Grow Today, Enjoy Tomorrow

Now that winter is officially over, it’s time to get down and dirty. I’m talking about gardening! Spring is my favorite season to plant because it yields some of the best payoffs. While it’s true, everything you plant in spring may not sprout until late spring or even early summer, the anticipation makes it more fun. Here are my favorite plants to garden in spring and my top tips for the best results. 

Asparagus—I love planting asparagus because you only need to plant it once to enjoy it year after year. That’s right, it’s perennial, meaning it’ll regrow every spring if tended to correctly. Just make sure the first year you plant it the ground is at least 50 degrees. If it’s any colder, your seeds won’t grow. 

Lettuce—Talk about another plant that keeps on giving. Lettuce loves cooler weather, making spring the perfect time to grow it outside. But in addition to its first growth, once you have a full head, cut it at the stem and soak the stem in water. After a couple of weeks, the stem will start to regrow a new head. You can repeat this process as many times as your little stem keeps growing!

Rhubarb—This powerhouse vegetable is another one you can plant once and enjoy for years. As a perennial, rhubarb is easy to grow and low maintenance throughout the spring season. Just be sure to cut the leaves off and throw them away—they are toxic to humans and can make you incredibly sick. 

Sunflowers—I love a multipurpose plant. And sunflowers are as beautiful as their seeds are tasty. They’ll take all summer to fully grow and bloom, but once they do they can grow to be over 12 feet tall. Just be sure to plant these beauties in a space with lots of direct sunlight—they are SUNflowers after all. 

Gardening is a great way to get the whole family involved in where your food comes from. I hope this list inspires you to get planting now, so you can enjoy your garden through summer and for years to come. Happy planting!