Grow ahead, get those hands dirty now, and enjoy the blooms, veggies, and fruits of your labor later.

The first day of spring is just around the corner on Tuesday, March 19. City Editor Callie here. To me, spring is synonymous with flowers and fresh starts, so let’s talk about how to refresh your garden.

The Charleston area has one of the longest growing seasons in the state. On average, the region is frost-free starting ~March 9.

Check out these awesome tools from The Old Farmer's Almanac. You can plug your location and month of the year in, and it gives you gardening tips by month. The planting calendar tells you exactly when to plant your seeds or seedlings. Pro tip: use them to plan for gardening and landscaping.

To do

Keep a look out for insects. Pro tip: You can control aphids with a soapy spray on leaves.
Prune trees and shrubs before the dormant season ends.
Remember to water your plants, especially newly planted ones.

Blooms

Now is a good time to plant bulbs like dahlia, canna, and gloriosa.
If needed, now is the time to fertilize azaleas, camellias, and palms.
Go ahead and plant warm-season annual flowers, such as asters and impatiens.

Fruits + vegetables

Direct planting

Beans | March 9 - April 6
Corn | March 9 - March 23
Cucumbers | March 9 - March 23
Okra | March 9 - March 23
Watermelon | March 9 - March 23

Transplants or planting seedlings

Eggplants | March 9 - March 23
Peppers | March 9 - March 23
Honeydew melons | March 15 - March 22
Tomatoes | March 9 - March 23
Sweet potatoes | March 9 - March 23

This is a short list of things that are good to plant right now. If you’re planting something else and want to share, lettuce know and you might be featured in an upcoming newsletter.

Plan it out. Planting those bell pepper plants on the left side of the house versus the right side could impact the plant's survival because of shade. So remember things like wind, soil type, moisture, humidity, and sunshine can impact the survival of plants.

Local nurseries

Roots and Shoots, 1108 Wappoo Rd., Charleston
PlantHouse Charleston, 832 Coleman Blvd., Mt. Pleasant
Brownswood Nursery, 1290 Brownswood Rd., Johns Island