The weather is getting warmer. If you’re new to gardening, you might be wondering what you should be doing so that you will have a beautiful garden when summer comes around. Is it too early to start planting? What do you need to do to get ready for the even warmer weather that’s coming?

Weeding

Although there is still a chill in the air, early spring weeds are a real thing and they can be a real problem. Head out into the yard and start pulling those weeds. Make sure that you get them at the root so they don’t grow back.

Cleaning

Lots of debris can build up since you last checked out your garden in the fall. There might still be dead leaves piled up, some of it perhaps blown into the garden from the neighbor’s yard.

Fertilizing

The winter can be very harsh on the soil, making it dried out, hard and compact. That kind of soil makes it tough for plants to take root and grow, so now is the time to prepare it. That does mean tilling it, turning the soil to prepare it for planting, but you also need to take this time to add compost or fertilizer. Use organic material for some of the best results. This will nourish the soil so that it’s ready for your plants and allow them to grow more effectively. You can also add layers of mulch so that weeds don’t take hold again and make a comeback.

Planting

Yes, there is stuff that you can be planting right now. There are some early spring flowers and vegetables that will do just fine if you plant them now.

Some of the flowers you might want to consider include:

• Snapdragons

• Lilac

• Pansies

• Tulips

Some of the vegetables that you might want to consider planting now include:

• Peas

• Lettuce

• Arugula

• Cabbage

• Spinach

• Potatoes

• Onion Sets

Now is also the time to bring out any plants that you might have brought indoors during the colder months to help them adjust to life outdoors. Keep a vigil on your garden and those indoor plants during this time of year as the weather can be temperamental and late-winter/early-spring snowstorms, frosts and cold snaps can happen, so be prepared to cover those seedlings that manage to come out during the warmer weeks.  If you live in the Ohio Valley area, sign up for our newsletter to get freeze and frost warnings during the Spring and Fall.

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