Who here is ready for spring? I definitely am! My grass is starting to turn green, leaf buds are beginning on my trees, and I’m hoping the snow will keep to the mountains for now. So it’s time to start thinking about spring planting for my flower and vegetable garden.
Spring Flower Garden: Last fall I planted bulbs, my first year ever. I’m so excited to see my daffodils and tulips are starting to show themselves. I hope I planted them right, matching colors and spacing. I’ll keep you updated. And even though it’s not quite time to plant annual flowers, I am getting my flower beds ready for planting them later in May. (Around here in Utah, you don’t want to plant anything outside until after Mother’s Day. We tend to get hit with a late spring frost.) It’s time to weed, trim, and rake. I’ve already got those nasty little weeds popping up in this warm weather and it’s best to catch them new, keeping up on them. I also have left over leaves from last fall that need to be raked up, as well as some plants that didn’t get the trim job they needed before winter. Now is a great time to get your flower beds ready to plant.
Vegetable Garden: I love to plant a vegetable garden. Last year I planted a square foot garden and I’m planning to do it again. It was the perfect way to get the most out of my small garden space. But something I haven’t ever done before is start my garden early in the spring, growing my own seedlings. I’ve planted a few things from seeds, but they went right into my garden beds in June. This year I think I want to plant some vegetables from seeds now, keeping them indoors to sprout. In the long run, this will help me save money as a whole pack of seeds is around $1 and each individual plant from a nursery is around $3-4.
Here’s a few links to some great tips on planting in the spring:
- Planting in Egg Cartons by Petit Elefant
- Spring Gardening Tips by Martha Stewart
- DIY Garden Lighting System by You Grow Girl
- Starting Seeds in Recycled Paper Tubes, Video by Garden Girl
Anything fun growing where you live? Are you planning a garden this spring?
Yes! Last year my husband built me a raised bed and I sowed seeds directly in. This year I’m starting seeds indoors with a BioDome (mini greenhouse). They are sprouting so quickly! I’m planting five veggies and two herbs. I’m a novice gardener, so anything that actually grows (and we can eat) gets me giddy!
great get ready for spring post! I do not have garden space but that is on my list when I move this summer! ;) Have a great weekend!
I agree with the idea for the see through containers, but what my boys have found fun is to germinate a few seeds in clear plastic gloves. In each finger of the glove, drop a cotton ball that has been wet with water and a seed (we used corn & beans). When all 5 fingers are filled hang the glove on a suction cup with hook on a window. This way the kids can see the seeds germinate too. This is a great way to explain what the seeds are doing under the ground. Also in the March Family Fun magazine they used baseball card organizers. I haven’t tried this, but it is on for this year!
Robin – I love the idea of clear gloves. What a fun container. And I’ll have to check out that baseball card organizer idea too.
Your post reminds me to search for my shovel :) Love to see the seeds come back to life!
Thank you so much for featuring my Photo Timeline in your Spotlight! I’m hosting a Tuesday Time out Link Up Party. You should stop by and see if you see any other inspirations to add to your site!
Smiles,
Melanie
http://reasonstoskipthehousework.blogspot.com
http://reasonstoskipthehousework.blogspot.com/2011/03/tuesday-time-out-link-up-party.html
You may know all of this but when starting seeds indoors it is so fun to plant in see through containers so that your kids can see the roots. But when you go to plant outdoors you need to harden off your seedlings so that they get adjusted to the outdoor air. Also, green pepper and tomato take forever! to start from seedling and get them anywhere ready to produce, so start early.
Great tips. Thanks for sharing those. I love the clear container idea.
It’s time for me to get on the ball! I totally get sidetracked this time of year.
Love your little trolls.
I’m planning my first vegetable garden this year and I’m using the square foot gardening method. I feel kinda silly, but I’m extremely excited about it. I loved looking through your previous posts on your SFG. Please post how growing your own seedlings go.
~Misty in western Washington.