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To Do This Week

If you haven’t been starting seeds indoors, chances are you haven’t been thinking about gardening yet. Now it’s time! The earliest vegetables can be planted as soon as you can work the soil, which should be happening soon. If you haven’t already done so, create a plan and prepare your garden beds.

Plan

• Decide what veggies you want to plant, and how much of each.
• Create a garden plan!  Use the tool linked here, or draw out your garden on paper, mapping out where each type of plant will go.

Prepare

• Complete an inventory and create a list of items you need for your garden.
• Purchase seeds, onion sets, compost, and any other equipment you need.
• Prepare soil by adding compost and/or other amendments, till or turn it.
• Set up trellises and other supports for spring vegetables.

Basil

Basil is very easy to grow indoors, even without grow lights.To get a jump start on your basil harvest, start seeds inside now.  Just put them in a sunny window. Basil helps repel aphids, so you may want to plant one in each square of lettuce, and between tomato plants.

Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are a tender vegetable that take a long time to grow. In most areas the growing season is too short to plant them as seeds outdoors. Start seeds indoors and transplant it later in the season, or purchase transplants at that time.

Cilantro

Cilantro grows best in cool weather. Some sources say to start it indoors, but others say plant only outside. Either way, once it’s grown it will self-sow with abandon. You may want to dedicate a spot for growing cilantro season after season. Then you can let it go to seed, pull the plants, shake them over the soil, and enjoy the following spring/fall without having to buy or plant seeds.

Dill

Dill requires light to germinate, so don’t plant it too deep in the soil. It’s not always recommended to start dill inside, but this is the only way I’ve been successful in growing dill in the garden.

Eggplant

Eggplant is a tender vegetable that takes a long time to grow. In most areas the growing season is too short to plant them as seeds outdoors. Start seeds indoors and transplant it later in the season, or purchase transplants at that time.

Leeks

Whether you you started from seed or purchased them, leeks can be hardened off and transplanted now.

In raised garden beds leeks require at least 12″ of soil. Before planting, take out the soil until there is 6″ on the bottom and set it aside. Plant leeks 2-3″ deep in the soil, covering the stems up to the leaves. As they grow, gradually replace the soil–keep covering the stem so that only the leaves are exposed. This will blanch the stem, keeping it tender and edible.

Onions

Onions are a hardy vegetable that grow best in cool weather. When planting onions, you have 3 options–seeds, sets, and transplants.

You can start seeds indoors, but I suggest growing them from sets (see below) or transplants, which will be planted in several weeks.

Now is the time to plant onion sets. These look like dry mini-onions. Plant them pointy side up. The smallest sets can be planted every 4-6″ (4 or 9 per square foot) to grow into mature onions. Plant the bigger onion sets every 3″ (16 per square) to grow green onions.

Oregano

Oregano can be started indoors, or planted outside in about 6 weeks.

Peas

Peas are a hardy vegetable that grow best in cool weather. Peas do not transplant well. Plant peas directly in the garden as soon as the ground is no longer frozen and the soil can be worked.

Thyme

Start thyme seeds indoors or purchase transplants later in the season.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a tender vegetable that take a long time to grow. In most areas the growing season is too short to plant them as seeds outdoors. Start seeds indoors and transplant it later in the season, or purchase transplants at that time.