Quanita Moran is in her happy place. Forearms deep in the soil of a raised bed at Lindley Elementary School’s community garden, she’s following the roots of a weed to its source. As Moran surgically teases it out and tosses it on a tarp behind her, she brushes a strand of hair from her eyes and goes back in for another.
This sunny, late-February afternoon is the first time this year that Moran has tended the soil in the Greensboro garden that she’s co-led for the last few years.
Moran chuckles remembering her early days as a gardener, when she relied on a trial-and-error approach to learn what worked best. “I would just poke things in the ground, give it a spray of water, and hope for the best,” she says. “It didn’t often work!”
But the longer she kept at it, the more she learned. Before long, she was hooked. “Just thinking about it brings me great pleasure. In the winter, I like to look at seed catalogs and what’s new this year. In my own yard, I’ll walk around and think about what grew best last year. I’ll dig things up and move them around to see if I can get a better result.”
And her timing is right: Late winter is the time to set up your garden for a successful spring. To help get ready for the warmer months ahead, Moran, along with Melvin York and Alan Smith, the soil experts who host the Gardening with Daddy Pete podcast, offer early spring tips to help your garden flourish.
Fertilizers and pellets can help amend the soil pH before you begin planting your flower beds. photograph by Maksims Grigorjevs/iStock/Getty Stock Images
Because your plants rely on the soil’s nutrients to help them grow, you’ll want to do a soil test about every other year — these are usually available for free at your local county extension office. Test results reveal your soil’s acidity level, or pH, and the extension office can recommend ways to raise it to the correct level, such as with organic fertilizers or lime. “You want to stay natural,” York and Smith say. “You can use them without worrying about burning the root or the plant.” If the pH is too high, you may add the required amount of agricultural Sulphur to lower it.
They recommend a fertilizer that can be used on shrubs, perennials, herbs, and vegetables. “You can find options at your local garden center or feed store, depending on where you shop.”
Beyond fertilizers, if clay or sand is predominant in your soil, York and Smith recommend mixing at least one part compost for every four parts soil. This can also help amend your soil.
Don’t let snow, frost, and freezes delay your garden — go ahead and start your seeds indoors and transfer them outside once the weather warms. photograph by HMVart/E+/Getty Stock Images
If the weather is still a degree too cold to venture out, you can jumpstart your garden indoors. “Starting seeds inside gives you a quicker spring planting time,” York and Smith say (however, if you’re content to bundle up, you can certainly start them outside). For a vegetable garden, “smaller seeds like tomatoes and peppers should be started inside and transplanted after the last frost.”
Consider where your garden receives the most sunlight or shade and map out where to plant what. photograph by andreaskrappweis/iStock/Getty Stock Images
Before you visit the garden center to find flowers for your front lawn or vegetables for your garden, do a little research. “If you go online to the USDA’s plant hardiness zone map, you can enter your zip code to find a list of plants that thrive in your area,” York and Smith say.
As you make your selections, check to see if the plants are shade or sun loving. “Anytime you see partial sun, choose a spot that gets morning sun rather than warmer afternoon sun,” they advise.
Making annual notes about where you place different plants and conditions over the season to help optimize next year’s garden. photograph by zsv3207/iStock/Getty Stock Images
In Moran’s school garden, students and community volunteers help plant and harvest flowers and vegetables in 14 raised beds. “That’s a lot to keep up with!” she laughs.
To track what was planted and where, Moran keeps a journal. She also does this in her home garden, too. “In early spring, I draw a diagram of all the raised beds and write what we might want to plant in each rectangle.”
Once she decides, Moran circles the final choice and adds notes about the date seeds were planted and when they need to be harvested. It also helps her plan crop rotation for the next year.
York and Smith are also journal advocates. “Write down what fertilizer you use and keep notes on how effective it was,” they suggest. “Next year, you might decide to do some things differently.”
They also recommend keeping up with the weather. “Did you have excessive cold? A lot of rain? Write it down. All of that plays a part in how well your plants perform.”
Although now is not the time for tulip bulbs (those are planted in the fall), spring is the ideal time for many other bulb varieties.
As you’re deciding which kind to plant, keep in mind how big they’ll grow. “It’s good to know their height because you don’t want to plant something that’s taller than what’s behind it in your landscape,” York and Smith advise. A few of their favorites include:
More than an aesthetic addition to your garden, mulch helps insulate plants from too cold and too hot temperatures. Photography courtesy of Daddy Pete Farms
After you’ve planted your bulbs, cover the earth with a light coat of mulch, which will insulate the bulbs as the seasons change. “A light cover of mulch will protect them through any cold weather coming up and the heat in the summer,” York and Smith say. You might also want to consider mulching garden vegetables, like peppers and tomatoes.
For a soil enhancer, they recommend an aged pine bark fines. “It looks great, and the more that you can insulate that plant and keep its water even, the better it will uptake minerals and nutrients.” Consider a double-ground hardwood mulch for an even woodsier effect.
For more soil savvy and expert gardening advice, click here to check out York’s and Smith’s podcasts and videos and gear up for a flourishing spring.
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