When is the best time for spring planting?

I’m so excited that spring is almost here- I’m looking forward to fresh garden vegetables and flowers. For our hardiness zone 8 in the midlands, the best time for planting is February 22 to March 30.

When determining your garden, know what your soil base is. For crops & pasture, a soil sample test can be facilitated through the Conservation district. For small home gardens, or landS.C.aping additions, take your samples to be tested through Clemson Ext. service.

DIY’s: Clemson Ext. gives these directions: To have a soil analysis done you need to collect 8 to 10 or more core samples, which will be combined as one composite sample. The composite samples should include soil from the surface to a depth of 6 inches in all areas, except for lawns where core samples should be taken from a depth of only 2 to 4 inches. A simple garden trowel can be used to collect the core samples.

LandS.C.ape professionals may use a soil probe to collect soil core samples, which will create little damage to the lawn.

Place the core samples in a clean plastic bucket and mix them thoroughly. Keep sampling separate from areas that have been fertilized or limed differently, such as lawns, shrub beds, and vegetable gardens. These should be submitted as separate composite samples. It is imperative to use clean sampling tools. Pesticide or fertilizer residues will create misleading results. Additionally, the sample must not be excessively wet before it goes to the lab.

What should you plant?

Indoors (Late February to Early March):

Start seeds like cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, leeks, escarole, endive, fennel, lettuce and artichokes indoors during late February to March. This lets you get a head start on the growing season.

Outdoors (Mid- to Late March):

Directly sow seeds for the following crops outdoors: Peas, Spinach, Fava beans, and Arugula. These cool-season crops thrive when planted directly in the garden soil. Remember that the last frost date is crucial for spring planting.

When planting flowers or bushes, consider native plants. There are many benefits of landscaping and gardening with native plants including conserving water, protecting soil from erosion, and creating habitat and providing food for many different animals including birds, pollinators, and small mammals.

Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. More than 3,500 species of native bees help increase crop yields. Some S.C.ientists estimate that one out of every three bites of food we eat exists because of animal pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles and other insects.

What native species help pollinators? Some better performers in our state are ironweed, goldenrod, and coneflowers. Most herbs, including rosemary, oregano, and catnip, work well too.

Get more info from The S.C. Wildlife federation, Clemson Ext. and S.C. Native Plant Society.

Call Crista at the Newberry Soil & Water Conservation District to S.C. shedule your Soil Sampling needs. Happy planting! (803) 597-3160