Back to Gardening Chapter 5, The Seasons of Gardening - Part A: Spring

This chapter lays out the cyclical patterns in gardening and the various tasks that one tends to undertake given the season.

Much of life is about timing. More precisely, it’s about knowing what to do, and knowing when to do it - and of course - doing it well. Gardening, like life, is all about timing, and it is also cyclical, such that each year comes to resemble the preceding year in many ways, despite the wide degrees of variation that can occur between years.

In this chapter I try to lay out key gardening activities that take place in spring, fall and winter. I don’t know how many people think of gardening as an all-season activity - especially in Northern climates like mine - but I think of it that way. It’s not that I’m growing and harvesting all year, but rather, it’s more of a mindset. I have a list of things to do. They are always on my mind, and they are all part of a grand project (awesome garden) that is always in motion. It is never the case that all of the things get done - but on any day, and at any time of the year, I can walk out the back door and work for hours if I’m in the mood to put my body and mind to one or more of the tasks on my list.

I start this chapter with spring because it is symbolic of beginnings, and end with winter because - by virtue of its being cold and dark - it always feels like an ending, even though it’s also somewhat of a beginning…

Spring

Spring begins in the Northern hemisphere with an astronomical event called the vernal equinox - which is the midpoint between the shortest day of the year (winter solstice) and the longest day of the year (summer solstice). That usually occurs around March 19th-21st. What makes this time of year important to gardeners is that there is sunlight for half the hours of the day, and a little more light every new day - so each day it gets a little warmer, the soil eventually thaws, and things can begin to grow. Spring is generally associated with growth and planting, and a lot of that does happen, but there’s a lot more one can do in spring.

For many people spring is all about daffodils and tulips - but for me, the greens of the humble dandelion are the tell-tale sign that it’s time to get planting! [source: https://pixabay.com/photos/dandelion-flower-plant-blossom-3358942/]

Transplants

Growing heat-loving plants in a shorter growing season can be difficult, but by virtue of the fact that we live in heated homes, we can extend the growing season artificially by starting some plants indoors, either in a window or under lights. Many people start transplants earlier in March - or even in February - but since I