Everywhere you turn, there’s another sign of Spring’s impending arrival: sneaky peeks at emerging new foliage; buds on trees and shrubs; even some flowers have started to blow.

We’re almost there. Any day now our blissfully short winter will be a mere memory. It didn’t always feel short to me; a friend visiting from up north chastised me recently because I said it was cold. She reminded me of those who are still snowed in, those who will not see their gardens for many weeks.

One strategy for optimizing garden harvest is to plant early and often. According to my planting chart it is time for some seed sowing and soil preparation. Of course a soil test will help take the guess work out of your fertilizer purchases. Don’t guess, do the test.