Planning is Key to Garden Success

 

“Anyone who thinks that gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year. For gardening begins in January with the dream.”

This quote by Josephine Nuese, author of The Country Garden, is the excuse gardeners use to ignore the snow covered yards and bare limbed trees to settle in with the seed catalogs and gardening books.

In February the dreaming is over and the important task of planning begins for home gardeners. Whether planning to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers, it’s time to choose what, where and when.

An important part of planning is having information about your yard and garden.  Note what light is available DURING THE GROWING SEASON – full sun for 6 or more hours each day during the growing season, part sun/shade, and full shade. For some plants it is important to know if the site is wet or dry.

Since the soil in your garden is the container for your plants, have it analyzed through Penn State with a soil test. These are available in Penn State Extension Offices for around $9. Call the offices before you go. The results will help you decide if you need to add anything to your soil to help the plants grow well. Once you receive the results, call your Extension Office if you need help in understanding them.

George Weigel, Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist and author, notes in the Pennsylvania Getting Started Garden Guide, “you can’t put whatever you like wherever you want.” If you want to have the best chance of success, get information about what you want to plant by checking catalog descriptions, seed packs or plant markers.

UPDATE: Franklin County, PA, is now solidly in Zone 7a according to the 2023 USDA Hardiness Zone map. Click to go to the 2023 USDA Hardiness Zone Map for Pennsylvania.

(Look for plants that are listed for Zone 6b, the Franklin County USDA Hardiness Zone. ) Hardiness zones are areas with the same temperature - the coldest zone is 1 and the warmest is 10. In buying plants, especially from catalogs, check where they are grown. Plants shipped from other hardiness zones may not thrive in our area. Checking out Master Gardener plants sales is a great place to start. They are either grown locally or selected for optimal growth in their area.

~ Carol Kagan, Master Gardener