Green grass, warmer days and leafing-out aspen trees always get me excited to get gardening. The indoor transplants I’ve been nurturing since January are begging to go outside. This recent bout of wild Montana spring weather (6” of snow in Boulder twice this month) provided a good reminder that mountain gardening can be tough sledding.
On what date is it safe to start seeding or move transplants outside? Every location is a little different. Whether you till a little or a lot, you’ll want to do some soil preparation prior to seeding or planting transplants. A good rule of thumb is if the soil sticks to your shovel, it’s too wet. Leave it for another day or two.
Tilling damp, heavy soil can compromise the structure and increase compaction. If you’ve never had your soil tested, or it’s been a while, it’s a good idea to take a representative sample of soil from your garden and send it to a laboratory for analysis. I tend to use Midwest Labs, but there are a lot of options out there.
