As the weather grows warmer and the snow continues to melt, a new disease has begun to circulate. Fewer cases of the flu may be spreading, but spring fever is in full force.
If your plans for the summer involve a large, delicious supply of freshly grown produce, you might be ready to begin planting. But there are a few things to consider before you put down roots. Robyn Webb, assistant manager at McCoard’s Garden Center in Provo, offers seven tips to help you get the most out of your home garden.
1 Take it slow: Many people fall into the trap of thinking everything has to be done at once — that landscaping your yard is a one-time task. But that kind of thinking can be overwhelming and curb success.
“Rather than trying to tackle landscaping as a project to be completed before the snow flies, see your yard as a work in progress,” Webb said. “Choose parts of the yard to work on this year. That will make it a lot more fun, affordable, and reasonable to accomplish.”
2 Tackle the weeds now: Unfortunately, weeds are always a concern. But you can significantly prevent weed growth by taking a few measures early in the year.
“Pulling and hoeing weeds now will be a piece of cake compared to waiting until the weather warms and the weeds have become longer, stronger and more entrenched,” Webb said. “This really is a case where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” You can also apply a pre-emergent herbicide to your soil to keep weed seeds from germinating — just don’t use it where you plan to plant flowers or crops from seed.
3 Mulch: Sure, it improves the look of things, but mulching provides your garden with more than a pretty face. “Covering exposed soil areas between plants with a two- to three-inch layer of shredded bark or another covering will keep moisture from evaporating too quickly in the heat and will keep weed seeds from finding an easy place to anchor and grow,” Webb said. “And anything you can do to discourage weeds is worth doing.”
4 Fertilize: Fertilizer is your garden’s food and will help it flourish. But even if you’re not sure how to go about it, doing something is better than nothing at all. “One feeding in March or April will put you miles ahead of your neighbor who never fertilizes at all,” Webb said. She suggests Utah gardeners use a bag of 16-16-8 granular formula.
5 Plant cold season crops now: As much as we’d like to believe summer is nearly here, the ground temperature isn’t quite where it needs to be for all crops. But there are a few things you can plant now that will be unaffected by a late-season freeze. “Right now is the time to be planting cold season crops,” Webb said. “Beets, radishes, peas, leafy greens. In fact, we could have planted them a month ago if there wasn’t snow.”
6 Hold off on tender crops: In Utah, there is a specific date for gardeners to look toward: May 15. “We wait until then to plant tender crops because we’re pretty sure the ground won’t freeze after May 14,” Webb says. “After that, you can plant crops like tomatoes, peppers and squash.” These crops grow best in soil that is around 55 degrees, so even if you were to plant them now, they wouldn’t do much until the ground is warmer.
7 Plant in phases: While you’re waiting for May 15, consider planting a few crops now and a few more in a week or two. This technique is called “succession planting,” and it allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labors for much longer.
“This works especially well with peas, but you can do it with most cold-season crops,” Webb said. “Plant a row now, then another row in two weeks, and maybe another row two weeks after that. When the older plants are done producing, the younger ones will still be thriving.”
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