3 Steps to Grow Spring Vegetables

 Contrary to what you may have heard, you don't have to wait till Mother's Day to start growing vegetables outside. In fact, if you wait that long, it will be too late to grow several cool weather plants. When I first moved to the Harrisburg area, I was told by an employee at the local nursery to plant spring vegetables by St. Patrick's Day. Every year since I have followed her advice and never regretted it. Here is what you need to know.

Prepping Your Garden

Sunshine is even more important in chilly March than it is in the warm summer. A raised bed will also help warm the soil. You'll also need to pay some attention to the quality of your soil. If you haven't added anything to it recently to improve the nutrients then adding either fresh compost (if you have a compost pile) or  some composted manure from the garden center will help. You can use row covers in March to protect your plants but I've never bothered.

Choose Your Plants

Naturally, you can't plant tomatoes yet. However, several veggies like the colder weather. Lettuce, Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard, and P
eas will all grow well from seeds sown directly into your garden. I personally prefer growing onions from sets (small onions) as it takes them so long to grow from seeds. You can also buy broccoli and cauliflower plants from the garden center. If you put out plants, then I highly recommend mulching around them to help keep them warm.

Keep An Eye On The Weather

As I write this, it's March 13th and we're getting a blizzard tonight. Obviously, planting vegetables isn't going to happen this week. When dealing with something as unpredictable as the weather, you have to be flexible and use common sense. As soon as the snow melts off (which won't take long) and temps are in the 40's then I will absolutely get it planted. If you're not sure, you can always visit a local garden center and ask for input.

Well, that's it everybody. Growing vegetables doesn't have to be complicated. So, get your seeds and get ready to grow! Feel free to comment about your spring garden experiences below.