Organize Your Spring Planting

Spring is finally here. This means we can go to the nurseries and buy all of the beautiful flowers we want. Right? Well you might want to take the time to plan your garden this year, before making costly some mistakes. I have listed here for you a few things you might want to consider before making any purchases.

* Do I want to start from seeds? This process can be a very time consuming effort. If you don't have the time to dedicate yourself to the labor involved, consider seedlings. Someone else has done all of the hard work and all you have to do is plant them in the ground.

* Do you have the time? Most gardens require a lot of maintenance. Your garden can be as big or little as you want it to be, but keep in mind, in order for them to grow and stay beautiful you must have the time to pull weeds, fertilize, prune,water, etc.

* Do you want vegetables? Nothing tastes better than a tomato you have grown yourself. Do you have enough people to share your vegetables with. One year I grew so many tomatoes that I couldn't find enough people to share them with, which ultimately led to rotten tomatoes, and a waste of my time and money. I heard somewhere (after this, of course) that the rule of thumb for tomato plants are: one plant will yield enough tomatoes for one person for the entire summer. So if you are a family of three you don't need twenty seven tomato plants!

* Where will you be planting? Do you have a bare spot in your garden because you think that "nothing can grow there"? Maybe the reason is because you have been putting the wrong plants in the wrong place. When planning your garden you need will need to monitor the sun for a few days. Are there some areas that get too much sun? Are there some areas that get little or no sun? Take notes about different parts of your yard and carry it to the nursery with you. This way when you find a plant you like you will know if it will do well in that part of the yard. Remember- If a plant says "full sun" it means it!

* Do you have the space? I know it is easy to get excited about all of the wonderful colors and fragrances that plants produce,but you have to think about their full potential. What might be in a six inch pot now may grow to over seven feet tall and wide. Can the space you have accommodate that kind of growth?

As you can see, it is very important to organize your planting wants and needs. Without doing so, you may end up with dead plants, overgrown shrubs, and more work then you bargained for.

Remember with proper planning of your ideas, space, and purchases you can have a garden that is the envy of the neighborhood.

Do you want next year to be easier? Why not start a gardening journal. Make notes of things like: what plants worked, and which didn't. What time of year you planted them, the type of fertilizer you used, etc.

Organize your spring planting and watch your garden grow!

Copyright(C)2002 Paula Eichermuller