By Conelia Dixon
Contributing columnist

We, at The People’s Garden, can hardly keep from starting the garden season, even though it is still rather chilly out. We are so anxious to start seeds and see something green come up out of the soil. Are you looking at your garden beds and planning yet? I can almost hear you thinking about it, because I am, for sure. It pays to do some research before you lay out your garden map. Master Gardeners can help with that.

Things to consider before you start are:

1. The type of garden you want, depending on how hard you can physically work and how much time to spend:

2. Shall we utilize raised beds or ground level beds, pots or grow bags?

3. Does the soil need to be amended? Soil test kits are available at the OSU Extension office.

4. Do we need a rainwater barrel for fresh water? Rain barrels are sometimes available at the Soil and Water Conservation District office.

5. What about compost, or fertilizer?

Ok, get ready, get set…go plant! You might think it is that easy to go outside, stick some seeds in the ground, go inside and wait for them to come up. Well, it is almost that easy, as soon as seeds touch the soil, they are made to start growing.

However, you might know there would be a trick to it. Smaller seeds like carrot and lettuce are so tiny and they only hold just a little energy, enough to get to the surface and see the sun. If they are planted any deeper than a quarter of an inch, they might not come up, running out of energy.

Larger seeds, like pumpkin and squash or watermelon need to be planted deeper and take longer to come up. They have a harder covering and it needs time to soften up. So the bigger the seed, the deeper you plant it. Read the packages and follow the directions so you know how far apart to plant the seeds and how deep.

Also, some seeds like cold weather, some don’t. Notice the map of the hardiness zones on your packages so you know when to plant the seeds, not too early, not too late. Look up information about composting, succession planting, and companion planting, too.

Next thing to consider is how much food do you need for your family? Are you going to preserve some of the harvest? There are charts that you can find that tell you approximately how many plants you need for food for your family. We have information such as this and other topics at The People’s Garden. Watch for information about a beginning garden class that will be held at the garden. We love to see people learning and enjoying gardening. You don’t have to wait for the class to visit and become familiar with where we are. Come visit us behind the Agape Distribution building on the corner of Brooklyn and Court in Sidney. Call me if you need to at 937-726-9525.

Things we need at The People’s Garden right now are:

1. Soil – we have a source, just need a dump truck to haul about 10 yards of soil and bring it to the garden.

2. Bird houses that you make or are not using, and gourds that can be made into birdhouses

3. Regular volunteers that can spare an hour or two a week. There are many different jobs and there is one that you can do (kids too). You can bring children and your dog, just keep an eye on both.

Here is a good source for you to start with: OSU , Extension publication 287,1991.

The writer is a Master Gardener and a coordinator of the People’s Garden. Reach her at 937-726-9525.