Garden Center at Springfield #3012

Celebrate Springtime Gardening
On gorgeous spring days, tidy the yard before everything blooms in earnest. You can also add beauty and interest with hardscaping, stonework, and water features. Don't forget to clean out the shed and sweep the gazebo in preparation for spring, too. No matter which plants you need and what outdoor projects you choose to tackle, when you search for your local plant nursery, you'll find that The Home Depot Springfield, MO Garden Center is the local plant nursery to help you enjoy your spring activities to the fullest.

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

For example, you could plant bell pepper seedlings outdoors in mid-March in Zone 10, but not until the end of May in Zone 4. For best results, choose plants in your zone number or less. In other words, a Zone 7 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–7. You can plant seeds indoors roughly a month before you can plant them outside, known as direct sow. Always read your seed packet for details. If you start your seeds a little later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone: Southwest
If you're in Zone 6–8, check out cruciferous veggies and certain herbs if you're ready to get planting. This includes broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Greens like spinach, artichokes, early-blooming annuals like marigolds, and fragrant herbs, including parsley, basil, and oregano, also don't mind an early beginning. Traditional garden vegetables like peppers of all kinds, cucumbers, and tomatoes are fine with an early spring or late winter planting indoors under the grow lights.

Look up the date of your last predicted frost, then count backward 6 to 8 weeks. That's when you should start your seeds indoors. The idea is to have strong seedlings that are ready for transplant at the same time the ground is warm. Do your best and enjoy the process — watching your plants grow, bloom, and put out tiny veggies that'll grow to harvest size is part of the fun.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Planting seeds into your garden soil, or using the direct sow method, is an alternative option. There's less planning and tending than growing indoors. If you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed pouch and try it out.

Prepare to deal with whatever hand nature deals you: You could have no germinating seeds or all of them might sprout. A critter might munch the tender seedlings for a snack. All the seeds you plant in each hole may sprout, so you'll need to choose the most robust sprouts to survive in a process called thinning. Bugs or garden pests might make a meal out of your seedlings before they take off. But if you're lucky, you'll get strong sprouts that are ready to grow all spring.

Start Seeds Indoors
If you'd like more control over your seedlings' journey or you're eager to get growing, start your seeds indoors in your own plant nursery. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about a month before you can do it outdoors. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed package, but that's where the similarities end. Seed trays make it easier to transplant later.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for rain and sunlight. Keep your seeds warm with grow lights and heat mats, water them carefully with a watering can or spray bottle, 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 Your Garden
In quality soil, dig a hole that's bigger than or the same size as your plant's dirt plug. Carefully remove your transplant without pulling on it, keeping it inside its clump of dirt. Place your transplant in the ground, and fill any extra space with nutrient-rich fertilizer and topsoil, then water it well without overdoing it. Only apply as much fertilizer as is recommended, as adding more could burn the plant. Consider putting up wire fencing or other protective measures if deer, squirrels, or chipmunks visit your yard regularly, as your sprouts may otherwise become a snack.

Enrich Your Garden With Mulch
Nourish your garden with mulch and compost. Mulch keeps your soil from drying out and controls weeds. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster larger and stronger plants that bear more flowers and fruit. Mulch and compost can be purchased in-store, or you can learn how to compost DIY-style. The next time you're searching for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the right amount.

Greet the Spring
Don't miss a minute of growing season. Plan your landscaping and garden, prepare to fertilize your lawn, and browse your nearest plant nursery to find inspiration on which spring flowers to plant when the weather warms. If you don't have a lawn, consider adding a pellet grill, an outdoor rug, or artificial grass to your patio or balcony. Shop for the fertilizer, seeds, and soil you need in the aisles of your Springfield, MO Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.