kid and perhaps some even longer. I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel the imposter syndrome sneak into my thoughts pretty often. I’m telling on myself now, because it helps. I want to continue embracing a “never stop growing” attitude. Never stop growing plants and never stop growing my brain!

Caladiums grown by my dad. He and his mother, my "Thuther" can grow the prettiest ornamentals. This is an area where I want to learn and grow.

One thing that helps me continue to learn, is writing. It forces me to research, think, and then refine my thoughts. Teaching others is one of the best ways to learn!

With this in mind, I am wondering if anyone in our community would like to occasionally write for this newsletter, The Common. It could be a really short how-to on growing Calendula or a long-form story about a childhood gardening experience. The purpose here is to encourage and equip others to garden and live seasonally. So if that is something you might be interested in, I’d love to hear from you. Click the button below!

Getting your Garden Ready for Spring

Some readers may be dreading the act of getting their garden ready for spring planting. I’m imagining a mess of old plants and weeds that grew and died over the winter. (I actually just got off the phone with a subscriber who said they haven’t touched thier garden since the birth of their daughter last spring. He said it is a mess.) If this is your situation, don’t be dismayed, there is a path forward!

Some thoughts and ideas on preparing your garden for spring:

• First, if you find yourself dealing with weeds, try to pull/cut/remove them without spreading their seeds. This can be difficult but do your best. Keeping the weed seeds out of your garden will pay dividends down the line.

• Next, add some compost to your garden. You can go to a local gardening store and get bagged compost. Lowes and Home Depot also carry bagged compost. That should do just fine. If you are lucky enough to live close enough to a commercial composting company, use it. Or, even better, use your own homemade compost!

• Before getting into spring planting, aerate your soil with a broadfork or garden fork. This is important because it helps prevent compaction and provides oxygen to our microbe friends in the soil. To aerate using a fork or spade, you simply push the fork straight down into the soil and gently pull back to lift the soil up. Be careful not to invert or turn the soil over.

• Lastly, cover your soil with a mulch. I encourage chopped leaves, wood chips, or ramial woodchips. Ramial woodchips are made from twigs and branches that are less than 4 inches in diameter. This wood is easier for the microbes to digest and contains more nutrients and minerals than woodchips made from the larger portions of the tree.

See! That isn’t so bad. Don’t let an unruly garden keep you from dreaming big and starting fresh this spring!

Lastly, If you are wondering what you should be doing this month, I talk about it in this newsletter. But a quick spoiler: we are planting peas and potatoes!

See you next week!

Happy Gardening :)