A Little Spring Garden Help?

[Phalon]

ACK! The procrastinator strikes again; I forgot to do my work homework, and it may be too late to get a response here, (I also forgot to ask a single person I've come in contact with all week; I guess I'm just not in 'back-to-work' mode yet).

Just a quick thing, no thought at all required.

What would be the first five "things to do" that come to mind when thinking of spring gardening?


(I'll explain why I'm asking later; giving an explanation before answers are given might sway opinion.)

[Mini Mia]

I don't raise a garden, but Mom did, so let me see how observant I was. I know she pre-grew some plants in the house, like tomato plants, before starting the garden. I suppose you need to gather supplies, like seeds/plants, fertilizer and whatnot. Prepare gardening tools that might need limbering up, or cleaned, or fine-tuned, or whatever. Break up garden. Plan where to put plants. (I think some work well when put close together, and some don't play nice at all.) Plant, water, weed.

Did I get anything right? Was I close or way out in left field?

[stepper]

First five to do’s?

Decide if I have time.
Decide what I want to grow.
Look for it as an established plant, now.
Plow over the garden.
Fertilize.

I skipped several things like, pick a spot for the garden, improve drainage, can you get the neighbors to do the work for you, etc., because I’m guessing you are not starting from scratch since you already have a garden, and you can get help from Hubs by threatening to organize his man cave YOUR way while he's at work.

[Phalon]

Thanks, guys! Just what I needed! (And yes, Joxie, you were right; there was no wrong answer). My original thought was to get the response of about 10 people, but because I waited until the last minute, and didn't feel like making any phone calls, I ended up with five.

Here's the final list with everyone's response:

1. fertilize (4 people)
2. tools - maintenance, replace, or organize (4 people)
3. yard clean-up/rake leaves (3 people)
4. till/break up soil (3 people)
5. plant (seeds, seedlings, flowers) (3 people)
6. weed (2 people)
7. get new/more bird feeders (1 person)
8. mulch (1 person)
9. deal with mud! (1 person)
10. reseed grass (1 person)
11. assess deer damage/prevent more damage (1 person)
12. (my personal favorite) mourn over what didn't make it through winter/get excited over what lived (1 person)

Just for the hell of it, my list (which I didn't include) is:

1. mulch
2. yard clean-up
3. reseed bare spots in lawn
4. prune out winter die-back on shrubs/roses
5. plant seeds for cold-weather crops

Hubs' I'm-Not-the-Gardener list (not included either) -

1. Get mowers ready.
2. Wait for Honey-Do list.

Explanation of why the list later....I'm running short of time already. Always a bad sign this early in the morning.

[Siren]

Though I missed your deadline, my list would be...

1. decide what I'm going to plant
2. plow
3. gather tools
4. buy plants/seeds
5. clean flowerbeds

My folks are way ahead of that list. They've already planted mustard, lettuce, radishes, cabbage, and potatoes.

[Phalon]

My folks are way ahead of that list. They've already planted mustard, lettuce, radishes, cabbage, and potatoes.

I keep wanting to get mustard and spinach in; they can be planted here as soon as the ground is thawed enough to dig. I was poking around the vegetable garden the other day, though - except for the top 1/4 inch, the ground is still rock-solid.

Though I missed your deadline, my list would be...

Thanks for the input, Siren....and it's not too late; your list reinforces what other people have said.

The reason for my asking was for our spring display inside the store. I mentioned in another thread, a few of us were going into work a couple of hours a week to get the store in order before we actually go back to work. Free labor for the bosses, but it's well worth it to us just to avoid the nightmare once the nursery opens again.

I have to say here, we are nothing like a box-store; we can't compete with their prices, so why even try. Aside from fertilizers and other gardening essentials, our merchandise is not what you'd see in Home Depot or other similar retail stores. Our displays are not end-cap style, with rows of things lined neatly on shelves; we of course, have shelving - lots of it - lined neatly with product, but also use vignettes to display more unique items.

We've always been so rushed putting the new merchandise out in spring - or sometimes the bosses will come in before the store's opening, and get things in order themselves. Usually what happens is our seasonal display area - the first thing you see when you walk into the store - is set up with all our high-end items; gorgeous ceramic pottery, patina-ed brass sculptures, ironwork benches and stuff. It makes a beautiful display, but isn't what sells this time of year. That stuff usually goes when the second-home owners or tourists return in late May/early June.

So what do people think when they think gardening in spring? As nursery employees we sometimes think differently than our customers - in addition, we tend to be more task oriented this time of year (there's so much work to do outside, let's get the stuff put away inside quickly so we can walk through the store without tripping over boxes). But this year, we have more time, and don't have to rush getting stuff put away.

People visiting a business like a nursery are buying an image or idea, not just a product. "I'm not buying grass seed; I'm buying a lush green lawn." "I'm not buying a packet of vegetable seeds; I'm providing healthy food for my family." "I'm not buying mulch, shrubs, and flowers; I'm turning my yard into a peaceful respite."

That's the reason for the vignettes; it's an image, not just product.

"I don't raise a garden, but Mom did, so let me see how observant I was", "decide if I have time", "decide what I'm going to plant" - all perfect responses from you guys, and things we wouldn't have thought of when setting up our display.

Here's what we came up with for the front display based on what you all and the other people I asked said.

An iron arbor, with a cafe table and chairs underneath. On the table will be a gardening book or two opened to a page with gorgeous photos of a springtime garden; a couple of seed packets, a pair of gardening gloves, and a trowel "artfully" resting along side a wine bottle and glass. There will be a gardening tote with it's pockets filled with more hand tools, seed packets, a small bag of organic fertilizer, and whatever else will fit. A rake leans up against the arbor, and bird feeder hangs from above. Ceramic pots filled with silk springtime flowers (we keep lots of silk flowers on hand for display purposes), and a couple of pieces of sculpture to "pretty up" the scene.

Probably way more than you all cared to know or read, but again, thanks for all your help!

[Mini Mia]

You're very welcome.