5 ways to make this your best garden season ever
Spring has sprung. Here are our Garden Tribe's five recommendations for things you can do now to have a better-than-ever spring in your e...
Thomas J. Story / Sunset Magazine
Spring has sprung. Here are our Garden Tribe‘s five recommendations for things you can do now to have a better-than-ever spring in your edible garden.
1. Grow your own heirloom
Heirlooms are plants that have been cultivated for several generations, because of a particularly desirable trait. Decide on a plant you’d like to grow for years, and plant it with the intention of harvesting the seeds and starting a new tradition for yourself. Over time, the seeds will adapt to be perfectly suited to your climate and soil.
2. Feed your soil first
Soil is a living, breathing substance, from which plants draw all the nutrients they need to grow. Adding a layer of compost to your garden beds now will give you a strong growing foundation for the season.
3. Call in the wild
Create some space for flowers and native plants. They’ll draw in beneficial bugs and pollinators to keep you company while you work. Bonus points for edible flowers: nasturtiums, calendula, and violas are all easy to grow and tasty!
4. Add perennials to the mix
Most of the veggies we eat are annuals–every year we plant, grow and harvest them. With perennial vegetables, you plant them once and enjoy them for years. Dedicate a patch of your garden to asparagus, artichokes or rhubarb.
5. Grow with your tribe
Join Garden Tribe’s Food Growing Boot Camp. With 21 lessons, how-to videos and a private community of food growers from around the world, you’ll have your dream vegetable garden seeded, sprouted and thriving in no time.
Growing your vegetables and herbs in pots this year? Our own Garden Editor Johanna Silver will show you how to grow big crops from small spaces in her class, Edibles in Containers. Here’s a preview:[youtube
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