Garden Center at Firestone #1552

Set Up For Springtime
On beautiful spring days, tidy the yard before everything blooms in earnest. Remember to measure your garden so you can find fresh mulch near you as soon as it's available. Don't forget to clean the shed and sweep out the gazebo in preparation for spring, too. No matter what outdoor projects you choose to tackle and which plants you need, you'll find that The Garden Center in Firestone is your local plant nursery to help you enjoy your spring activities to the fullest.

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing to learn when planting spring flowers, vegetables, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the U.S. and its territories is sorted by climate. Find your zone on the USDA growing zone map and learn when to plant seeds.

For example, you could transplant bell peppers outdoors in mid-March in Zone 10, but not until the end of May in Zone 4. For best results, choose plants in your zone number or less. In other words, a Zone 9 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–9. The timeframe to direct sow outdoors in your garden is often around a month later than the indoor start date. Always read your seed packet for details. If you start seeds later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will likely even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone
The diverse topography of this area means planting times vary widely. Desert areas are in Zones 7-10, depending on location, and areas with more elevation are in chillier Zones 4–6. Both deserts and mountains can have extreme conditions, so consider indoor gardening as a strong supplement to growing outdoors if possible.

In the desert, native plants like succulents, cacti, and other hardy desert shrubs will grow outside with ease. Other beloved garden vegetables love the heat, like nightshades. If you start them indoors and carefully introduce them outdoors in the shade, you can enjoy raising vegetables even in a dry climate. However, many flowers are sensitive to that much heat and sun, so research to find varieties that can handle the weather before planting outdoors.

Colder regions in Zones 6–8 should wait a little longer to plant, and all these zones need to wait an additional month before planting seeds outdoors rather than indoors. Mountainous regions in Zones 3 to 5 will have the shortest growing season, with seed starters going in later in the spring. Although the weather may vary, waiting until the frost has passed will give your seeds the best chance at a hearty and healthy life.

Check out certain herbs and cruciferous veggies if you're ready to get planting. This includes broccoli, kale, and cabbage. Greens like artichokes, spinach, and fragrant herbs, including basil, parsley, and oregano, also don't mind an early beginning. In Zones 4–6, traditional garden vegetables like peppers of all kinds, cucumbers, and tomatoes are fine with an early spring or late winter start indoors under the grow lights.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Planting seeds with the direct sow method, right into the soil, is another option. There's less tending and planning than growing indoors. If you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed packet and try it out.

Prepare to deal with whatever hand nature deals you: You could have no germinating seeds. A critter might snack on the tender seedlings. All the seeds you plant in each hole may sprout, so you'll need to spread them out later or choose the most robust sprouts to survive in a process called thinning. Flooding rains might disturb the ground and wash away the seeds. But if you're lucky, you'll get strong sprouts that are ready to grow all spring.

Start Seeds Indoors
If you're eager to get growing or would like more control in the care and feeding of seedlings, start your seeds indoors in your own plant nursery. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about a month before you can do it outside. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed packet, but that's where the similarities end.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for rain and sunlight. Keep your seeds warm with heating mats and grow lights, water them carefully with a spray bottle or watering can, then thin them as they germinate in groups of three. Give them a boost with a gently blowing fan as they lengthen into sprouts if you'd like. Harden them off to get them used to outdoor conditions, then transplant them into your garden when they're big enough.

Transplant Young Plants Into Their New Homes
By now, your plants have three or four true leaves — they'll look different from the miniature seedling leaves. When the ground is warm, and you're not expecting soaking rain, look into transplanting your small plants into their new outdoor home. These large seedlings that are ready to be planted can also be called "transplants" or "starts." In cases where you directly planted into the ground, you may still want to shuffle plants around for the best spacing and sun. That's also a transplant situation, as is repotting plants into larger pots.

Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Finish your garden bed with compost and mulch. Mulch controls weeds and keeps the soil moist. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster larger and stronger plants that bear more flowers and fruit. Compost and mulch can be purchased in-store or created at home. The next time you're looking for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the right amount.

Greet the Spring
Early spring is an exciting time in the world of gardening. Plan your garden and landscaping, prepare to fertilize your lawn, and browse The Home Depot nursery to find inspiration on what to plant when the weather warms. For those without lawns, consider adding an outdoor rug, artificial grass, or a pellet grill to your patio or balcony. Shop for the fertilizer, soil, and seeds you need in the aisles of your Firestone Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.