DibbleSpring in the garden is a sequence, and the jobs come due in a set order. Your last spring frost is the date the whole sequence hangs on, so find it first. Then work down this list as the weeks count toward it.
Before anything goes in the ground
- Check that the soil is ready. Squeeze a handful from a few inches down. If it crumbles when you open your hand, it is ready to work. If it holds a wet ball or smears, wait a few days, because digging wet soil compacts it.
- Clear winter mulch back gradually as the soil warms and new growth shows. Rake away leaf litter and pull any weeds that overwintered.
- Spread compost over the beds. A soil test every few years tells you what a bed needs, and most state extension offices run them.
- Cut back the perennials and ornamental grasses you left standing, once nights stay above about 50°F. Leave the stems 12 to 18 inches tall for nesting bees.
Start seeds indoors, on schedule
Each crop has its own start date, counted back from the last frost. Slow starters such as onions and leeks go first. Tomatoes and most other warm-season crops start later, closer to the last frost. The seed starting calendar gives the dates by zone, and how to start seeds indoors covers light, watering and timing.
Plant the hardy crops as soon as the soil can be worked
Peas, spinach, radishes, lettuce, kale and onion sets take cold, and they go in weeks before the last frost. This is the first outdoor planting of the year. What to plant in March and what to plant in April list what fits each zone.
Wait for warmth before tender crops
Tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans and cucumbers cannot take frost, and most sulk in cold soil. Set them out after the last frost, and watch the forecast. Many gardeners wait a week or two past the typical date. The pages for each hardiness zone show a safer frost date as well as the typical one.
Harden off transplants
Starting seven to ten days before you transplant, set seedlings outside in shade for an hour, then add time and sun a little each day. Plants that skip this step often get sunscald or wind damage.
Set up supports and frost protection
Put in trellises, cages and stakes before the plants need them, since it is easy to damage roots later. Keep a row cover or old bedsheets handy for a late frost warning.
Watch for the first pests
Check the undersides of leaves every week or so. Flea beetles chew small holes in arugula, radishes and young brassicas, and a row cover keeps them off. Catching a problem early keeps it small.
