Winter-to-Spring Gardening: What to Start Now

As winter begins its slow retreat, the promise of spring emerges in quiet ways—a lengthening of daylight, the first green shoots appearing, the anticipation of new growth. Late winter is a time of transition, an opportunity to prepare the garden for the season ahead. Thoughtful planning and early tasks now will ensure a flourishing, well-tended garden by the time spring fully arrives.

Whether tending to indoor plants, starting seeds, or preparing outdoor beds, this is the moment to begin the slow, beautiful process of bringing the garden back to life.

Planning for the Season Ahead

Before the first signs of true spring appear, there is work to be done. Now is the time to refine garden plans, take stock of supplies, and prepare for planting.

• Review last year’s garden notes—which plants thrived, which struggled, and what changes need to be made?
• Order seeds and bulbs for early spring planting before popular varieties sell out.
• Clean and sharpen gardening tools to ensure they are ready for the growing season.
• Assess garden beds for signs of winter damage and prepare the soil for planting.
• Plan seasonal rotations—deciding where flowers, vegetables, and herbs will be planted this year.

What to Start Indoors

For those eager to see signs of life, indoor gardening offers the perfect opportunity to bring early greenery into the home.

• Start seeds indoors for cool-season vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and radishes.
• Force bulbs such as paperwhites, hyacinths, and amaryllis to enjoy blooms before spring arrives.
• Repot houseplants that need fresh soil and gentle pruning.
• Begin propagating herbs from cuttings—basil, rosemary, and mint do well in small indoor pots.

Even a windowsill garden, with a few potted plants or seedlings, brings the joy of gardening indoors long before the soil outside has warmed.

Outdoor Garden Tasks to Begin Now

Even in cold climates, there are early preparations that can be done to gently transition the garden from winter’s dormancy to spring’s awakening.

• Prune trees and shrubs while they are still dormant, encouraging healthy spring growth.
• Clear out debris from garden beds, removing dead leaves and spent foliage.
• Turn over soil in raised beds, adding compost or organic matter to enrich it.
• Check overwintering plants for signs of new growth and water as needed.
• Start hardening off seedlings in a sheltered outdoor space as temperatures gradually warm.

For those with cold frames or greenhouses, early greens, hardy herbs, and even some flowers can be sown outdoors in late winter, taking advantage of the season’s first mild days.

The Quiet Anticipation of Spring

Gardening in late winter is an act of faith—planting before the warmth arrives, tending to the unseen, preparing for what is to come. It is a season of patience and quiet work, of looking forward to the beauty that will soon unfold.

Reminders

• Organize seed packets and plan which varieties to plant first.
• Refresh indoor plants with new soil and a light trim to encourage growth.
• Begin forcing bulbs for an early taste of spring blooms indoors.
• Prepare garden beds so they are ready when the first planting days arrive.
• Enjoy the slower pace of winter gardening—it is a time of planning, tending, and anticipation.

I Am Grateful for Today

1. The quiet promise of a garden waiting beneath the soil.
2. The first signs of life returning to the landscape.
3. The beauty of tending to the small details that bring spring to life.

From Our House to Yours,
Mrs. Mayfair