Early spring is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. It’s good for several reasons. The selection at the garden centers and nurseries is best. The plant specimens are newly dug and haven’t been stressed by being in the sun with just a root ball all spring, and the climate in the Midwest and Northeast generally is cool and rainy–ideal for newly-planted trees.

Here are some tips to successful tree planting:
1. Dig the hole for the tree around three times the size of the root ball
2. Plant the tree at the same depth as it was …read more

In the Midwest and Northeast, to gardeners at least, it’s not the calendar, Easter, or even the beginning of baseball that announces the spring season. It’s pansies. These hardy, colorful flowers with the sad faces begin appearing in garden centers and nurseries around the end of March and mark a sure beginning the the zone 4-5-6 growing season.

Here are a few facts about pansies:
* The pansy is a cousin of the viola, “johnny jump-up” wildflower, and violet
* Pansies thrive during seasons with warm afternoons and cool nights.
* A full-grown pansy will measure up to …read more

I’ve a new house and new yard and, though it’s still March, I’m dying to start planting and getting my hands in the dirt. To that end, I’m preparing new flower beds alongside my front walk in anticipation of the time–just a few weeks–when I can start filling them with candytuft, lavender, and irises.

To make sure that your plants have the best home possible, it’s useful to double dig the bed–that is turn the soil over twice. That aerates the soil and makes it an optimal environment for growing. Adding compost as you turn the earth the …read more

This is just about the earliest time of the year (in North America) to start prepping your outdoor seeds for spring. You can of course, sow quick grow plants indoors year round (think lettuce), but most transplants with a long growing season, like bell peppers, tomatoes, etc., should be started now, not earlier.
Since we’re also currently working on eliminating our clutter, and considering how to not make more clutter, we can use our old milk cartons to get our seeds going.
Split the cartons in half lengthwise, and punch holes in the bottom (a nail or plain old knife works). Fill …read more