Preparing Your Garden

What Should I Do First Before Planting?

Hopefully by now you have started planting seeds indoors. As you are preparing your garden, there are a few things to make mention of. In the post when should I start my seeds indoors?, I share when that right time is. The timing is different for vegetables and herbs. I used an indoor herb garden kit to start growing herbs this year. However, the seeds you see in the pictures below are from collected green pepper seeds.

My first batch of tomatoes did not work out as well as my herbs. I am starting again with the tomatoes as I explain 10 reasons why growing tomatoes is beneficial.

We had almost one full week of rain and those cloudy days did not help the herbs and tomato seeds survive. Even though I have several seeds remaining from the indoor herb garden kit, now is not the time to start again from scratch.

Fortunately the garden store had oregano and rosemary on sale for $3.29 and I purchased one of each. They are ready to be planted any day now. Both of these herbs are perennials.

What Vegetables Should I Be Planting?

Planting your seeds depends on the hardiness zones. Based on the zones that you live in, planting according to these time frames is most beneficial for your personal home garden. The map below is specifically for North America. Each country has its own legend for hardiness zones to plant fruits and vegetables.

What Are My Frost Dates In My Area?

Also, depending on the vegetables and the herbs that you are planting, there are specific dates that are designated for each item. They have a pre-determined time frame from seed to harvest. This is why it is wise to choose vegetables that work best for the growing season in your area.

This year I have planted tomatoes and green pepper seeds indoors as well as growing a few herbs on the side. I have rosemary, oregano and cilantro. Before we bring our plants outside next week, I will grow kidney beans inside this week to get the beans to sprout.

If you want to grow kidney beans, do it about one week before you plant them outside. Do not transplant the beans. Once you plant them in the soil, keep them there. Otherwise they will not grow because kidney beans do not like to be moved around. 

A new addition to gardening this year is a delicious small pot of sweet perennial strawberries. At the garden centre I passed by a section selling strawberry plants and picked one up.

For $12.00 this plant will yield some strawberries every year, as long as they are taken care of. 

How Do I Get My Seedlings Ready For Planting In The Garden?

After planting the seeds indoors and having them sprout, the green pepper and tomato seedlings were transplanted into larger containers so they can grow a little more before heading outside. 

As mentioned I am restarting the tomatoes and hope to plant them within the third week of May. You want them strong before planting them in your garden. 

By this point your plants are growing individually and getting stronger. Within two weeks or less they will be outside and dealing with harsher elements. This is why it is important to have them secure before planting them in the ground. 

How Do You Transfer Seedlings From Indoors To Outdoors?

Bring your plants outside to harden off the seedlings. Get them used to the temperature outside for at least a week before you plant them in the ground. Get them strong and prepared to adapt to the different elements. Each night bring them back inside and take them out again the next day to spend some time outside. Start off with an hour or two up to 12 hours a day before they go in the ground.

With your spring garden cleanup checklist in place, you will be ready to build a successful vegetable garden in 2022. 

Next week we can start planting outdoors.

May 12, 2022