REFRESHING YOUR GARDEN BEDS

Having a productive vegetable garden where I grow fresh, delicious produce is extremely important to me. Every year, I spend a lot of time preparing the soil in my beds before planting my favorite vegetables and herbs that I will later share with family and friends.

Prepare soil

It’s important to refresh your soil each spring as your soil was most likely compacted during the cold weather. The first step is to turn over the first 4-6 inches of soil until it’s workable. Add 4–6 inches of fresh organic soil, depending on the level of last year’s soil, and mix into the tilled soil. I like to use Miracle-Gro Organic™ Raised Bed & Garden Soil. This process works well for both raised beds and in-ground beds. If you are planting in-ground, the soil can be mounded four to six inches above the ground and leveled off. Elevated soil stays warmer than ground soil which will encourage your seedlings to grow more quickly.

Plant 

Plant seeds or hardened-off seedlings. This process prepares the seedlings for the colder weather. Over a few days, place the seedlings outdoors in a sheltered area with a bit of sun. Bring them back indoors and repeat this process for a few days. When transplanting seedlings to beds, use a trowel to dig a small hole and cover each plant up to half the stem. Plant as many seedlings as you can in each bed, once you have considered how large they will be when fully grown. Be sure to leave room for that growth.

Water

Don’t forget to give your new plants a good drink of water!