garden

The return of the sunshine after a very grey and cold week has me ready to prepare the garden for spring! I took quite a bit of time away from the garden during the winter, save for watering and harvesting, so it feels really good to dive back in. Gardening is very therapeutic for me. There’s something about getting my hands in the soil that is very grounding and centering.

Since the easiest way to begin incorporating seasonal produce into your diet is to grow it at home, I thought it would be beneficial to share some information about gardening. When I started gardening, it was with several pots on an apartment balcony. Since then I’ve learned a lot through trial and error and the whims of mother nature! Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a beginner, I hope this post offers you some useful information 🙂

STARTING A GARDEN

The first step is to look up your growing zone. You can do this by simply googling “growing zone + your city/town”. Knowing your growing zone will be vital to the timing of your planting. For instance, I’m in zone 9a which means I can transplant tomatoes as early as March 1st but if you’re in zone 6, you’d probably have to wait until May. Why the huge difference? It has to do with the average last frost date for each area! Once you know your growing zone, you can easily look up a planting calendar. Here’s an example of one for my specific growing zone and county.

Now comes the fun part: making your own schedule for your garden! If you’re new to gardening, focusing on a small handful of varieties can be incredibly helpful. Try growing things you really like to eat or you find incredibly beautiful so that you’ll be more invested. Based on my own gardening experience, these are the spring vegetables, herbs, and flowers that I think are the easiest to grow: kale, Swiss chard, spinach, radishes, mint, sage, rosemary, onion chives, garlic chives, lavender, calendula, and borage.

TRANSPLANTS VERSUS SEEDS

I used to think that I wasn’t a real gardener if I couldn’t successfully grow food from seeds. Now I know how absolutely silly that is! While it’s incredibly beneficial to learn how to grow flowers, vegetables, and herbs from seed, it’s not necessary to have a beautiful and thriving garden. The major benefit with growing from seed is that it gives you complete control over the varieties going into the ground. With transplants, you’re at the mercy of your local garden center and what they have available. On the other hand, the major benefit of transplants is that you eliminate the extra steps of starting and waiting for seeds to grow. As for my own garden, I use a mix of seeds and transplants!

STARTING SEEDS

Some seeds can be sown directly in place (i.e. plant the seeds where you want the plant to ultimately grow) while some do better when started in trays or nursery pots. A rule to remember when planting seeds is that they should be planted at a depth no deeper than 2-4 times the diameter of the seed. For really small seeds, I usually sprinkle a few on the surface of the soil then sprinkle a thin layer of seeding medium on top. For larger seeds, I use my finger to press them down into the soil before covering them back up. You can see this process in action in this short video I created. Vegetables that do best when directly sown in place are root veggies (radishes, carrots, beets), peas, and beans.

SEED SOURCES

If you’re interested in growing from seed, you can always check your local garden center first to see what they offer. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, try these seed companies:

• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (my personal favorite)
• Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
• Uprising Seeds
• High Mowing Organic Seeds
• Kitazawa Seed Company
• Johnny’s Selected Seeds

WHAT I’LL BE PLANTING

I’ll be devoting quite a bit of time in the garden this week and next to get it ready for spring! Below is a list of what I’ll be planting if you’re curious:

• Sugar Snap Peas (seeds directly sown next to a trellis)
• Radishes(seeds directly sown)
• Carrots (seeds directly sown)
• Ginger Rhizomes (planted in containers)
• Tomatoes (transplants)
• Blue Spice Basil (transplants)
• Cilantro (transplants)
• Tatsoi (seeds started in trays)
• Bibb Lettuce (seeds started in trays)
• Tulsi Basil (seeds started in trays)
• Lemon Basil (seeds started in trays)
• Nasturtium (seeds started in trays)
• Bachelor’s Buttons (seeds started in trays)

Have any other gardening questions for me? Drop them in the comments!