Thinking about that spring garden? Here are a few tips

Davis Nolan
·2 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The average date of the last freeze in Nashville is March 31, and for most of Middle Tennessee, it is in April. So, it’s a little too early to plant most gardens. However, there are some things you can plant right now, and lots of preparation you can make for later this season.

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News 2 spoke with the UT-TSU Extension director for Wilson County, Lucas Holman.

“We have cool-season vegetables and we have warm-season vegetables,” Holman explained. “Our cool season things, this is the perfect time to plant. So, we need to plant things at the appropriate time. So, I’m talking about things that are our leafy greens. Our lettuce, our spinach, our kale, and then our broccoli, and cabbage, and cauliflower, all of those things need to be planted right now. We’re still going to hold off on our warm-season things like peppers, tomatoes, and watermelon. We still have another month on all of those.”

Holman also had five suggestions for your garden:

It’s a good idea to test your soil before starting your garden, to see what type of fertilizer you may need. You can bring a sample to your county extension office and they will tell you what you need.

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Besides soil testing, other tips are to plant at the appropriate time, map your garden out so you don’t buy more than you need, inspect your garden every day to look for bugs or diseases, and utilize your county extension offices.

“We’re a free resource,” Holman pointed out. “If you are new to gardening and you are trying to figure out what is the best tomato, what is the best watermelon, be sure to reach out to your extension agency in your county. Every county in Tennessee has one.”

For a list of Tennessee County Extension agencies, click here. For a list of Kentucky County Extension agencies, click here.

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