Get a Jump on Your Spring Garden

Add compost. If you already have a compost bin or pile, you’ve probably been adding it to the vegetable garden area all along. But if not, now is a good time to pick up a bag or two of commercial compost and work it into your beds. Let it do its magic for a couple of weeks.

Plant peas. Peas need to be direct-seeded, and they need to be planted early. Like now. When, exactly? The directions usually say “as soon as the ground can be worked.” That means, whenever you can easily dig in it. In other words, it’s not frozen or waterlogged. Where I live, in the Pacific Northwest, that’s about right now. It may be cold where you live, but as long as you can actually dig in the dirt, it’s not too soon.