Dig in!

A Guide for NEW NORTHERN GARDENERS

+ Learn how to PREP AND PLAN + How to grow a VEGETABLE GARDEN + Garden season TO-DO LIST

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Growing Since 1885 Ready, Set, Grow! So, you’re starting a garden? High five! We love that idea. And you’re in good company—more than 16 million new gardeners dug into gardening for the first time last year, growing everything from fresh veggies to flowers for bees and butterflies. Whether you’re embracing a new hobby in the wake of the pandemic, finding new ways to get your sweat on all summer long, helping our planet by adding more native and pollinator-friendly plants or just craving more fresh air and sunshine, we’re here to help you get started and cultivate what we hope will become a lifelong love of growing.

Before you dig in

STEP 1: PREP SOIL PREP TIP

It’s as important as planting. Before digging in, If your plants aren’t let’s talk about two key elements of a healthy garden: thriving and pests sun and soil. or diseases aren’t present, get a soil Many plants love to bask in full sun while others thrive test in the fall to see in shadier spots, and some require a bit of both. Grab if your bed’s lacking a lawn chair and spend time in your intended garden minerals and nutrients. space—see how much direct light that area gets and In spring, you can when because not all sunshine is equal. The most amend your soil or intense hours of sunlight are between 10 a.m. and 2 switch to raised beds filled with compost p.m. Gardens in direct sun during those four hours will and a rich, well- make a great home for plants that thrive in full sun. draining soil mixture. Whether your soil is thick, wet clay or dry and sandy, the solution is almost always adding compost. It introduces important nutrients and improves soil structure, helping sandy soil retain water and breaking up clay so water will flow and roots can grow.

How to build a raised bed northerngardener.org/building-raised-bed-gardens-2-options Make your own compost northerngardener.org/compost-for-beginners STEP 2: PLANNING PLANNING TIP

Whether you’re laying out a small Start a garden journal. Sketch plans vegetable bed or planning a major and jot down plants to try. Make renovation with patios, paths and new notes during the season so you plants, ask yourself a few questions can remember what worked (and first. How do I want to use the space? what didn’t) and what you liked (and How do I want the space to feel? What didn’t) when you start planning again practical considerations do I have next year. to think about (water flow, traffic patterns, light, wind, wildlife and neighbors)? If you’re growing edibles, what do you like to eat and cook with?

Must-Know Garden Lingo

Annual: A plant that completes its life Direct sow: To plant seeds directly in their cycle in a year or less. Annuals require permanent growing space. sowing every year and their flowers usually bloom profusely throughout Mulch: A layer of material (we recommend the summer. wood chips, pine bark, leaves, straw or grass clippings) covering exposed soil to Perennial: A plant that lives two or more minimize weeds, reduce erosion, moderate years outdoors in the ground. The foliage soil temperature and retain moisture. usually dies back each winter and the plant sends up new shoots from the same Native: A plant type that has been present root system in spring. in a specific geographic area for hundreds or thousands of years, that is well-suited Full sun: At least six (and preferably eight) to the climate, supports native wildlife and hours of sunlight per day. requires fewer resources to thrive.

Part sun/part shade: Four to six hours of Pollinators: Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds sunlight per day. and other wildlife that transfer pollen.

Full shade: Less than four hours of direct Hardiness: The degree to which a plant can sunlight per day. withstand cold temperatures. Perennials are rated using the USDA zone system to Deadhead: To cut spent flowers off a plant indicate in which geographic areas they and encourage the plant to bloom again. can survive. If you’re growing in the Upper Midwest, chances are you’re gardening in Compost: Organic matter often made up zone 3, 4 or 5. of decomposed plant material and added to soil to replenish nutrients. Find your zone northerngardener.org/find-your-hardiness-zone Amend: To improve soil quality and structure by adding organic matter, such as compost. Getting Dirty With prep and planning done, that means one thing … time to plant!

WHEN WHERE

It depends … on weather, soil Whether you’re growing a small window temperature and specific plant box of annuals or creating a full-blown requirements. Some plants can tolerate pollinator garden, consider how much cooler temperatures and be planted space your plants will need. Plant spacing is earlier in the season (think pansies, determined by what you plan to grow and ornamental kale, dianthus, violas, how many of each variety you plant. Most peas, radishes and sweet alyssum). plants need plenty of space around them for air to circulate and to avoid crowded Don’t plant everything in one back- roots. Look for planting and spacing details breaking session. Spread it out—plant on the seed pack or plant tag. some hardy annuals in early spring, direct sow seeds when the chance Veggie garden spacing tips of frost has passed and sprinkle in northerngardener.org/how-far-apart-to-plant-in- the-vegetable-garden perennials, herbs and more annuals for color throughout the season. PLANTING TIP Soak up that warm sunshine and the smell of fresh soil—you can plant to Study and hang on to plant tags for your heart’s content all season long. important details! They tell you plant size, bloom time, sun exposure, When to plant and are a good reminder of what to northerngardener.org/three-ways-to- determine-when-to-plant plant again next year. Try gluing any favorites into your garden journal— rock stars are worth planting again!

WHAT

Here’s where the real fun begins. Now that you know about hardiness zones and soil and sun conditions, it’s time to pick plants that will fit and thrive in your particular area. Here are some of our easy-to-grow favorites.

