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Get your Garden Ready for Spring!
The start of spring has long been associated with new growth. In fact, it was celebrated by ancient cultures because they knew it signaled a return of their food supply. Any gardener will tell you that as soon as the holidays end, their thoughts turn to one thing only: the garden.
The visions of colorful, edible vegetables or fragrant blooms are limitless when choosing what to grow in your garden. Nothing compares to the taste of a tomato freshly picked from the vine or a pepper from your own backyard. Gardening can be a fun physical activity for you and your family. It can provide you with great tasting produce and can be a great way to teach children about where food comes from. It’s time to get outside and see what you can do!
Whether you are thinking about growing your own vegetables, herbs, or flowers, here are some simple tasks you can do to get your garden ready.
Clean up and clear out
The most important gardening task, before you plant, is the clean-up. How well you clean up the garden now can determine the kind of garden you will have throughout the spring and summer. Clean up perennial beds and borders, removed any diseased or dead plants and clear out leftover leaves and stems.
Feed the soil
Just like healthy foods feed our bodies, healthy soil creates healthy plants and food. Start by cultivating the soil to loosen it up so you can remove all visible weeds and debris. Feed the tilled soil with lots of compost and top it off with a good layer of mulch.
Your garden is ready for planting! Go visit a local garden center to get inspired and choose what “fruits of labor” your garden will provide you with this year.
Sounds like too much? Just start small
You don’t have to start big. Your garden can be as simple as a few pots, bushel baskets, or window boxes of herbs, potted tomatoes, or lettuce plants.
*Did you know?
Just 30 minutes of natural activity like weeding and planting in your yard or garden can burn approximately 150 calories*. Get your gardening on!
*Calories based on a 150-160 pound person.
SOURCE: American Dietetic Association. http://www.eatright.org Accessed February 4, 2013.
