Prepare your garden this Spring so you can enjoy a productive and bountiful harvest!

1.  First, focus on cultivating your soil. Soil can become compacted over time, so loosening it before planting is a priority to build fertility.

2.  Second, a few weeks before you plan to plant, cover your garden bed with minimum half-inch layer of good compost — a full inch would be preferable.

The compost will provide the soil with new nutrient-rich organic matter, and improve the soil’s ability to manage water fluctuations to feed your crops.

3.  Lastly, apply an organic fertilizer to the degree that matches the needs of the crops you plan to plant.

For example, shallow roots, such as lettuce, will be fine with a small amount of organic fertilizer whereas plants that have bigger nutrient appetites, such as cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes and peppers, should be enriched by planting individual holes with a mixture of compost and organic fertilizer. Heavier feeders, like sweet corn, need to have trenches in the beds. Place the fertilizer in the trenches so it will be directly below the germinating seeds.

• Be patient, try and fail, and try again with your garden this year. It’s trial and error and so fulfilling when you see the “fruits and vegetables” of your labor!

A garden really lives only insofar as it is an expression of faith, the embodiment of a hope and a song of praise.
– Russell Page, The Education of a Gardener