Dayton Daily News

Now is the time: Jump start gardening by making a plan

- By Debbie Juniewicz Contributi­ng Writer

Warmer days, some peeks of sunshine and a scattering of colorful blooms can already be enjoyed — it won’t be long before the green thumb squad is out, trowels in hand.

While it’s too soon to plant, it’s the perfect time to plan.

“Now is the time to start prepping the garden for spring plantings,” said Kaitlyn Lowry, Five Rivers MetroParks education coordinato­r, Community Gardens and Farm Programmin­g. “Planning out your garden and purchasing seeds is something a lot of people are doing at this time. There are some neat garden planning tools that can help gardeners — new and experience­d — in planning out what they’ll be planting, where they’ll be planting it, how much they’ll be planting, and other things, such as succession planting and companion planting.”

Rule of thumb

“Generally speaking, you weren’t supposed to start planting your summer vegetable seedlings and seeds before the last frost date,” Lowry said. “Climate change has made our first and last frost date harder to pin down and predict.”

Mother’s Day has traditiona­lly been used as a marker for when it’s safe to plant outdoors, but there are plenty of exceptions.

“You can plant cool weather plants before the last frost date,” Lowry said. “Depending on the trends of the season, you can plant things like sugar snap peas outside the last week of March or early April. Brassicas like collards and kale and broccoli can also withstand some cold temperatur­es, but will require some cover during cold snaps. You can also plant carrots and beets and certain lettuce varieties around the same time.”

Getting started

If you’re itching to get started, there are some early spring options.

“A fast and cheap way to plant things after mid-March is to take a clear storage bin and place it over your sown seeds or seedlings to help act as a little mini greenhouse,” Lowry said. “The warmth will help the seeds sprout and the bin will also protect the seedlings from frost damage while still letting enough light in to grow. On warmer days — anything above 35 degrees or so — you can remove the bin-cover and allow the seedlings some much needed airflow and wind, which will help prevent mold and disease issues that can spring up in covered conditions.”

Milk jugs are also an inexpensiv­e option for starting seeds — a technique that is being utilized at the Possum Creek Demonstrat­ion Garden again this season.

“I love that this is a seed starting method that is cheap, reuses and repurposes used clear plastic jugs, and doesn’t require extra electricit­y or daily watering,” Lowry said. “It’s low maintenanc­e, you don’t have to purchase special seed trays or lights, and you can start nearly every common vegetable garden plant with this method – though not all as some like to be sown directly in the spot they are to grow in all season and hate being transplant­ed.”

MetroParks gardening events

All events are at Cox Arboretum MetroPark. For informatio­n, visit www.metroparks. org.

Spring Color in the Garden: All Plant Types: Learn about native and cultivated plants that bring the best color and when, so that you can plan spring cascades of bloom for your own garden. 10-11:30 a.m. March 9

Planting Early Gardens: Learn how to select the best plants and seeds to put in now and how to prepare for spring’s unpredicta­ble weather. 10-11:30 a.m. April 6

Propagatin­g Spring Wildflower­s: Learn how to identify spring wildflower­s and learn how and when to propagate them for a spot in your garden. Learn the soil and sunlight conditions required for their success as well as how to protect them after they go dormant. 10-11:30 a.m. April 13

 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? With spring right around the corner, gardeners are preparing to get outside.
CONTRIBUTE­D With spring right around the corner, gardeners are preparing to get outside.
 ?? CONTRIBUTE­D ?? While it’s a bit early to plant, there are still plenty of ways gardeners can get prepared.
CONTRIBUTE­D While it’s a bit early to plant, there are still plenty of ways gardeners can get prepared.
 ?? JENNIFER DAVIT ?? Getting ready to plant at Cox Arboretum MetroPark.
JENNIFER DAVIT Getting ready to plant at Cox Arboretum MetroPark.

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