Spring is one of my favorite times of the year! It is when the earth starts awakening, the flowers start pushing through the warm earth and the trees start to bud. The days are growing longer and most days the sun is shining. It is also the time to plan for a garden.
This is the time when I start to feel alive again and my mood is elevated. I don’t know about you but, I am just so happy during spring and summer! It is the time I also become more creative. I love to plan parties and picnics. Over the next two months I will be planning for a graduation party and a picnic. I will have recipes for cool pasta salads, potatoes salads, desserts and more. Continue to follow our blog for those tips and ideas.
There is something almost healing about planting a garden and playing in the warm soil. Not to mention having food that comes from your own backyard. Free of e coli, salmonella and chemicals. My husband and I have already started our garden. We have planted bib lettuce, potatoes, and broccoli. We live in what the garden catalogs classify as “zone 6”. Down further in this post I will list the types of vegetables that can be planted for “zone 6” and the date range for each.
Flowers, whether they are bulbs, roses or annuals also need special care at this time of year. Clean away any dead leaves or other debris left around your plants from the winter. Work the soil and give them a light feeding of your favorite plant food or fertilizer.
Here are some tips for taking care of those beautiful bulbs: Fertilize summer bulbs monthly early in the growing season. Apply 2½ tbsp. of 10-10-10 fertilizer per every 10 square feet each month from the time stems appear until the plants begin flowering. If your flowers have already bloomed then try this next tip…..Fertilize spring bulbs immediately after flowering with a balanced, 10-10-10 analysis fertilizer. Apply 5 tbsp. per 10 square feet of flower bed.
Roses are my most favorite of all flowers! The variety of colors and scents are just amazing! My husband will cut several bouquets on a weekly basis through the summer. I love having arrangements throughout our home. Roses need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. They cannot be planted too close together. Spray the roses lightly with a fungicide during periods of cool weather.
In a later post we will check on those beautiful vegetables and how they are growing…
Now the vegetable planting guide I promised: Spring Planting Guide
Cherished Cottage 