Master Gardener offers tips for garden dreams

Early spring is a time for dreaming… and making a list of seeds to order… and planning. And making a list of projects to be done by planting time like building another raised bed or a pea trellis.

While the rains are coming sideways and the days are still cool, sitting in your favorite chair pouring over seed catalogs (with a cup of tea and paper and pencil in hand) is a great way to while away the hours. Reading a seed catalog is much more fun than standing in front of seed racks in some store. Not that those seeds are not good…..it's just more fun to read a seed catalog. For one thing, they have many more varieties of seeds than the racks hold and catalogs generally have loads of growing information. By the way, seed catalogs are generally free so order yourself a few, sit back and enjoy. Favorites of mine include Johnny's Selected Seeds, Territorial Seed Company and Baker Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange and Seeds of Change. There is also Uprising Seeds and Renee's. This of course is not a complete list but it's important to use (or at least interpret) information applicable for our climate. I'd also strongly advise referring to the 'safe seed resource list' which you can Google. You don't want GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) seeds to make their way to your garden!

Are you wondering if it's worth it to grow a garden? It seems like a waste of sun, rain and soil not to plant at least a row of salad greens…and a few radish seeds…and a couple of scallion seeds. See how it all starts? And who can resist the intriguing names of varieties….Crystal Apple cucumber, Chinese Five Color peppers (they even sound hot!), Missouri Pink Love Apple tomato….

It's easy to get carried away looking at seed catalogs. If you are not careful you will discover that you have way more seeds than you have space for. If you want to grow a few plants of many varieties, why not go in with friends to purchase and share seeds? That way you can have fun trying out new things without having a box of left over seed packets. Plant what you like. If you are a new gardener, start small with something you know you will love to care for, to harvest and to eat.

Include in your garden plan a place for perennial and annual flowers which attract much needed pollinators, not only are they beautiful to look at, you can use them as cut flowers to beautify your patio or home. Try cosmos, purple coneflower, sweet peas, lupine and sunflowers to name a few. Check out the possibilities while you are browsing those seed catalogs! Here's an idea: Let one of your old broccoli plants flower, the bees love it!

Read the growing descriptions carefully. What type of soil is best? How much sun? How many days to maturity? By understanding the plants’ requirements before the purchase, you will not be disappointed with the results.

Between rain showers you can build that raised bed you've put on your list. There are many reasons to use raised beds, you can make level beds on sloping ground, you can have prime growing soil when your soil is not all that nutritious, you can have your soil loose, rich and fabulous for carrots (and believe me, you will love growing and harvesting carrots from raised beds). Raised beds warm up earlier and drain the spring rains much faster than our typical clay-ey soil. Make them as deep as you like from 6 inches to 3 feet deep…..whatever works best for you.

Focus on healthy soil…the better the soil, the better the vegetable you grow. Not only will vegetables grow faster and be more robust if they are given the nutrients they need, they will be more nutritious for you! I like to have our soil tested every few years. I test every year if I'm working on a new bed that I haven't gotten balanced yet. It is inexpensive to send in a scoop of soil to a test lab and in return you get recommendations for soil amendments. Google 'soil testing labs' for a list to choose from.

Six to eight hours of sun on your gardening area is the rule for growing plants in the spring. Dig in at least 3 inches of compost in your bed. Then when your little seedlings are big enough to set out, and the soil has warmed up, you'll be ready to go.

Plan to get some seeds started by mid March to set out in the garden by mid April. Seeds of beets, broccoli, cabbage, chives, leeks, lettuce, onions, peas, kale and Swiss chard all work well when getting a start under lights. At this time of year, I plant nearly all seeds in seedling trays in my greenhouse. I can watch them carefully as they germinate and they can grow to several inches tall while I'm waiting for the weather to cooperate. Before we had a greenhouse, we had great success starting plants indoors. Choose a spot that the sun doesn't reach but where it is nice and cozy. Put a piece of plastic down to protect the floor and set your seedling trays, already planted with seeds, on the plastic, in a single row. Place a stack of books at each end and lay a florescent shop light on the books. The light should be only a few inches above the trays. As the plants grow, simply place another book under the light, keeping the light quite close to the plants. This system works great!

As you are sitting in that comfy chair watching the rain come down, it will be easy to get overly excited. Take a moment to think about how much time you have to tend a garden. What is your experience level? Remember to do what you love. Growing a vegetable garden should be a labor of love, not just labor.