Love homegrown veggies? Now is the perfect time to start prepping gardens, planting beds, pots and containers for the spring growing season. The right prep and planning are key for gardening success, so we put together this easy guide to help you get started – and a few mistakes to avoid – for your best veggie haul yet.

Step 1: Choose the best gardening space

If you’re starting a new garden, choose a space that is level, near a water source, gets at least 6-8 hours of sun each day, and is protected from animals searching for a snack.

If you don’t have a lot of space, container gardening can produce a lot more vegetables than you might think. Here at Luis’s Nursery, we carry a wide selection of all sizes and types of pots and planters and can help you find the best ones for what you want to grow.

Step 2: Cleanup

First, make sure your gardening tools are clean and in good condition. This helps to keep from spreading any plant diseases, fungus, insect eggs, etc.

Next, if you are using an established garden plot, clean out debris such as rotting leaves, old mulch and weeds that grew over the winter. Just mulch and leaves can be tilled into soil, but if you have a lot of weeds, you’ll want to pull them by hand carefully to avoid spreading seeds as much as possible.

For pots or planters, clean used ones with hot soapy water and let dry thoroughly before adding soil. Dirty planters and pots can contain diseases, fungus or insect eggs that could harm fragile new plants.

Step 3: Prep soil

For large garden plots start preparing soil at least 2-3 weeks before you plant. After cleaning soil, add compost, amendments or fertilizers and work them into the soil to provide nutrients that new plants can feed on. Make sure compacted soil is loosened by tilling or turning it and removing rocks or roots. Then cover soil with a light layer of mulch until ready to plant. 

Pots can be done just a day or two before. The right mix of soil and amendments or fertilizers will depend on what type of vegetable you’re going to grow, so check with our gardening experts at Luis’s Nursery for advice.

Step 4: Plant!

Once everything is ready, now the fun begins. For gardens in the ground, be sure to leave enough space between plants to allow for their eventual full size as well as giving them space to get enough nutrition from the soil and not compete as they grow. This goes for container gardens as well. Be sure to select the right size and type for each variety you are planting.

We’ve got a great variety of spring vegetables here at Luis’s Nursery to choose from, with new stock arriving all the time. Popular vegetables to plant in the spring here in Visalia and Tulare County include: Tomatoes, peppers, beets, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, squash, pumpkin, watermelon, eggplant, and a variety of herbs. Give us a call at (559) 747-5015 to find out what we have in stock, or visit us at our Visalia location at 139 S. Mariposa Ave. You might just find a new favorite veggie to grow.