Spring Gardening Tips
It’s safe to say that a few of us at Orr’s have a green thumb. We may spend time on the farm tending to acres and acres of some of the area’s finest fruits, but we still love to care for our very own flower beds and cover crops.
Now that spring has officially arrived, we’ve started mapping out what our gardens will look like this year. Have you? If you need a little inspiration to get started, we’ve picked up a few tricks of the trade to share with our readers:
- Get your area ready for soil. First things, first. Get the ground ready for your garden. Rid the area of rocks or debris by tilling the area between 8-12 inches beneath the surface.
- Use coffee grounds as fertilizer. This is a safe, eco-friendly way to add nitrogen to your garden. Nitrogen is a mineral that is proven to stimulate plant growth, making your garden greener than ever.
- Get your seedlings started with citrus. Did you know you can plant a seed in citrus peels to encourage healthy growth? Once your seed germinates, simply plant the seed and the citrus peel in your garden. The peel will compost in the soil and nourish your plants.
- Recycle your cooking water. Did you steam something for dinner? Share the love with your garden! There are a ton of vitamins and minerals that are left over once you’ve boiled pasta, potatoes or any other nutritious veggie.
- Use eggshells in your garden. Eggshells add calcium to your compost and decompose very quickly. Not only do eggshells stimulate healthy growth, but they also deter snails and slugs that like to chomp away on your hard work.
What will your garden grow?
Introduce some new life into your garden this year. It’s always nice to consider planting more perennials than annuals, because perennials will come back year after year, as opposed to annuals that you will only enjoy for one season. Swing by Orr’s to get your hands on a biennial plant, the pansy! Pansies have a two-year life span, and will surely get your garden up and running for the season. In the event there is an unusually harsh winter, pansies may not come back the next year.
Plant some pansies!
Here are a few of our favorite facts about our favorite flower:
- Plant pansies in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Pansies like the sun and cooler temperatures.
- Pansies’ scent is strongest at dawn at dusk
- Remove dead blooms to encourage new growth
- Pansy petals are often used in potpourri
- Pansies can be utilized as a natural dye
If you’re ready to swing into spring, we invite you to enjoy the beautiful peach blossoms on our farm and make some pansies the first additions to your spring garden! To learn more about Orr’s Farm Market, visit orrfsarmmarket.com.
