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Alison Arnold: Starting a Garden in Spring

sunshinecoastdaily.com

This week, BPR's gardening expert explains the dos and don'ts of the spring vegetable garden.

Jeremy Loeb: What would you recommend for someone who is new to the area, new to gardening and might want to start a vegetable garden?

Alison Arnold: For people new to the area I always recommend taking time to observe and get to know your new surroundings…the sun and shade patterns, wind direction, existing plant material, rain patterns, and of course the soils … site conditions will change as the angle of the sun changes and once the leaves come out on the trees. If it’s a house where a gardener lived before there may a lot to discover.

It’s so tempting to fall under the influence of spring garden fever and jump right in …

I know.. it’s really hard and yet it’s good at the same time right? I think if you ask anyone who likes to dig in the dirt they would agree they garden with free abandon and measured planning – or at least find themselves somewhere along that continuum.

Sounds like keeping expectations reasonable are in order then.

Totally… learning is a big part of gardening. There are so many variables at play, the biggest probably is the weather and not being able to predict it for the coming season. We plant seeds and set a course not fully knowing the outcome. You come to learn that over time having successes often means having some failures here and there.

What are a few ideas that could help someone have a few successes..

Start small and try not to “bite off more than you can chew.”  A couple of 4 by 4 or 4 by 8 foot beds can be a great place to start. Adding some containers can be good. A lot of plants do really well in containers, especially herbs and smaller bush type varieties of vegetables.

Keep the garden as close to the house as you can… it will be easier to keep up with the attention it needs .. with the weeding and watering etc

Loosen the soil to at least 6-8” if possible and add amendments and organic matter to improve the soil texture and drainage. Doing this can help plant roots grow deeper which helps the plant withstand drought conditions later in the season.

Seems like having a nearby water faucet, rain barrel or some other water source is important….

For sure.. it’s never too early to make plans for watering, Easy access to water and making plans for soaker hoses,  drip irrigation systems and plenty of mulch is essential.

One final consideration if you are looking to find the right spot for a garden and have some choices.. do the best you can to put the garden at the top of a slope. This helps with air movement and helps avoid late season freezes that can happen by frost pockets that can develop at the foot of a slope or in low lying areas where cold air can settle. Late summer diseases can also develop in these same low lying areas if there’s not good air movement around the plants.

Are we in a good planting window for a spring garden?

Yes Yes Yes  - it’s time to direct sow early seeds in the ground or go with transplants or plant starts where you can find them – a good time for all the cool season things…salad greens, radishes,  peas, onions, carrots, beets..

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