March is here and we are already seeing the subtle signs of spring in the backyard. The morning sunshine, followed by the cooler evenings. My garlic chives are making a glorious entrance, so are the onion chives. The garlic, shallots and flower bulbs planted last fall are already making an appearance. I already picture a beautiful spring with lots of perennials making their comeback. There is an overwhelming joy with each sunny day. Spring is coming!
CLEAN UP AND SOIL AMENDMENT
There is a lot happening in our little backyard space this year! We’ve been antsy to get out. To get our hands dirty in the soil. Seeing the signs of spring is our indicator to get the garden ready for yet another growing season. For a successful season, the soil is always our number one priority. Our backyard spring garden always kicks off with cleanup.
- We are starting by removing weeds and all the annuals still lingering in the garden from last year.
- We did prepare our beds for the winter by removing old mulch around plants and using fall leaves to protect the beds. If you didn’t do this last year, now is a good time to give your garden a refresh. This prevents dormant pests from resurfacing and being a nuisance this season.
- Soil testing kits are available online and it’s a minimal investment that gives us the information we need to better understand our soil and make amendments.
- Tilling in some compost into the beds gives them a good boost for the season. As we wait for our compost to mature, hopefully soon (New Backyard compost bins added!) we will be purchasing some in addition to what we will get from the chickens
- We are also growing some peas this spring, a good cover crop to enjoy that will fix nitrogen for the summer crops.
Cleanup may not be glamorous, but it is one of the most important garden tasks we do each season. Overall, things are looking promising thus far.
EARLY BACKYARD SPRING GARDEN CROPS
The decision to start seeds indoors or purchase seedling is entirely up to you. If starting seeds indoors you can look up your USDA plant hardiness zone to find out what your last frost date is. This will determine when to start those seeds indoors or direct sow outside. Here is what we have going on for our backyard spring garden.
SALAD GARDEN
Radish, Arugula, Spinach, Head lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Nasturtium, Calendula, Cilantro
SPRING GREENS AND ROOT VEGETABLES
We have two 4 by 4 beds. One with Kale, Swiss Chard, radishes, marigold, chives and parsley. Second bed we have carrots, beets , chives and marigolds.
More of our spring crops, turnips and snap peas. Our kids love peas and this has now become a constant cool season crop. We grow turnips mostly for the greens.
We are looking forward to enjoying all what the beautiful spring garden brings forth but for something even quicker, we will be growing some microgreens! We grow sprouts in 4-7 days depending on the variety. Microgreens take about 2- 3 weeks. Even more nutrient dense than the mature plants. So as we get ready to start sowing some seeds outdoors this month, we are also starting some microgreens trays using coco coir. Check back in 14 -21 days to see what they look like.
Are you growing this season?
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