Place a big pot of basil right outside the kitchen door for convenient picking.
Site heat-loving vegetables carefully. All need full sun. Put tall growers (pole beans, corn, tomatoes, etc.) on the north side of shorter varieties (such as cucumber, eggplants, melons, peppers, and squash) so they wonât shade them out.
Maintain
Before they set seed, till in any cover crops you planted in your vegetable garden last fall.
Learn to vermicompost (wormbox compost). Boxes are easy to make and maintain, and the finished productâcastingsâserves as fertilizer for your garden. Learn more at calrecycle.ca.gov.
For easiest removal, hoe weeds in early morning the day after watering.
Courtesy of Annieâs Annuals & Perennials
Warm weather is right around the corner. Here’s what to do in your garden now. Contributors: Johanna Silver, Marcia Tatroe,⨠Jim McCausland, Scott Calhoun, and Kathleen N. Brenzel. Compiled by Nicole Clausing – February 23, 2021 | Updated March 18, 2021
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Prep
Test the viability of vegetable seeds left over from last year by putting a few on a damp paper towel. Fold the towel over the seeds and place in a resealable plastic bag, marking the bag with the name of the vegetable. Store at room temperature and check in a week to see if the seeds have germinated. If not, itâs time to order replacement seed.Â