Spring Vegetables

Is there anything better than a garden filled with spring vegetables?  I don’t think so but maybe I’m biased.  When I walked out to the garden this morning it was a wonderful site.  My lettuce is fully grown and ready to be harvested, I can’t decide which to pick first.  My tomatoes have been started and are growing into their cages.  The green beans are starting to sprout and will be ready to start climbing up the trellis soon.  I love the smell of my basil, oregano and lemon thyme.  Spending the morning in my garden kicks my day off in a wonderful way.

Spring Vegetables – How do I start?

If you haven’t gotten your garden beds ready yet, you need to hurry!  Each year when it’s time to start my spring gardening I clean out my beds.  This can be weeds because I didn’t grow anything in the prior season or it can be plant material from the prior season.  Once, it’s all cleaned out I work on creating the best growing conditions possible.  First, I till the whole area up and clean out any roots or left over weeds.  I also check to make sure I have earthworms in my soil, which indicates you have a good rich soil.  I love the earthworms since they keep my soil aerated and not compacted.  I usually add Leaf Mold Compost, and a good potting soil to fill my beds back up to the top.  After that has been added, it’s tilled again to make sure it’s all mixed up.  I try to do this in January or early February at the latest.  Once, you have your beds ready it’s time to decide what you want to plant.

Spring Vegetables – What should I plant?

To help you make your decisions for what to plant, I have included a link to the Spring Planting guide from the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension office.  This is a great guide that gives you planting times for our region along with a listing of plants.  I use a combination of seeds and transplants.  I always do my peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and lettuce from transplants.  I do green beans from seeds.  It’s really a personal decision and can include anything that appeals to you.  Spring is a great time to try a variety of vegetables and some fruits as well.  We did corn several years ago and that was fun but frustrating since the squirrels loved my corn!  We always end up with tomatoes to give away and can.  Our green bean harvest is usually huge and we give away and can more than you can imagine.  Peppers work really well and we always have peppers in the freezer.  My lettuce is always divine and we give away as much as we eat.  With a little planning and preparation you can have a spring garden that will give you joy all year long!

Planting Guide

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