Spring Garden Tips
By Josh Gray, Fri Dec 9th

Gardeners, it's time to put your gardening skills to the test.If temperatures are cooperating, the merry months of May andJune will be your busiest until September, with planning,planting, and patio projects to lead the way into summer. Don'tbe fooled by a late frost; find out the mean freeze date in yourarea, and be sure soil is warm and workable—not too wet, not toodry—before putting tender plants in the ground.

By the time your garden is prime for planting, you shouldalready have a plan of attack in place. Are you going to beplanting bulbs, annual, more perennials, or a vegetable and herbgarden. Maybe even all of the above if you are blessed with abig yard. Once you have a plan, its time to acquire your newplants. The quickest and easiest way is to buy your plantsonline. Everything you need from seeds, bulbs, and tools can befound through online merchants, and many sites even offer onlinecoupons for increased savings. Small starters usually cannot beshipped directly to you, but can be sent to a store close tohome for pick-up at your convenience.

If you are going to be putting in sensitive vegetables likecucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and melons, you may wish to wait afew weeks after the last thaw to ensure they don’t get damagedby an extra cold night. If you want to plant early, considersowing heartier vegetables like potatoes, peas, beans, carrots,and lettuce. Not sure about when to plant, then ask an expert atyour local gardening center.

For all the beautiful colors of spring, consider planting bothannual and perennial flowers. Although your perennials willstill be around from last year, you may want to add a few ofyour favorites to replace flowers lower on your list. Annualsare an important part to every garden. They bring some of therichest, most vibrant colors to your garden. Plant your annualsfrom starters if you want an early spring bloom. Make sure thatyou plant annuals in areas of your yard that get at least fivehours of direct sunlight per day. Don’t be cheap on the plantfood and watering, and you will ensure your flowers get theright ingredients for full, healthy blossoms.

Once the initial preparing and planting are finished, you cansit back and relax, letting your sprinklers do the rest of thework. If you work hard early on, your hardest task in summerwill be choosing which flowers to make cuttings of and createbouquets for the kitchen and dining room. Enjoy the fruits ofyour labor… until next spring.

About the author:Josh Gray, President of UC San Diego’s Gardens Club, is the Homeand Garden consultant for CouponChief.com. This discount shopping and online couponwebsite features coupons and deals for most gardening merchantson their home and garden page. Find huge discount savings likecoupons for $20 off $50! Visit CouponChief.com today!