Garden Center at Wareham #2613

Celebrate Springtime Gardening
On spring days, tidy the yard before everything blooms in earnest. You can also add interest and beauty with hardscaping, stonework, and water features. Don't forget to sweep out the gazebo and clean the shed 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 Wareham Garden Center can help you enjoy your spring activities to the fullest.

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

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 6 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–6. 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 later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone: New England
In Zone 5, which includes parts of Pennsylvania as well as upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and southern Maine, your best bets for veggies will be root vegetables like beets and carrots, leafy greens including lettuce, and cruciferous veggies like cabbage and kale. You can try squash, but prepare for additional warming upkeep when late frost is forecast. Planting dates are roughly mid-March through May 1st, depending on whether you're starting your seeds indoors or directly sowing them into your garden.

Much of West Virginia, Connecticut, New Jersey, southern New York state, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are in Zone 6, so planting can begin earlier there than farther north. Parts of Virginia are even warmer, coming in at Zone 7. The outdoor growing season doesn't begin until mid-March or even April, although you can plant some veggie seeds halfway through February. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, and other classic garden crops will do well in this region, and most of them can get an early start indoors before spring really moves in.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Direct sow, or planting seeds directly into outdoor garden soil, is another way of gardening. If you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed pouch. Direct sow timeframes are later than indoor planting because the soil must be warm enough.

There's more variation with seed survival with direct sow. Your seedlings need to survive hungry rodents and storms, weather too much rain or too little sun, and obtain proper nutrition. Be ready to deal with whatever nature gives you. If you're lucky, you'll get strong sprouts that are ready to grow all spring.

Start Seeds Indoors
You can save money and gain the satisfaction of growing your garden from seeds by starting them indoors in your own plant nursery. We've got all the seed starter supplies you'll need. For best results, you'll want grow lights and heat mats to go with your nursery pots and seed trays. If you're planting a larger garden, use seed trays — like the ones you see sprouts in at your nearest garden center — to plant tiny soil plugs when the time comes. You can also use pots with seed starter mix and potting soil.

Measure your finger to use it as a ruler. In general, you'll plant 3–5 seeds, then press them into the soil to the depth you need with your finger. Mark where you planted the seeds with a plant tag or toothpick. That way, you'll know where your seeds should pop up. Otherwise, it'll be a surprise when the sprouts push out of the soil.

Strengthen Your Sprouts
When your seedlings aren't ready to go outside yet, you can still prepare them for outdoor life. These micro-seedlings are fragile — only an inch or so high, with the tiniest seedling leaf or two — but they're resilient. Seedlings don't get all this pampering in nature, so they can handle more than you think. However, your sprouts are still babies, so don't go overboard. You can even use an oscillating fan on low to strengthen their stems by mimicking the wind.

Harden Your Seedlings
Once your seedlings are a few inches tall, start hardening them off. This is a process of gradually introducing them to the outdoors, making them stronger in the long run. Hardening means your seedlings are less likely to die during a sudden cold snap.

Transplant Young Plants Into Their New Homes
In quality soil, dig a hole that's bigger than or the same size as your plant's dirt plug. Place your transplant in the ground, and fill any extra space with nutrient-rich topsoil. Apply fertilizer if desired inside the plant hole or on top of the dirt, then water them well without overdoing it. Never apply more fertilizer than recommended, as adding more could burn the plant. Consider putting up chicken wire or other protective measures if deer, squirrels, rabbits, or chipmunks visit your yard regularly, as your sprouts may otherwise become a snack.

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

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