Spring Gardening: 15 Minutes to a Beautiful Garden

March is a great time for your Midwest garden. The problem is, most gardeners are all caution when it comes to Spring planting, telling you it's too early for your tomatoes.. (Of course it is, silly.)  But tomorrow is the first day of Spring!  So, even if it's only for 15 minutes a day, you can get out and get started.  (You know you want to.) 


The Lawn
Now is the time to reseed the yard, especially if you use a seed product that has crabgrass preventer.  The warm-ish days and plentiful moisture make it perfect for germinating grass, especially if you can manage to keep the kids -- and the dog -- out of the yard for a week or so.  (Rainy, chilly weather can make that easier than you think.  Perfect time for cooking lessons, if you ask me. Mmmm.... soup.)

 

The Vegetable Patch
There's a reason spring onions have that name.  These are mine.  Looks like a jumble of half-green mess, doesn't it?  Give them a month, and they'll look (and taste!) far different.  Some crops, like Spinach and peas, actually germinate best in cold soil.  So, the freeze/thaw cycle that works its magic on local sugar Maples can be a great sign that the time is nearing to plant.  I usually wait until the tail end of the Maple sugaring season, then get my Spinach and peas in the ground.


The Herb Garden
Love to cook?  Tend to your herbs, especially the ones you planted close to the house or in that magical microclimate close to your furnace vent.  At our place, our parsley and oregano are already showing fresh shoots.  (And yes, I've cooked with them in the past week!)  Cut back woody perennials like sage and rosemary, being sure to save/dry/use what you trim back.

The Flower Beds
Even if you didn't plant bulbs last fall (See, Mom?  My daffodils and tulips really are already out of the ground!) you can plant some bulbs now.  Glads and Asiatic Lilies planted now will provide you with tall, beautiful blooms in June.  Pansies in pots that you can handily pull closer to the house on cold nights can give your front porch early color.  After a long winter, isn't that what every gardener needs?

Whatever little ways you can edge your way out into the garden will help you celebrate the start of Spring.  Because what's better for the soul than nurturing brand new life?  And these tiny jobs -- like planting your peas! -- are perfect for getting your kids into the garden, a little at a time.

Keep in mind that the lovely brown, leafy, grassy mulch you put on your beds last year is a cozy blanket for everything growing.  If you tend your plants, be sure to tuck them in when you're done.  By the time those daffodils bloom, though, you'll be safe to open the garden, with just a turned-over bucket or floating plastic row cover to keep late frost away.

So get out there!  It's the perfect time for a little sunshine.  Soothes the soul.

- Midwest Mom

It's Planting Time

There are so many markers of the right time to plant in the Midwest. Some people mark the calendar to plant on Mother's Day or Memorial Day. Others measure the soil temperature to know when the optimal time will be.


I like to pay attention to my flowering plants. Because they respond to the moisture level, sunlight, and air temperature, I find them to be excellent indicators of the right time to plant.

This is where the garden is right now:

The peas, spinach, carrots, lettuce, and radishes I planted from seed in April are proceeding nicely. The peas are about 18 inches tall, and the lettuce is about a week away from harvest. The radishes are small, but we're checking weekly to prepare for harvesting them.

Blooming perennials abound in shades of purple. Until this week, I hadn't realized how many there were. In full bloom now are allium, meadow sage, dame's rocket, bluebells, Virginia bluebells, pansies, and violets. We also have plentiful blossoms on our red columbine and strawberry plants.


Ready, but not quite blooming are garden sage and clematis. I imagine they'll start within the week.

The weather has been dry for a few days, but we're expecting rain tomorrow. So, today is the day for planting my most tender (and prized) vegetables -- my tomatoes. I started them in seedling trays in early April, and they have several sets of leaves. I'll also plant my zinnia seedlings, basil, and pepper plants. Once they're in the ground, they are sure to take off.

I can't wait to get out in the sunshine and get digging. If I'm in the mood, I just might have the kids help me, too. Which reminds me -- today I've written a feature for Midwest Parents, Gardening with Kids: An Easy Guide. If you're getting ready to plant and want to find ways to involve your kids in the family garden, head on over for some great tips! (And please comment! I'm sure it will warm the hearts of the Midwest Parents crew to hear from you!)

Until tomorrow, hope you enjoy your garden. I know I will!

- Midwest Mom