Planting your own vegetable and flower garden

What an enjoyably sleepy and rejuvenating winter it has been!   Spring is around the corner and that means it is time to get to work in the garden.   I wanted to take a little break from wintering to help you with your gardening timeline, so we will be able to reap the rewards come spring.

 First, you must determine when the first and last freeze will be.  Your seeds are delicate and a frost can kill them before they’ve even gotten a chance.  You can look up the last freeze in your area here.  In Asheville, the best time to begin planting is the end of April.  Knowing when the last freeze will be helps you to determine how long your growing season is.  Our growing season ends mid-October.  The next step is to determine your growing zone, which can be done here.  Asheville is in zone 7a.  The growing season and zone will help you determine which plants will grow best in your garden.  If there is a plant that you are hoping to include in your garden, but it requires a longer growing time than your area allows, you can start the plants inside and transplant them in the garden once the chance for frost is over. 

This is a great time to determine what you want and what will grow in your garden.  Order your seeds, get your gardening tools, and fertilize the space where your garden will be!  In general, tomatoes, peppers, and onions should be started inside now, so they have ample time to grow.  Poppies and Sweet Peas can be planted outside now, and soon thereafter your cool weather greens such as kale, collards, spinach, arugula, broccoli and cilantro.    Strawberries are best planted in April.  Many of your vegetables should be planted in the end of April, beginning of May.  Mother’s Day has long been my mark as to when it’s time to plant the tomatoes and peppers outside.  Cucumbers, corn, and beans should be planted at the beginning of July.  This is also the time to transplant your tomatoes and peppers.  Many summer flowering bulbs like dahlias, lilies, begonias, cannas or perennials like foxglove, lupins, delphinium, and peonies should be planted during spring.  Your spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths should have been planted in the fall.  However, you can always buy bulbs that have already matured and flowered and plant them in your yard to enjoy some bright colors now and maintain them for next spring! 

I have linked some helpful planting calendars, here and here, if you are looking for a flower or vegetable not listed. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to my friends at Shady Grove Flowers.  They do enjoy all things garden-centered.  I hope you will enjoy your garden, as much as my fellow pollinators and I will!

See you at the next flower,

                The bee