Choosing Spring Vegetables to Plant
When you plant a vegetable garden in the spring, you first need to choose what you'd like to plant. Getting to eat all of the fruits and vegetables you grew in your backyard has to be the most fun and exciting part of gardening. You put in all that work and finally it pays off; you get to enjoy your totally homemade fresh salad. If you are new to gardening, you might still be getting the hang of when to plant which vegetables in spring and what vegetables work best in your climate. Do some research ahead of time and make yourself a calendar marked with all of the best times to plant the vegetables you are hoping to grow so that you don't get caught by surprise when other people's gardens start sprouting and you're too late. If you plant enough spring vegetables, plan a little dinner party for your friends to enjoy your bounty with you when the weather warms.
Planting in Early Spring
Plant your salad greens, spinach, radishes, broccoli, cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots, beets and peas in the early spring. These vegetables can all thrive in cool temperatures and will withstand light frosts. Get started in late winter by sowing the seeds for your greens, radishes and beets into cell packs. Keep these cell packs inside where they can stay relatively warm and grow your seedlings by offering them plenty of sun and water. You can make sure the seedlings get the sun they need by placing them in a bright, south facing window. Keep the soil for your seedlings moist until they are at least three inches tall.
Sprouting
Once your seedlings are three inches tall and you are sure that the last serious frost of winter is over, take them outside during the day. You can leave them out during the daytime to acclimate them to cold temperatures and get them more sun, then bring them inside at night time to protect them from potential frosts and freezing temperatures.
Ground Preparation
Meanwhile, prepare your vegetable beds. If you make raised beds, your vegetables will be easier for you to access and your ground will warm up faster. Add a healthy layer of compost to the top of your beds to give your soil the nutrients your plants need to thrive. You can add a layer of salt march hay to suppress weeds and mark walking paths. With a broad fork, lift, fluff and aerate the soil before your plants go in.
Transplanting
Transplant your seedlings to your vegetable beds as soon as there are no more light frosts. Plant the seedlings according to the depths and spacing prescribed on the packaging. Giving your vegetables plenty of space will allow them to grow bigger and yield more bountiful harvests. Now is also the time to sow your peas. Create a trough down one of the beds by dragging along a spade and place the pea seeds right in the trough. Lightly cover them with soil and keep both your seeds and your seedlings moist until they are established.
Planting spring vegetables is more fun if you stick to vegetables you know you like to eat. Once your vegetables are in the ground outside, they should be ready in about a month. While you are waiting for them to arrive, build anticipation by collecting new recipes you want to try to use them in.
