The First Day of Spring 2017 — Early Signs of Life in the Garden
March 20th, 2017 — the first official day of spring, and the garden was already showing signs of life. I took a walk around the yard to see what was poking through and found all the usual early arrivals getting started. After months of brown and gray, even tiny green shoots feel like a big deal.
The tulips were already a few inches up in several spots, pushing their pointed leaves through last fall’s dead leaves. Over near the foundation there were little clusters of ground cover leafing out along the concrete edge. Nothing looks polished yet — it’s all still muddy and rough — but it’s good to see those small green things coming back.
? When can you plant where you live?
I built a free little tool for exactly this question — The Garden Almanac. Type in your ZIP code and it gives you your USDA hardiness zone, your average last and first frost dates, and a planting calendar tuned to your spot — when to start seeds, set out transplants, and sow. It runs right in your browser, no account needed. Find your frost dates & planting calendar →
