Embracing Spring: It's The Perfect Time to Plan Your Garden

Slowly warming temperatures create the ideal conditions to plan and prepare for the growing season ahead.

Soil Moisture Meter Tester for Plants — Gardening tools and plant moisture meters
(Amazon)

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Winter’s grip has begun to loosen, and when the temperatures gradually rise and severe storms wane, gardeners everywhere will begin to feel that familiar stirring of excitement. The March time changes now mean longer days, and increasing temperatures will warm the soil while announcing, "Gardening season is here."

So whether you're a first-timer with enthusiasm and empty soil, or a seasoned gardener with decades of harvests behind you, the more moderate temperatures in spring create the ideal conditions to plan and prepare for the growing season ahead.

In the guide below, we outline some important tips when creating your own week-by-week gardening calendar, getting your soil ready for planting season, understanding hardiness zones and more.

Getting Your Garden Started

What makes spring (especially starting in April) temperatures particularly special is their Goldilocks quality: not too cold, not too hot, but just right for a diversity of plants. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you get your garden started.

Soil temperatures

Soil temperatures are critical and will directly affect your plant growth. Plant too early, and the seeds will rot or germinate very slowly.

Soil temperatures typically reach the critical 50-60°F range for cool-season crops in early spring, and warm weather crops (like tomatoes and peppers), should have a soil temperature between 65-70°F.

Soil temperature for vegetables — Soil temperature chart by crop type
(northerngardener.org)

So how do you take your soil’s temperature? With a thermometer, of course! You can use a soil testing thermometer or a meat thermometer. Simply insert the thermometer to the level where the seeds or roots will be, give it a couple minutes, and if the temperatures are too cold for your crop, wait a week or two to warm up.

Plant Hardiness Zones

Understanding planting zones will be important, as it will inform gardeners what you can plant as perennials and annuals where you live. Check your plant hardiness zones, which can be broken out by state or regions.

If a plant is hardy, you can expect it to come back year after year (a perennial).

If a plant is not hardy, you can still grow it, but as an annual, meaning when temperatures drop, it will die and not recover for the next growing season.

Late Frost Protection Tips

A frosted flower - Your Average First Frost Date: Farmers' Almanac — Frosted flowers
(farmersalmanac.com)

March is still a little early for many areas of the country, but by late March gardeners in frost-free regions can begin planting warm-season annuals. Early spring is an ideal time to clean up your garden, fertilize and water the soil, and even consider adding trees and shrubs.

April is one of the most important transition seasons when it comes to gardening, so it’s critical to monitor weather forecasts for any signs of frost. If you start your vegetables and flowers too early, a sudden frost can kill your plants. Freezing temperatures occur at 32°F or below.

Here’s a helpful temperature guide for your plants:

Light freeze (29°F to 32°F): Tender plants are often killed.
Moderate freeze (25°F to 28°F): Damages moderately hardy plants
Severe freeze (24°F and below): Causes damage to even hardy plants

Certain vegetables, flowers or trees may be more susceptible to cold temperatures, such as:

Light freeze: basil, beans, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, okra, corn, hibiscus, citrus, succulents
Moderate freeze: beets, carrots, cauliflower, radish, potatoes, strawberries, marigold, petunia, sunflower, geranium
Hardy: broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks, peas, spinach

Week-by-Week Gardening Calendar

There are many helpful sources for creating a weekly gardening calendar. Here’s a few we might suggest:

The Old Farmer's Almanac - the planting calendar can be customizable for personalized planting dates.
Sow True Seed - offers a monthly garden calendar by hardiness zone
Gardenate - features a planting tracker based on your climate zone

Below is a guide to help you create your own gardening calendar – of course, it ultimately depends on your hardiness zone, as well as the latest temperature and weather conditions.

Late March: Getting a Head Start (Weeks 3-4)

While it's still too early for most outdoor planting, late March is perfect for:

Indoor seed starting: Start seeds 6-8 weeks before your last expected frost date
Soil preparation: Test soil pH (ideal range is 6.0-7.0 for most vegetables), add compost, clean tools and order seeds
Repairs and planning: Finalize your garden layout and space requirements and repair any boxes, planters, cold frames and row covers

Mid-April (Weeks 1-2)

Continue soil preparation tasks: Cleaning the soil, fertilizing with organic matter or mixture with high nitrogen content, monitoring soil pH, ensuring proper draining
Cool-season sowing: April is prime for cool-season crops like peas, radishes, lettuce and plants in the kale family

Late April (Weeks 3-4)

Hardening off seedlings: This involves gradually acclimating any seedlings you’ve already started to outdoor conditions before transplanting, and will take one to two weeks (approximately 7-10 days of gradual exposure)
Continue planting your choice of cool season vegetables. Make your second planting within two to three weeks of first planting.
Mulching newly planted areas and between rows: Wait to mulch until mid-to-late spring after soil has warmed up but before weeds grow
Set up your irrigation systems before peak growing season
Install support structures for climbing plants

Early May (Weeks 1-2)

When soil temperatures consistently reach between 60-65°F:

Begin transitioning to warm-season crops like beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, spinach, sunflowers, marigolds, basil, etc.
Pest monitoring and organic control strategies
Water and mulch as needed

Mid-to-Late May (Weeks 3-4)

Complete warm-season crop plantings; second planting should be within two to three weeks of first planting.
Thinning seedlings and spacing adjustments: Some varieties of vegetables require thinning to eliminate competition for resources, like radishes, beets, carrots, tomatoes, and peppers.
Irrigation setup for areas that experience hot, dry summers.
Second round of fertilization for heavy feeders. Wait until certain plants are flowering, and be sure to wait a few weeks between applications depending on the type of crop.

Useful Spring Garden Equipment To Kick Off Planting Season

1. Agfabric Garden Netting

Price: starting at $6.41 (4’ x 10’) to $80.99 (20’ x 50’) at Amazon

Shop It: Amazon

Features:

Mesh cloth to protect vegetables, flowers, plants and fruits
Can be cut into other sizes
Acts as bird, deer and insect netting

2. Dr.Meter Soil Moisture Meter Tester for Plants

Price: $9.93, was $13.99 at Amazon

Shop It: Amazon

Features:

No battery required
Moisture meter (dry, moist or wet)
To use: probe soil 4 inches (10 cm), wait 10 seconds to read. It should not be inserted into dry, hard soil; testing area should be damp
Do not leave in soil; it should be removed and wiped clean after each use
Can be used on indoor potted plants and outdoor plants

3. AcuRite 5-inch Capacity Easy-to-Read Rain Gauge

Price: $5.97, was $8.52 at Amazon

AcuRite 5" Capacity Easy-to-Read Rain Gauge — AcuRite 5-inch Capacity Easy-to-Read Rain Gauge
(Amazon)

Shop It: Amazon

Features:

Measures up to 5 inches of rainwater
Numbers magnified for easy-to-read measurement viewing
Durable, water-resistant acrylic construction
Hang hole for mounting or can be staked into ground

4. Rain Bird Landscape and Garden Drip Watering Kit

Price: $55.85 at The Home Depot and Amazon

Shop It: The Home Depot

Shop It: Amazon

Features:

Ideal for garden or landscaped areas (up to 22 plants)
To install, run tubing on top of ground from outside faucet, with emitter tubing and drippers near the base of your plants
Devices are clog resistant, according to company
Comes with: 10 one gallon per hour drippers, 10 two gallon per hour drippers, 2 adjustable micro bubblers, 4 adjustable micro sprays, 50 feet of distribution tubing, 50 feet of ¼-inch tubing, faucet connection, pressure regulator, fittings