If anything good came from February's hard freeze it was that we got a hard garden reset, putting an exclamation point on winter and our attention can now turn to spring.
As the day's slowly get longer we have a chance to start getting ready for our spring and summer crops and getting those planted and in the ground.
The plants that are going in the ground now are some of the more popular one. Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, peppers (and plenty more) can all start going in the ground and getting established before the summer.
Early spring sun can be great for plants as a full day's worth of sunshine doesn't come accompanied with the baking heat that they suffer during the summer months. Planting early means they'll be stronger and ready for higher heat.
Sunlight is very important and you want as much full sun as possible to encourage growth and get the plant the energy they need to produce the vegetables we're looking to grow.
Pay close attention to how sunlight changes as the season warms up and leaves start to return to the tree tops. Don't plant under a leafy tree in an area that will be shady by the summer. Keep in mind that as the sun gets higher in the sky the light in your yard will change.
The plant's growth will be slow at first so it'll stay small for a few weeks, but this could actually help in the case of a light frost or freeze.
If a late frost returns to Acadiana, the solution is to simply put a bucket over any small plants at night to protect them from the cold.
Even if you're not ready to plant just yet, now is a good time to cardboard the garden to get a jump on spring weeds which will start to pop up in earnest soon. Make those preparations now so that when you are ready to plant the garden is good to go.
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