By Terry Kelley
University of
Georgia

The narcissus are blooming. Trees are springing to life along
the street. Pollen covers your car. And you’ve got garden
fever.
But don’t start poking those tender summer crops in the ground
yet.

You should be thinking about springtime gardening. The weather
has been spring-like in parts of Georgia already.

You may have some of the more hardy crops in the ground, such
as
cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, onions, beets and radishes. If you
haven’t, now is the time to do so. But for tender crops, such
as
tomatoes, melons, squash, cucumbers, beans, okra and sweet
corn,
don’t get in a rush unless you’re prepared to plant again. Old
Man Winter could still bring freezing temperatures that can
kill
tender crops.

Easter comes on March 27 this year. Most folks agree there is
usually a cold snap between early March and Easter. Until March
25, there is a greater than 50 percent chance of frosty weather
in south Georgia. As you move toward Macon and Atlanta, that
date pushes into early April. It’s around April 10 in north
Georgia.

However, there is nothing wrong with planning for the summer
vegetable garden and getting some pre-planting work done. Now
is
a good time to order seed. If you don’t have a catalog, try the
internet.

Burpee Seed Co. (burpee.com), Harris Seed Company
(harrisseeds.com), Rupp Seed Company (ruppseeds.com) Park’s
Gardens (parkseed.com) and Johnny’s Selected Seeds
(johnnyseed.com) are all popular seed company Web sites.

You can try your local garden shop, too. Crops like tomatoes
are best planted as young seedlings. Your garden center should
have a nice selection. Buy only healthy looking plants. If they
look wilted, have a bloom or look diseased, leave them at the
store.

Vegetable varieties are always changing. Don’t hesitate to try
something new. It could be better than the old heirloom variety
you’ve grown for years. Plant anything new in a small quantity
until you decide if you like it and if it is well adapted to
your growing conditions.

If the winter cold has kept you out of the garden until now,
start by clearing off your garden spot. Remove old debris from
last season. Use a turning plow or tiller to bury old crop
litter and work it into the soil.

For new gardens, pick a spot that has good sunlight, good soil
drainage and a source of irrigation water. Sites closer to the
house will always get more attention than those on the back
forty.

Draw a map of your garden lay out. If space is limited, don’t
plant crops that need a lot of room, such as melons.

Don’t over plant. Know how much you can eat, preserve and give
away and make that your limit. Plant items that mature at the
same time adjacent to one another so that when planting
successive crops, you won’t have to squeeze between other crops
still growing.

Take a soil sample now to check your fertility status and soil
pH. If your pH is too low, add lime to raise the pH to 6.2-6.8.
Lime early. It takes a few weeks to alter the pH.

Don’t let your garden spot grow up in weeds. Keep it mowed or
tilled until you are ready to plant. After you initially till,
you may get a flush of weed growth. Kill it with a burn-down
herbicide before you plant to reduce later weed problems.

Despite Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast a few weeks back, it may
be
another couple of weeks before spring is here to stay. Hold
back
on those warm-season crops for now and use the time to plan for
a great season ahead.