There’s still time to start a spring garden, but starting your own garden can be intimidating. So let’s talk about how to prepare, what you’ll need, and what to plant.
What You’ll Need
First, you’ll need to assess the type of space you have. Planter boxes offer easy access, better soil control, and the ability to garden in tight spaces. If you’re planting directly on the ground, testing your soil before planting will help produce the best results.
Here are some essential tools you’ll need to get started:
- Gloves
- Pruning shears
- Spade
- Watering tools like a hose nozzle and watering wand for larger areas, or a watering can for smaller areas and indoor plants
- For large outdoor gardens, you’ll also need a rake, garden fork, and hoe
Don’t have yard space? Try a community garden. You can also start an indoor garden with kits from Click & Grow, Rise Gardens, or Gardyn.
What to Plant
Bookmark Almanac’s planting calendar — it will help you decide the best time to plant different things in Madison. Here’s a quick guide:
- For the colder part of spring — peas, carrots, spinach, and broccoli.
- For the warmer part of spring — cucumbers, potatoes, and swiss chard.
- Include guidance on when to plant tomatoes and peppers, which require warm temperatures. So maybe early summer?
- Herbs like mint and parsley come back every year, making them an easy place to start. (But mint in particular likes to SPREAD. So be mindful about where and how you plant it.)
Spring weather can be unpredictable in Madison, so it’s important to be prepared for frost or hail.
Where to Get Garden Supplies
The benefit of shopping local is that you’ll have access to experts that can give you gardening advice specific to Madison. Here are some of our favorites:
- First, take some time learn about Wisconsin’s native plants and Madison’s hardiness zone to get an idea of what will grow best for you
- Then, listen to this episode of City Cast Madison to get the skinny on growing an herb garden
- Head to your local Madison Public Library branch to pick up from seeds from the seed library
- And if you need more, check out these local shops:
If you’d rather buy online, retailers like Seed Savers and Burpee have a wide selection of seeds for flowers, vegetables, and herbs, along with heirloom varieties. Just be sure to reference Almanac’s planting calendar for what seeds you should get.
