How to Prepare a Garden for Spring Planting

mediumGardening2-4 hours5 steps

Safety Warnings

Use caution when operating plows or cultivators to avoid underground utility lines.

one-horse plow — agricultural soil turner

spring-tooth cultivator — heavy-duty soil aerator

stiff cardboard — mounting board for garden plans(1 sheet)

ruler — standard measuring tool(1)

Measure the garden plot and transfer the outlines to scale on paper.

Tip: Decide on the kinds of vegetables you wish to grow before finalizing the layout.

Draw lines across the plan to represent vegetable rows and note the theoretical distance between them.

Tip: Mount the finished plan on stiff cardboard and leave space for notes to be taken during the growing season.

Plow the garden area rather than digging by hand if the plot is large.

Tip: If space is limited, a one-horse plow or spike-tooth cultivator can be used in small spaces.

Harrow the soil to break up clods and create a level planting surface.

Tip: Ensure surrounding fences are arranged to allow the movement of plowing equipment.

Establish protection for tender plants by setting up portable coldframes or hotbeds.

Tip: Place coldframes and hotbeds close together to economize time and labor.

Use hotbeds with bottom heat if you need to start plants earlier than standard coldframes allow.
Label each line on your garden plan with the name of the vegetable and any planned succession crops.

Synthesized from 6 verified sources:

Gutenberg: Manual of GardeningView →

Old Farmer's AlmanacView →

Gutenberg: Home Vegetable GardeningView →

Gutenberg: War Gardens GuideView →

Gutenberg: Farm Gardening GuideView →

Wind River Greens Plant DatabaseView →