13 Spring Vegetable Garden Tips That Will Improve Your Summer Harvest

If you plan on growing a vegetable garden this year, you surely picture a plot of land bursting with ripe produce. No one wants mediocre crops or lackluster results. But bountiful harvests don’t just happen due to sheer luck. Instead, vegetable garden success is often determined by how you prepare a garden in the spring.

To set your garden up for a bountiful summer harvest, start plants from seed indoors early. Test your soil once it thaws, and add a combination of compost, manure, and fertilizer to boost the nutrients. Opt for some cold-hardy plants to transplant early, and make a map of your garden to stay organized. Choose your garden location wisely, and stagger planting so you can harvest vegetables throughout the season.

You may harvest your garden mostly in the summer months, but garden planning and development all occur in the early spring. If you want your vegetable garden to be more successful than ever, you should focus as much attention on it as possible once the soil thaws and the days start getting longer. Below is a list of top tips and tricks to help ensure the work you do in your garden this spring results in a bumper crop all summer.

13 Ways To Help Your Vegetable Garden So It Can Thrive All Summer

1. Promptly Clear And Refresh Your Garden

The first step to a successful vegetable garden is not wasting any time. As soon as it’s warm enough to get outside and garden, you should put on your boots, grab your gardening gloves, and get to work.

You must promptly clear away any dead plants and debris. Next, trim back any bushes or vines to ensure healthy regrowth. Clearing your garden helps to prevent mold growth and pest infestations, and gets you ready to work the soil without obstacles. 

It is also a great way for you to assess the state of your garden bed, and see what type of maintenance you must perform before planting.

2. Start Spring Vegetables Indoors 

The key to ensuring your harvest begins sooner rather than later is to start seeding plants indoors. As soon as daylight hours increase in late winter, you can start growing spring vegetables by seed near windows.

This can give you a four to six week head start, and will ensure that by the time overnight frosts are in the past, your plants are large enough to transplant outside. 

3. Choose New Vegetable Garden Locations Wisely

If you are starting a new vegetable garden this year, take the time to choose the best possible location for your garden. Select a spot with the most sun, especially if you live somewhere with a short growing season. 

It’s important to place your garden nearby, so you can easily check on it daily. Also ensure your garden is close enough that it can be watered and maintained.

4. Make A Planting Map For Your Garden

Growing a successful vegetable garden is all about planning. You need to be organized and think ahead to ensure a bumper crop later on. One great way to stay organized in your garden is to draw a detailed map.

A map will force you to stay within boundaries, and it will also help you plan your shopping list and planting calendar. Without a map, you may forget to purchase and plant some vegetables at the right time, which can lead to smaller yields in the summer.

5. Find Frost-Hardy Vegetables You Can Plant Early

Since a garden only has so much space, you want to have plants producing as often as possible while the weather allows. This includes planting vegetables that can survive overnight frosts. 

Planting cold-hardy vegetables will ensure you start your season off strong, and you can have a garden that starts producing as early as late April or the start of May.

6. Stagger Your Planting For A Long And Robust Season

In addition to planting cold-hardy vegetables early, you should remember to stagger other plantings throughout the spring. This includes staggering the same vegetable. 

For example, you can plant one type of fast-growing tomato early, and then the heirloom varieties that take longer shortly after. This ensures you can harvest tomatoes from late spring through late fall.

7. Attend A Seed Swap For Great Local Heirloom Options

Another spring garden tip is knowing what vegetables will thrive where you live. You can put all the effort you have into your garden, but unless you grow the right vegetables, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Head to a plant show or a seed swap in late winter or early spring. You can find these at farmers markets, and online message boards. This is a great way to rub elbows with local gardening experts, and a perfect spot to snag premium vegetable seeds that will thrive in your climate.

8. Test The Soil Once It Thaws

If you have had your vegetable garden in the same spot for many years, you may want to test the soil. Your soil nutrients and even the soil pH can become out of whack after many years of gardening in the same spot. 

Testing your soil will help you make adjustments to provide the ideal growing conditions for your plants. In turn, they should grow faster and more abundantly.

9. Periodically Mix In Fertilizer

If you want your plants to grow big and strong, you need to feed them. In addition to compost and manure, it’s smart to periodically sprinkle in fertilizer as your plants grow. Remember that not all vegetables like the same type and amount of nutrients, so feed them accordingly. 

10. Remember You Can Plant Some Vegetables In The Late Fall  

One great way to get a head start on your spring garden and ensure a plentiful crop early in the season is to start planting in the fall. There are all sorts of vegetables you can plant at the end of fall. Some potatoes, asparagus, and garlic are examples of vegetables that like a few months of cold before they flourish in early spring.

11. Refresh With Compost Before Planting

If you have a compost pile, then early spring is the time to make use of all the nutrient-rich compost you’ve collected. Ensure the compost is done and ready to be used. Mix it with manure if possible, and fold in some top soil. Having this boost of nutrients in the top layer of your vegetable garden will get your plants off to a strong start.

12. Come Up With A Watering Schedule That Works

Watering in the spring can be tricky. Soil is often wet after a long winter, and some regions have wet springs. Still, you want to establish a watering routine. Early morning or near twilight is the best time to water your vegetable garden. In the spring, before you water, check the soil by sticking your finger an inch or two into the soil. If the soil is dry, water it.

13. Find Creative And Effective Ways To Curb Pests

Pests can wreck an entire vegetable garden in just a few days. It’s important you diligently inspect leaves and keep an eye on your growing plants. If you notice mold, bite marks, or discolorations, address the problem right away.

You can also come up with some creative ways to keep pests away. Some flowers, including marigolds, lavender, and others, keep rodents away. This is a fun, beautiful, and effective way to keep pests from nibbling on your produce. 

Final Notes On How To Help Your Vegetable Garden This Spring

Vegetable gardens can be a great joy for those looking to test out their green thumb. They provide sustenance, and are the ultimate natural experiment. To ensure your vegetable garden provides lots of produce throughout the spring and summer months, there are several ways you can prepare it in the spring. 

Rid the garden of dead plants and weeds as soon as the ground thaws, and then test the soil. Add compost, manure, and fertilizer to boost the nutrients, and then map out your garden on paper. Meet up with local gardening experts to learn about vegetables that thrive in your region, and ask around for good seeds. Plant cold-hardy vegetables early, and remember you can plant some spring vegetables in late fall.

Related Guides:

• Top Gardening Tools You Will Use This Spring
• Easy Ways To Help Your Spring Garden Thrive
• How To Create A Vegetable Garden On A Tight Budget