Spring gardening season starts in Metro Detroit
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Planting season. Photo: Courtesy of Keep Growing Detroit
Whether you're a green gardener or an old hand with well-worn raised beds, it's time to rejoice and get started — planting season is here.
Why it matters: Anyone who's watched their herbs fade from green to brown knows gardening is a fickle hobby, and timing is of the essence.
State of play: Gardeners are readying the ground, getting rid of debris and plants from last season, and loosening clumped dirt, says Danielle Daguio, engagement manager for urban farm and educational resource Keep Growing Detroit (KGD).
Between the lines: While it's still too cold for summer crops like tomatoes and sweet peppers, it's nearly time for crops like carrots, collards and beets that can withstand colder temperatures.
- Especially with longer warm-weather seasons in recent years, gardeners can start doing some direct planting into the ground as soon as two weeks from now, Daguio says.
- It's also time for starting seeds indoors for many crops, if that's part of your gardening goals.
How it works: For proper timing, the Old Farmer's Almanac offers detailed planting calendars based on your location.
- It calculates spring and fall dates for veggies, fruits and herbs, with earliest dates for planting based on your last spring frost.
- A window from earliest to last planting date allows for some procrastination.
- For example, Detroiters should be starting seeds indoors now for arugula, cauliflower, basil and some other plants. You can plant arugula seedlings or transplants in April and basil in May.
Zoom in: KGD, based in Eastern Market, hosts in-person classes and workshops, as well as free recorded classes on YouTube and a list of free guides.
- Its garden resource program is $15 for home gardeners in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park and offers soil testing, walk-throughs, advice, and access to seeds, transplants and other technical support.
- For those outside Detroit, local chain English Gardens also provides video resources, consultations and soil testing.
Plus, for those with green thumbs who don't have the physical or mental capacity for their own garden, KGD and others volunteer to help.
Flashback: Look back at some gardening tips readers provided our former editor Everett Cook when he grew produce in Royal Oak.