Simple Steps to Get Your Garden Growing This Spring
Friends, family and clients of mine know that I LOVE to garden – in fact it’s one of the many reasons I live here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest! Not only is gardening a great way to stay active, but spending time outside has mood boosting benefits as well. And, with spring officially here, the time is ripe to get outside and revive (or start anew) your ideal garden. For those new to gardening it can be overwhelming to decide where to start, so I’ve compiled a few simple steps to get you going, along with some helpful resources for Seattle area gardeners. Happy planting!
01 | Prep Your Beds, Pots & Plots
The first step to a healthy garden is having a vision for your space. Take a little time to identify what areas of your garden get a lot of sunlight, and what type of planting arrangement will work best in those spaces - planting in-ground, in raised beds, or in pots. Then, purchase (if necessary), build or begin to prep those spaces. Learn more about different gardening methods here: https://www.almanac.com/gardening-methods-overview
02 | Ready Your Soil
If you haven’t already taken advantage of late winter to weed, buy soil, and prep your soil so it’s ready for incoming plants, now is a great time to get busy. Try to get this done in March so that you’re ready to get plants in the ground in April! Healthy soil helps create ideal growing conditions for your plants, or put more simply: healthy soil = happy plants. Read more about soil health here: https://www.thespruce.com/healthy-soil-and-how-to-make-it-2539853
03 | Choose Wisely
While we are quite fortunate that so many plants grow so well in the Seattle area, you’ll still want to be selective in what plants you select to grow for the greatest odds of success. This guide from the ultimate gardener’s resource – the Farmers’ Almanac – details what grows well in our region and when to plant it: https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar/WA/Seattle
04 | Start Your Seeds and/or Time Your Transplant
If you are new to gardening it is typically easier to purchase plant starts from the nursery versus starting from seeds. The small plants will already be a bit stronger, and require less care than starting plants from seeds. Depending on which route you go, you can check out either this extensive guide to starting your own seeds https://www.farmersalmanac.com/seed-starting-101-12003 or this comprehensive list of Seattle area nurseries https://www.greaterseattleonthecheap.com/nurseries-and-garden-centers-list/
05 | Remember to Have Fun!
As with any new hobby, there is a learning curve to growing and caring for plants, as well as the many factors that out of our control - weather being the main one. Even experienced gardeners have years that are better than others! Be sure to embrace the process, and celebrate your successes!