My Spring Planting Goals

Now that the freezing temperatures are behind us, it is time to start planting the Spring garden. The evenings are still cool and the days are nice and warm (but not too hot). I am often asked if it takes a great deal of time to garden. The answer is no. Some planting attention is required 4 or 5 times a year at the beginning or end of the season, but the benefits far outweigh the work. Here’s what I plan to do in the garden now.

Over the weekend, I tore out all the older winter vegetables and prepared the beds for new plants. In order to keep the soil nutrient friendly, I add a bit of organic fertilizer and/or compost. I rotate the crops so I’m not planting the same thing in the same place season after season. To see more about my winter garden, click here.

As you recall, I have 5 raised beds for vegetables and herbs, with a picket fence around the perimeter. To see a previous post on how I designed my garden, click here. Though birds can fly in, the fence keeps the chickens and dogs out. Sox, especially, LOVES the fertilized soil and lays in it because it smells good to him. Pee-ew.

This season I am planting more tomatoes than ever. There is nothing better than canning your own tomato sauce and using it in December. Tomatoes in the winter look like tomatoes but taste like nothing, nor do I trust those raised out of the country. I am hoping to have a bumper crop!

Whitfill Nursery has a wide variety and selection of tomatoes. I purchased San Marzano Redorta, Black Krim, Cherokee Purple, Kellogg Breakfast, and Sunsugar starter plants, all non-GMO. I have had great success with the Black Krim, which is an early heirloom from the Crimean peninsula of Russia. The tomato is a beautiful dark mahogany color.

Currently, I have 3 tomato plants that sprouted from a previous season’s seeds. I think two are Pearson and the hardiest plant is a cherry tomato variety.

Years ago, I purchased 40″ tomato cages from Burpee and love them. Since I have more plants this year, I am buying additional cages online. Here is the link and I highly recommend them. With the code BURPEE20 you can get a 20% discount in February. The quality is very good and they fold flat when not in use. I have purchased cheaper cages that fell apart after a few seasons. Tomatoes need cages to support their growth and tomato production.

During the growing season, I may need to protect the plants from intense sun, frost or too many birds. The white hoops you see in the above and below picture provide a framework to add netting, shade or frost cloth. Using a piece of rebar that sticks in the dirt, you can bend the PVC pipe and slide the end over the rebar to make these frames. The rebar and PVC piping can be purchased from Home Depot or any hardware store.

In addition to tomatoes, this week I am planting Shishito peppers and fennel (which I have not grown). The peppers are sometimes called “the wrinkled old man pepper”. They are mild with a hint of spiciness and great grilled with olive oil and sea salt. I love fennel thinly sliced in salads or with oranges. It’s fun to grow new items each season.

Even though I bought artichoke plants, they tend to come up on their own year after year.

I haven’t started sowing my seeds for French breakfast radishes yet, but will soon.

Ah, carrots. I do grow them from seed. Some years they are fine and look long and slender, but last time I planted them, they looked like this.

Gardening is joyful because it is a bit unpredictable. Crops vary with the weather. Sometimes your harvest is perfect and other seasons you just scratch your head and wonder what you did wrong.

My raised flower bed has a mind of its own. There is no room for me to plant anything, because the nasturtiums, hollyhocks and poppies have self-propagated and taken over.

Here is a list of vegetables that are good to plant now if you live in the Valley of the Sun. The P means you can plant plants now and the S means you can plant seeds. SP means either. If you live in a different planting zone, consult with your local cooperative extension to find out what grows in your area. Here is a link (click here) to find extension services by zip code.

• Artichokes – P
• Asparagus – P
• Bean-Pinto, Black – S
• Bean-Italian Bush – S
• Bean-Lima-S
• Bok Choy-P (most of my plants bolted except one. I will see how the last one fares in warmer weather)
• Carrot- S
• Swiss Chard -SP
• Corn – S
• Cucumber – S
• Eggplant – SP
• Jicama- S
• Kohlrabi – S
• Lettuce- SP
• Melon- Cantaloupe – SP
• Onion – Green – SP
• Parsley – P
• Peas- P
• Bell Pepper- SP
• Radish – S
• Soybean – S
• Spinach – P
• Sunflower – S
• Tomatillo – SP
• Tomato- SP

Whether you have a large or small plot, raised beds or just a few pots, I strongly encourage you to garden. There is something very gratifying about getting your hands in the soil and watching something grow. Picking a fresh snap pea or a tomato warmed by the sun feeds the soul.

In the next few weeks I will continue to add to the spring garden. Do you have a garden? Has this post inspired you to try gardening? I am always happy to answer any questions you have. Our growing seasons here are a bit different from other parts of the country and it took me a while to understand what to plant and when.

Happy Gardening!