Thursday, January 06, 2011

Gardening Tip: Preparing for Spring Planting

My garden is barren and brown now, and the earth is too cold to be worked. But now is a good time to plan a seed sowing and growing strategy to get a head start on the fast-approaching spring season.

Begin by analyzing the areas you wish to plant. What type of light does the area receive? What about the soil–is it moist, dry, lacking in organic matter? If you want to sow seed, can you provide supplemental water to the area if there is not enough natural precipitation for the first 4-6 weeks? Have weeds been a problem in the past?

Preplanning your garden strategy, analyzing your soil and site needs, and doing thorough site preparation are three keys to success when growing from seed. Selecting the right type of seed for your various garden areas is another. Finally, plan a maintenance and upkeep program, one that is realistic based on the amount of time available to maintain your garden by thinning, weeding and transplanting. It's better to divide the garden project into manageable phases that may span several years than to undertake a large-scale planting you cannot realistically maintain.

For more detailed information as you begin your garden planning, visit EarthlyGoods.com's site preparation and maintenance page.

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