Growing season has arrived. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve been waiting for it. Just a couple of weeks ago, I went into the greenhouse and got to work. I planned my garden all winter, ordered seeds, and picked up locally as I readied for warm weather. There is something hopeful about those first trays lined up and ready to grow.

Even without a greenhouse, you can start your garden with seeds. I use 36-plant trays and a seed-starting mix of peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, and a little sand. You can also purchase seed-starting soil at your local garden center. It’s lighter in weight, seeds emerge better, and it doesn’t hold excess water, which helps prevent damping off. Damping off shows up when leaves yellow and the plantlet bends, becomes mushy, and essentially dies from too much moisture. Nobody wants that after all that anticipation.

Remember, seeds need warmth. My greenhouse temperatures take care of that, but in a basement or garage, you’ll need a heating source not unlike a heating pad to encourage germination. Adequate lighting is just as important – plant lights can help if natural sunlight is limited.

It may sound like a lot of work, but the satisfaction of planting a seed and later eating a vegetable or enjoying a bouquet you’ve nurtured yourself is hard to beat. If seed starting isn’t your preference, give it a few weeks and buy ready-to-plant selections at local garden centers and farmers’ markets. Also keep an eye out for local school FFA plant sales. These sales are reasonably priced, suited for our area, and support local programs – a win all around.

Gang, we are moving right through the growing season. Here in Wake and Franklin Counties, we are Zone 8, with an average last frost date in early April. That doesn’t mean a surprise cold snap won’t pop up, so be prepared to cover new plants if unexpected cold weather settles in. Just when you think you’re in the clear, Mother Nature likes to remind us who’s in charge.

I keep larger nursery pots and white garden cloth on hand. Garden cloth extends both spring and fall growing seasons and is reusable. Avoid plastic for sudden cold snaps – while it protects, it heats quickly as the sun rises and can damage, or even kill, young plants. Garden cloth shields plants without trapping heat, so you can enjoy that last sip of morning coffee without worrying they’re frying.

You’ve started your plants from seed, and before long, they’ll be ready to move outside. Is your garden prepared? Weed-free, soil turned, and clean? If not, take care of that first.

Henbit, chickweed, wild geranium, and purple dead nettle were rampant beginning in February and are likely still trying to sneak back in. I find pulling to be the best way to remove weeds while protecting emerging perennials. You can use herbicides, but most of our gardens are small enough to enjoy the therapy of hand eradication. Sometimes that quiet time in the garden is exactly what we need.

If you started your own plants, be sure to harden them off. These baby plants are tender and need gradual exposure to sun, wind, and rain. Place them in a shaded, protected area for a few days, then slowly introduce more sunlight over about a week. This prevents shock when they move into a full-sun garden.

When planting tomatoes – and really any edible – dig a hole about twice as wide and roughly half as deep as the plant is tall. Add about a quarter cup of 10-10-10 fertilizer in the bottom, mix in a little soil, then set the plant, water it in, and backfill. Leave a slight sunken area to allow rain to collect and soak in as the season progresses.

Within a week, tomatoes should green up and begin growing. From time to time, feed by adding fertilizer to that watering basin and hill soil up around the base as the plant grows taller to stabilize it. I like to do this before a good rain. Once the plant reaches about 18 inches, stake or cage it, depending on the variety. The taller it grows, the more support it will need. By early summer, yellow blossoms should appear – and before long, you’ll be watching for that first sandwich-size tomato. There is nothing quite like it.

Water and feeding are important for both the show and the harvest, whether you’re growing edibles or ornamentals.

If you’re planting for summer salads, wait for consistent warmth before introducing cucumbers and peppers. These plants prefer heat before they really take off. Even with a later start, cucumbers often produce before tomatoes. The same goes for squash and zucchini. Keep them watered and fed for steady production.

Plant lettuce early and enjoy it while temperatures are moderate. As the weather warms, lettuce will bolt and begin to fade. You can let it go to seed, compost it, or extend the season with shade cloth. And of course, there’s always the local farmers’ market.

No matter your gardening vision – tomatoes or marigolds, roses or radishes – get out there, give it a try, learn something along the way, and enjoy the process. I’ll look for you at the local garden centers.