Excited to dive into your veggie garden adventure? Here are Farmer Jo’s top tips to get your spring garden singing!
Plan Like a Pro: Ready to rock your vegetable garden this year? If you haven't crafted a plan yet, now is the time to consider what you want to grow. Consider details like plant spacing, whether to plant seeds directly or start seedlings indoors, and the optimal outdoor planting time for your region. Need some guidance in the planning department? Click here for some helpful tips.
Out With the Old: Clear out last year's remnants to make room for fresh, healthy vibes. Wave goodbye to pesky weeds and greet a clean canvas for your garden artistry. This step helps prevent diseases and pests, and lets you start the season with a nice clean slate!
Show Some Soil Love: The secret sauce for happy plants? It's all about that soil! We always suggest starting with a soil test to figure out what you’re working with. If you're up for it, send a sample to Agriquanta, our go-to lab, and then email us the report to have Farmer Jo help decipher the results. If testing isn't your thing, give your garden a boost by adding a layer of compost and gently loosening the soil with a garden fork. Want to see how it's done? Check out Farmer Jo's soil forking demo here!
Mulch Madness: Keep your soil snuggled and thriving with a mulch party! Straw or grass clippings make for great soil protectors, keeping moisture in and pesky weeds out, all while helping to feed those ever-important soil microorganisms!
Get Going Early: Get ready to kickstart your garden with some cool-season champs! Now's the perfect time to plant cold-hardy veggies like arugula, kale, bok choi, green onions, radishes, and turnips. These resilient greens can handle the chilly temps, and are eager to get going. However, hold off on those Mediterranean beauties like tomatoes and peppers until the frost risk fades away, typically by late May in Ottawa. We already have some of these cold loving seedlings available in the Farm Store so you don’t have to wait, you can get gardening right now!
Want more gardening wisdom?
Check out some of the gardening resources we’ve shared over the years and get ready to level up your gardening game!
Gardening 101 series
Garden Planning
Garden Prep
Garden Care
Ottawa Farm Fresh Seedling Sale
Transform your home garden with premium organic vegetable, flower, and herb seedlings, nurtured right alongside our Farm's plants.
We have been growing seedlings for more than a decade, and understand the critical role that robust, well-cared-for seedlings play in achieving abundant harvests! Starting right now you’ll find the first of our seedlings in the Farm Store, cold hardy favourites like kale, bok choi, chard, and green onions, and as the weather warms the seedlings in store will increase and include all your favourites - sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, herbs, cucumber, zucchini, and so much more!
Make sure to visit the Farm Store often to browse the weekly selection of garden seedlings and kick start your garden with the best of the best!