I’m all in

So, as we get closer to spring many of us gardeners are waiting behind the garage door with both hands on the back of our tiller.  Waiting for the robin to blow the official signal that garden, I mean spring has begun.  And that brings up a good question when to plant?  I have known people that as soon as the snow is cleared they are out there getting plants and seeds into the ground.  Hoping to prolong the growing season and get more out of their garden.  And I see these same people for the next couple of months running out to the garden every other night to cover things up in fear of frost.  Kind of funny really.   Then there is the other camp who tries to get everything into the ground by July.  And I have had several people tell me that in by July is a good rule of thumb.  The truth is both of these camps see the whole thing as a, all in experience.  They pick a specific day or weekend (as we get older) and get it all done.  It has been our experience that that is just not the right way to look at it.  We put some things in the ground right away and break up the soil, but other things we wait on until it is warmer.  And the truth is many plants just do not grow unless it is warm so putting them in early does not help.  Once you break the soil up you need to cover it up completely.  It should be your goal that light never touches the dirt.  If you do that the soil will stay nice and workable when you plant things later into the season.  And a word about tilling, a good job tilling will benefit you all year.  If you are looking for a tiller look for a good one and take your time go over the soil slowly.  Break it up well to get rid of all the clumps rocks and other things that make the season hard.