Spring is around the bend in Western Washington, which means it’s time to plan your garden. Growing your own food is fun and rewarding, and it can help offset the rising cost of food (and everything else). If you haven’t set foot in your garden yet, you may have some catching up to do.  Here’s a list of things to do around the garden in March:

Clear out any winter weeds that grew in while you weren’t watching.

Till your soil only if it’s dry enough (if it crumbles in your hand into smaller pieces it’s ready, but if it compacts and stays in large clumps – wait until it’s a little drier

After tilling your soil, fertilize your garden and mix in compost. Try a bag of fertilizer with 15-10-10 or a 6-10-7 (percentages of nitrogen-phosphate-potash) at around a pint per 30 square feet. Just get whatever fertilizer is inexpensive (and non-synthetic). For your compost, use last years grass clipping and food scraps – or buy a bag.

Prune and feed your roses.

If you haven’t started cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower indoors – start them now with a fluorescent lamp. Also start tomatoes, pepper and eggplant indoors under lamps.

Outside, sow beets, chard, lettuce, onions, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach and turnips.

This is a lot of work, and there’s much more to do – so plan ahead and break it up into sessions. If possible, get friends and family involved in your garden, it’s less work and more fun. Now get out there and see what grows!