Can't Wait for Spring to Garden? You Can Do 3 Things Now

The winter weather has been extra harsh this year and almost seems like it will never end. If you have a Square Foot Garden bed it is covered with snow and the temperatures are so cold you don't feel like making any attempts to shovel it off.  You are anxious for spring when the snow is melted and everything starts to come alive but there are some things you can do right now to prepare for it in your own garden.

 1. Composting can be done year round so if you don't have a current pile get one started. It's easy to do even in a bucket on your back porch. Start with saving kitchen scraps of items that were at one time growing like potato,banana,apple,orange and carrot peelings. Add wilted lettuces and spinaches and any vegetable produce from the frig that might have spoiled.  Chop up these items, stir them frequently and keep them moist.  Compost is natural fertilizer and food for your plants in the soon to come spring growing season. Do you have favorite composting items?
 
2. Start seeds indoors.  The best way I've found to do this is by placing several seeds on a wet paper towel covering a paper plate then inserted into a sealed plastic bag. The seeds will sprout in just a few days. Once the seedlings have put on two leaves they can be transferred to soil. How do you like to start your seeds?

3. Cover your Square Foot Garden bed with plastic to warm up the soil. I like to recycle old shower curtains that fit perfectly over a 4x4 box. I either lay it right on the soil or drape a larger piece (12x13) of 6mil plastic over a simple PVC tent. Mels Mix thaws faster than the ground soil especially when we help it along like this. The covering will keep warmth from the sun in and soften the soil right up for early spring planting.