It's about ripe time to start getting that backyard, side yard, or community garden plot ready for a bountiful spring and summer. If you're like us at JBG, your hands are itching with the urge to get out and fill that garden with new plants. Before you start planting though, we've got a few tips to ensure your 2019 garden is as productive and healthy as possible!

Be sure to check out the details for our Annual Transplant Sale, Pre-sale, as well as a special gardening workshop with Becky, at the bottom of the page!

Transplant sale loot. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Check your Tools

It happens to the best of us - tools lying around, rain barrels getting a little slimy, trellises falling apart. Now is the best time to get everything clean and ready for you to hit the ground running when you pick up your organic transplants! Organize that shed, clean your tools, fix any broken fences or irrigation, and get ready for a great year!

Garden ready! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Clear your Garden

Whether you put in a winter cover crop, or you have leftover fall crop residues, or even if your garden has filled up with grass (hey, we'll count that one as a cover crop too), it's time to clear that bed in preparation for the new! We recommend cutting whatever is left in your garden down to ground level. You can compost the residues or dig them right into your garden to decompose.

Montana watering transplants. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Aerate your Soil

Next, you'll want to start getting your soil ready for the transplants. First things first, it's time to loosen the soil. Over time, water, gravity, and sedimentation slowly compact your garden soil. Compacted soil is not as productive - your plants need lots of oxygen around their roots and plenty of space for water to trickle down. You can use a digging fork to loosen the soil or use the double digging technique. If you have rocky or poorly aerated soil, consider building yourself a raised-bed garden to give those plants the fluffy soils they need to thrive.

Compost!

The next step is to make sure your soils are healthy and fed! We recommend applying a few inches of compost to your garden every year. This provides your garden space with nutrient-rich organic matter and a host of microorganisms. Not only is compost a fantastic, natural, slow-release fertilizer, but it will increase the water-holding capacity of your soil, and decrease erosion.

You can go a step further and get your soil tested - this will tell you if you need to add any micronutrients or amendments to your soil. Here at the farm, we test with a number of laboratories to attain the best possible soils we can, but for the casual home gardener, this step is not as necessary.

Alright, you're ready to start planting, now what?

Compost! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Come to the Annual Transplant Sale

Our Spring Transplant Sale is around the corner, and your options to get your transplants are a little bit different this year. Read closely!

OPTION 1: Come to our Garfield Farm Transplant Sale happening on Saturday, Feb. 23rd, March 2nd, or March 9th from 9am-2pm. The address to our Garfield farm is 4008 River Road, Garfield, 78512. We will have our biggest selection of certified-organic transplants at this greenhouse sale. We will also have a selection of organic compost, soil amendments, and farm-grade tomato cages and stakes.

OPTION 2: Pre-order your transplants and pickup at a participating farmers' market on the last weekend of February or the first two weekends of March. Pro-tip: Get your orders in early and choose to pick up the first or second weekend, if you can. This will help us plan for your order, and make sure we set aside your preferred varieties.

OPTION 3: Come to our Organic Gardening Workshop on Saturday, March 2nd, and visit our transplant sale also happening that day. All workshop participants will get 10% off their transplant purchases. More info on that below.

This year's sale is bigger than ever, and we can't wait to see your home gardens flourish. The selection this year is immensely extensive and varied... we have tons of different fruit, herb, and veggie offerings including varieties from Slow Food’s Ark of Taste!

Transplant sale. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Learn from a Pro

Johnson's Backyard Garden is excited to announce that this spring we will be hosting our fourth annual spring gardening workshop lead by our Farm Manager (Becky). Learn tips on how to turn your backyard into a productive spring garden to feed you and your family.

When: Saturday, March 2nd, 10 am-noon

Where: Our Garfield Farm! 4008 River Road, Garfield TX, 78612

Tickets: Available now!

Becky and her green onions. Photo by Scott David Gordon.