Garden Center at Thornton #1503

On those beautiful days, clean up the yard before everything blooms in earnest. Many people feel inspired to refresh their outdoor space for entertaining, as well. Plan your garden to make the most of your time and space. You can also add beauty and interest with hardscaping, stonework, and water features. No matter what outdoor projects you choose to tackle, The Home Depot Garden Center in Thornton can help you enjoy your spring activities to the fullest.

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing to know when planting vegetables, spring flowers, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the U.S. and its territories is sorted into blocks by climate. Find your zone on the USDA zone map and learn when to plant seeds.

For example, you could transplant bell peppers outdoors in mid-March in Zone 10, but not until the end of May in Zone 4. The plants that'll thrive in your area are in your zone, and all the zones numbered less than that. In other words, a Zone 9 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–9. You can plant seeds indoors roughly a month before you can plant them outside, or direct sow. Always read your seed packet for details. If you start plants later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone
The diverse topography of this area means planting times vary widely. Desert areas are in Zones 7-10, depending on location, and areas with more elevation are in chillier Zones 4–6. Both deserts and mountains can have extreme conditions, so consider indoor gardening as a strong supplement to growing outdoors if possible.

In the desert, native plants like succulents, cacti, and other hardy desert shrubs will grow outside with ease. Other beloved garden vegetables love the heat, like nightshades. If you start them indoors and carefully introduce them outdoors in the shade, you can enjoy raising vegetables even in a dry climate. Compatible spring flower seeds, whether they're perennials or annuals, can also often get an indoor start.

Colder regions in Zones 6–8 should wait a little longer to plant, and all these zones need to wait an additional month before planting seeds outdoors rather than indoors. Mountainous regions in Zones 3 to 5 will have the shortest growing season, with seed starters going in later in the spring. Although the weather may vary, wait until the frost has passed to give your seeds the best chance at a healthy life.

Check out cruciferous veggies and certain herbs if you’re ready to get planting. This includes broccoli, kale, and cabbage. Greens like artichokes, spinach, and fragrant herbs, including oregano, basil, and parsley, also don't mind an early beginning. In Zones 4–6, traditional garden vegetables like peppers of all kinds, cucumbers, and tomatoes are fine with an early spring or late winter start indoors under the grow lights.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Planting seeds with the direct sow method, right into the soil, is another option. It doesn't give you as much organized planning in terms of reliability and spacing compared to indoor starts. However, if you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed packet and try it out.

Prepare to deal with whatever hand nature deals you: Be ready for none of your seeds to sprout, all of them to come up, and anything in between. Your seedlings will need to survive wind, rain, insects and critters that want a crunchy green snack, and sudden cold temperatures. But if you're lucky, you'll get strong sprouts that are ready to grow all spring.

Start Seeds Indoors
If you're eager to get growing or would like more control in the care and feeding of seedlings, start your seeds indoors instead. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about a month before you can do it outside. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed packet, but that's where the similarities end.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for sun and rain. Keep your seeds warm with heat mats and grow lights, water them carefully with a mister or watering can, then thin them as they germinate in groups of three. Give them a boost with a gently blowing fan as they lengthen into sprouts if you'd like. Harden them off to get them used to outdoor conditions, then transplant them into your garden when they're big enough.

Transplant Young Plants Into Their New Homes
By now, your plants have 3 or 4 real leaves — they'll look different from the miniature seedling leaves. When the ground is warm, and you're not expecting soaking rain, look into transplanting your small plants into their new outdoor home. "Transplant" means that you put these small plants straight into the garden soil or into pots. In cases where you directly planted into the ground, you may still want to shuffle plants around for the best sun and spacing. That's also a transplant situation, as is repotting plants into larger pots.

Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Finish off your garden with mulch and compost. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster stronger and larger plants that bear more flowers and fruit. Mulch keeps your soil from drying out and controls weeds. Mulch and compost can be purchased in-store or created at home. The next time you're looking for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the perfect amount.

Greet the Spring
Early spring is an exciting time in the world of gardening. Don't miss a minute of growing season. Plan your garden and landscaping, prepare to fertilize your lawn, and browse our garden center pages to find inspiration on which spring flowers to plant when the weather warms. Shop for the seeds, fertilizer, and soil you need in the aisles of your Thornton Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.