FULL SUN FOR SHADE Annuals: calibrachoa, snapdragon, Annuals: fuschia, begonia, impatiens, bachelor’s buttons (bonus: pollinators torenia love them!) Perennials: astilbe, bleeding heart, Perennials: catmint, coneflower, liatris, hosta, turtlehead rudbeckia, salvia, sedum, Shasta daisy Veggies: broccoli, peas, radishes, Veggies: Tomatoes, cucumbers beets, turnips, carrots

Grow your own bouquets all season: northerngardener.org/cut-flower-garden How to Start a Vegetable Garden If your main gardening goal is to have fresh, homegrown tomatoes, basil, lettuce and zucchini in your backyard, welcome to the club! Our top six tips for new veggie gardeners:

1. Start small. Try growing 4. Start with plants or TOOL STARTER KIT patio-sized tomatoes or seeds from your local cucumbers in a container, garden center, and pick Shovel or spade or fill a small raised bed easy-to-grow vegetables, with herbs and lettuce. such as cucumbers, beans, Trowel lettuces and tomatoes. Pruner 2. Look for a convenient location drenched in full 5. Feed your garden. Gloves sun and close to a deck Fertilize twice a month Rain gauge or path, so you can easily with liquid seaweed or fish Hose and weed, water and harvest. emulsion fertilizer. watering wand or can 3. Mix plenty of compost 6. Weed early and often. in with the soil to add the nitrogen most vegetable plants require.

SMALL-SPACE NOT SURE WHERE TO START? GARDENING Here’s a simple 5-by-5-foot IDEAS veggie garden plan we love.

Try growing up! Pole Beans on a trelllis northerngardener.org/ try-vertical-gardening

Tomato Tomato Tomato Tiny vegetables are trending northerngardener.org/ garden-trends-2021-tiny- Basil Basil Basil vegetables

Plant a rug garden northerngardener.org/ Lettuce plant-a-rug-garden Scallions Carrots and Radishes Gardening To-Do List

MAY JUNE JULY

Start planting after the last Sow seeds for green beans, Fertilize annual flower chance of frost has passed zucchini and squash outside containers with a liquid (early May, usually). in the garden. fertilizer every one to two weeks for maximum blooming. Add compost to garden beds. Deadhead repeat-blooming annuals and perennials Keep an eye out for Visit your favorite garden regularly to keep them problems—pests, chewed center to purchase and plant looking their best and to leaves, mildew and nutrient hardy annuals, like pansies, encourage more blossoms. deficiencies tend to become for early season blooms. noticeable in July, when Monitor rain—most plants Start direct seeding outside: plants finish their first burst need 1 inch per week. If peas, onions, leeks, spinach, of growth and turn their you don’t get that in rain, lettuces, radishes. attention to flowering supplement with the hose. and fruiting. Mulch to protect roots and Water deeply, rather than keep weeds at bay. frequently. During hot spells, Prune spring-flowering shrubs containers will need daily that have finished flowering In mid- to late May, buy watering. to encourage development of annual flowers for containers. young shoots that will bear Harvest early lettuces, flowers next year. Late May to early June, spinach, arugula, radishes transplant tomatoes, peppers and peas now, when they’re Harvest herbs and and eggplants into garden. tastiest. early vegetables such as greens, beets, zucchini and Set up cages, trellises and Weed regularly to keep summer squash. other supports before plants beds tidy. get too large.

Gardening on a Budget

Don’t let an empty wallet stop you from growing. Budget-minded gardeners look for discounts at local garden centers and greenhouses, use seeds to grow plants, and save seeds from one year to the next. Ask friends or neighbors with robust gardens if they might be willing to divide some of their overgrown perennials and share. Visit your local garden center in June, July or August and take advantage of mid- and late-season sales— pick up discounted plants to fill in any garden holes. Store seeds from the plants you love in a cool, dry spot and sow them next year. AUGUST SEPTEMBER

Reduce fertilizer applications to allow perennials, shrubs and Collect seeds from trees time to harden off before cooler weather favorite herbs and flowers in your garden. Continue watering and weeding. Tie up floppy flower spikes. Plant spring-blooming bulbs, Harvest often. Usually, the more you pick (beans) or cut back such as tulips, daffodils, (lettuce), the more you’ll get! hyacinths and snowdrops. Harvesting tips northerngardener.org/when-to-harvest-vegetables OCTOBER

Garden to table: northerngardener.org/recipes Fall garden clean-up. Remove Remove worn out annuals and veggies and replace with any diseased or unhealthy new ones. plants, and leave all other perennials standing as food Cutting back some annuals and perennials will encourage and protection for wildlife. new growth and give the plants a fresh look for fall. Plant garlic—it’s easy! Look for pests on or around plants. Taking care of northerngardener.org/ insects now may keep several generations out of your growing-garlic garden next summer.

On a larger scale, gardeners can help Gardening for minimize climate change and support local wildlife with every native and pollinator- the Planet friendly plant we add to our landscape.

Planting natives such Legumes like Including grasses All plants as blazing stars, beans, peas, like little bluestem pull carbon coneflowers and clovers and can absorb rain dioxide out asters provides lupines fix and prevent runoff of the air and food and habitat nitrogen and and erosion. turn it into for birds, build organic the oxygen butterflies, matter in the soil. we need to insects breathe. and other important wildlife.

10 reasons why gardens matter: northerngardener.org/10-reasons-gardens-matter Grow with us.

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