LAY THE GROUNDWORK
Till today, plant tomorrow
Soil preparation is key to gardening success. These tips for quick and easy spring soil preparation are from the makers of tillers. They cost between $129.99 and $229.99 at QVC, Costco, Walmart, Sears and Amazon.com:
Examine the area. Make sure the soil is dry, warm and can fall apart in your hand. Then, remove and discard any rocks and weeds. If weeds are left behind, tillers will simply chop them up and spread them, making them an even bigger task to handle in the future.
Make your rows. When the tiller is ready, start at one end of the garden and slowly move across the soil one row at a time, similar to mowing a lawn. Once a row is complete, make sure to move on to the next because tilling already-turned dirt can compact the soil rather than break it up.
Level it out. Once you’ve tilled the entire area, go back over the space with a rake to level out the soil and break up any dirt clumps.
Prepare to plant. Cool-season plants and crops, such as lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage, can be put in immediately after tilling a garden plot. With warm-season produce, including tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, wait until after the last frost.
THOROUGH REFERENCE
Back by popular demand
“Herbs: The Complete Gardener’s Guide,” by Patrick Lima and Turid Forsyth (Firefly Books), is as pretty as it is packed with detailed information about the care and uses of just about every herb under the sun. This title has been out-of-print but returns to book stores and garden centers this spring to enlighten the green-thumb crowd on such topics as selecting landscape herbs, distinguishing between culinary and medicinal herbs, and creating alluring container herb gardens.
Elana Ashanti Jefferson, The Denver Post
