March

For those of you who refused to believe that February was the start of spring, now’s the time to get onboard! Take a walk through your local garden shop and look at the flowers in 4-inch pots, check out the incredible array of veggie seeds and starts, and visualize those bulbs on the shelf as gorgeous summer flowers. It’s time to start digging in the dirt!

If you haven’t already done so, clean up your beds by weeding, pulling out old plants, and removing all dead leaves and twigs to rid the garden of pests and any destructive organisms that might spread to new plants. Amend your soil by digging in some rich organic material (if you aren’t creating your own compost from kitchen scraps and yard waste, your local nursery can help you select a good product). Now, stand back, admire your hard work, and smell the delicious aroma of rich earth.

Hopefully when you strolled through your nursery, the flowers or the veggies (or both) inspired you to begin a new season with beautiful living things. If you want to begin with a simple veggie garden, this is a perfect time of year to plant things like carrots, radishes, lettuces, onions, and celery. If you are short on both time and space, you can find a small sunny spot and grow a crop of potatoes in a bag. If the 4-inch pots of colorful flowers caught your eye, add a couple of ceramic pots to your front porch and plant them up with different textures and hues.

If you can’t decide between veggies or flowers – do both! Plant a few veggie starts and add Johny Jump-ups and Marigolds. Not only will they add beautiful color and texture to your veggie garden, they bring in the pollinators we need and repel destructive pests – it’s a win win!

Call me at 707.753.1445 for your free 30-minute consultation.