When do you start planning your garden?
If you want to enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the fall, you need to plant your garden at the right time in the spring. The seed packets normally give you a time frame of when to plant for your particular season.
However, "May-June" is a long time and planting too early could mean you will lose your crop, planting too late means it may never grow.
One of the best ways to figure out when you should start planting your garden is to visit some local nurseries. You can even ask some of the local gardeners when they think the best time to start planting is. Universities often have agricultural departments and they will be able to let you know when the best time to plant your garden is. Talk to the gardener about the reasons why you should wait on certain plants. While you are talking to them, also talk about different ways you can keep your plants alive, especially when the intense heat hits.
|
|
If you want to get scientific, some people say you should plant by the moon. This system doesn't give you an exact date as to when you should start planting, but it can help you figure out which week in the month you need to plant. This system works by taking into effect the gravitational pull of the moon on plant growth. When the moon is rising, the above-ground crops should be planted. When the moon is declining, the root crops should be planted.
Fruits and flowers always grow best when they are planted when the moon is rising.
Another way to figure out when to plant is to plant relative to the frost date. Find out when the predicted last frost is and when the first frost of the season is. When the last frost is over, you will know to plant a few things like corn, broccoli, and beans. For some vegetables, the sooner you can get them into the ground, the better. Don't watch the weatherman to figure out when the last frost will be, use a soul temperature to find out. This is the most accurate way to test the soil and find out if it is still frozen or not.
The Old Farmer's Almanac is another way to figure out when to plant your garden. This almanac has been around for several years and it actually works! There is a timetable that forecasts the different regions in the country so you can determine when the best time to plant is. The Old Farmer's Almanac is right about 80 percent of the time.
Those are some pretty good odds for any gardener!
Another way to figure out when to plant is to watch your neighbors. We all have that one neighbor that is a serious gardener, when you see him outside hoeing and rot tilling, its time to start getting your garden ready for planting. Try to build a relationship with him so you can find out which types of plants grow the best in your area and when you should plant them. He may even have some tips on how you can reduce the amount of weeds and how to properly fertilize your garden.
Pay attention to what types of crops you are planting. There are some vegetables that need to be thinned as they start to grow (corn) and there are other crops that can be re-seeded throughout the summer months to continue producing fresh vegetables for a longer amount of time. Take good care of your garden by weeding it daily and making sure the plants are getting plenty of sunlight and water.
