Garden Center at Kifer Rd #640

Celebrate Springtime Gardening
It's time to start thinking of spring. Sweep the gazebo and clean out the shed to prepare for warmer temperatures, fragrant breezes, and sprouts poking up out of the ground. Planting seeds indoors near a sunny window means you'll be ready to transplant spring annuals and young veggie plants when the ground thaws and the frosts are through. You might even want to plant organic seeds directly into the earth. What better way to start than by exploring your favorite local plant nursery, The Garden Center in Kifer Rd?

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing you should know when planting veggies, spring flowers, 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 planting 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. The plants that'll thrive in your area are in your zone — plus all the zones numbered less than that. In other words, a Zone 8 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–8. The timeframe to direct sow outdoors in your garden is often around a month later than the indoor start date. Read your seed packet for details. If you start seeds a little later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will likely even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone
This region ranges from 7–9, with higher elevations in Zones 5 and 6. You'll find fertile land in some places, but deserts and mountains with harsher conditions elsewhere. What you can grow and when will vary considerably depending on where you live. In Zones 5 and 6, the outdoor growing season doesn't begin here until mid-March or even April, although you can start some veggies by seed halfway through February. Warmer Zones 7–9 can plant earlier, but if you're in the desert, you'll likely want to investigate indoor gardening in a sunroom or enclosed porch.

Utilize greenhouses to grow herbs and vegetables. Native plants like cacti, succulents, and other hardy desert shrubs will grow outside with ease. Other beloved garden vegetables love the heat, like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash. 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, both annuals and perennials, are sensitive to that much heat and sun, so research to find which varieties can handle the weather before planting outdoors.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Planting seeds with the direct sow method, right into the soil, is another option. It doesn't give you as much organized planning in terms of space and reliability as starting indoors. However, 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: Be ready for none of your seeds to sprout, all of them to come up, and anything in between. Your seedlings will need to survive wind, rain, and sudden cold snaps, as well as bugs and animals that crave tender greens. 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 sunlight and rain. Keep your seeds warm with warming 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
Place your transplants in the ground, then give them a generous drink without overwatering. Blanket the surrounding area with mulch, marking where the plant is with a tag so you can easily find it among the grass clippings, old leaves, or straw. If your yard is regularly visited by deer or rodents, consider putting up chicken wire or other protective measures so your plants and veggies are less likely to get eaten before they thrive.

Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Finish your garden bed with compost and mulch. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster larger and stronger plants that bear more fruit and flowers. Mulch keeps your soil moist and controls weeds. Mulch and compost 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
Late winter into 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 which spring flowers to plant when the weather warms. For those without lawns, consider adding artificial grass, an outdoor rug, or a pellet grill to your balcony or patio. Shop for the soil, seeds, and fertilizer you need in the aisles of your Kifer Rd Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.