START PLANNING YOUR SPRING GARDENING
The end of the winter season is the perfect time to start planning your spring gardening.
In this article we have grouped together some useful tips to get you started with your vegetable and flower beds planning.
PLOT MANAGEMENT
Plan where you are going to place your crops, a selection of between three to five garden plots will be useful and will allow you to rotate your crops. Remember to group together vegetables with like needs: brassicas (cabbages, cauliflowers and brussels), rout crops (carrots, parsnips and potatoes) and legumes (peas and beans). These should be your three main plots, you then have two optional plots for any other vegetable you decide to grow such as tomatoes or celery.
PREPARE THE SOIL
In winter is good practice to turn your soil over, digging between six to twelve inches deep. Add any organic matter you have access to, such as compost, leaves, totted manure or seaweed.
WHEN TO START PLANTING
If you want a nice healthy harvest this summer there are a few things you need to work out before you start planting your vegetable seeds.
You will need to know the germination time, so how long it will take the plant to pop out of the seed and start growing roots. It is also very useful to try and work out the last frost date in your area which is when it is ok to start planting the seeds, known as the hardening-off period. Lastly it is of course important to know how long your plant will take to reach maturity.
PLAN YOUR FLOWER BED
If you are also interested in showing off your garden flowers this summer than it is also time to start planning your flower bed.
One important tip is to make sure your flower bed has enough width to add flowering shrubs and small flowering trees. A garden bed needs to make a statement, to have a sense of definition in the garden: a straight line or a nice elegant curve always work best in terms of design.
Also remember to check how tall your plants and flowers are going to be once they reach maturity, and plant your tallest at the back of the bed for a nice finish once your garden is in bloom.
Published: 10th February 2016
