Get an Early Start on Your Garden

 Are you sick of winter? Trust me, we get it. Snow and slush are great for the environment to hydrate and rest the soil, but it’s the hardest time of the year to be a gardener. Sure, the rest from constant garden care is a change of pace from the busy summer season. But by January, all you want is to look at something green and growing again. Don’t despair! Even though it’s far from warm outside, the days are getting longer, and Spring is slowly making its way back into the northern hemisphere. If you’re itching to get your hands back in the garden, we have some early-spring prep you can start to get ready for the growing season.

 

Planning out your garden is the best part of Spring! There’s a lot of joy wrapped up in seed starting, planting, and harvesting your plants, no doubt about that. But cracking open the Spring seed catalog is where you pick out your crops for the season and explore the new bites and blooms you can add to your garden’s 2023 lineup! You can get started with colorful heirloom varieties, or hardy hybrids that let you grow new plants in any zone. It’s exciting to discover how wildly you can mix it up, from adding alien kiwanos to Instagram-famous cucamelons. There are so many plants to try!

Many home gardeners focus their attention on popular plants that need the summer sun to ripen, such as tomatoes and peppers. These plants are always popular summer hits, and are perfect for sauces and soups when it’s time to get canning. If you’re looking to up your gardening game, think about adding a first crop of cold-season veggies and greens to your spring plan!

The first thing you need to get started is supplies! One of the most stressful parts of Spring is acquiring the tools and goodies you need to get into the season. We’ve all made a mad dash to the garden center, just to discover that the tomato variety you want is out of stock, or you can’t find the Purple Cow soil mix or organic amendments you need. Start your shopping early this season!

Many garden centers take a break during the winter months to stock up on supplies and cultivate the next season’s seedlings. Check the hours on your local garden center’s website, or check their social media accounts for updates! If your garden center of choice is closed when your preparations are underway, check out an online retailer. There are many trusted online seed retailers that offer high quality seeds, bulbs, and plant variations that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to find in stores.

Growing high quality seeds means using a high quality seed-starting mix! If you’re looking for Purple Cow Organics and can’t find us in stores, look us up on Amazon! Our premium Seed Starting Mix is available on Amazon, along with many familiar faces from our popular retail line. Need to restock on All-Purpose Fertilizer, or want to explore the benefits that a liquid biological, like CX-1, could bring to your garden’s nutritional plan? These products are easier to order and enjoy than ever. Our products are also available for sale through our website! Check out our professional tips and tricks on growing with Purple Cow Organics, and find the products you need for a strong start.

With so many options available to grow, you’ll need a structured plan to fit all of your garden goals into one growing season. Luckily for you, there’s an entire segment of Spring dedicated to growing cold-hardy plants. We’ve provided a brief guide on when to direct-sow cold season produce, when to start your plants indoors, and getting your warm season veggies ready! Looking for a guide on starting some of these popular produce items indoors? Check out our Seed Starting Calender to build a plan for this year's garden!

Start these cool season produce items inside, and plant them in your garden before the first frost! Hearty varieties like artichokes, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, onions, and celery, are cold-weather tolerant, and need a long growing season to develop delicious veggies.	Many of the classic summer vegetables are tender varieties, that aren't happy during the cold weather of the early Spring. Start your tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, eggplants, ground cherries, and tomatillos before the last frost, and plant outside after the threat of frost has completely passed.

 

These cool seasons can be direct sowed before the final frost date, allowing you to get a first crop out of your garden before planting the rest of your produce! Plant kale, radishes, beets, carrots, lettuce, arugula, spinach, shallots, peas, mustard greens, and swiss chard for an early Spring harvest. Some of these varieties even become sweeter after being hit with a light frost!	These warm season plants are some of the easiest to cultivate in the garden, because they can be directly sown after your last frost date, and are easy to cultivate in the warm spring and summer sun! Plant amaranth, beans, corn, cucumbers, edamame, gourds, melons, squash, zucchini, and okra directly in the ground after the last frost for a delightful summer and fall harvest!

 

Though it feels like there isn't a lot you can do with your garden when there's still snow on the ground, you can start preparations for an amazing spring garden by mixing up your plants this season, stocking up early on essential supplies to skip the rush, and building a seed starting plan to maximize your harvest.