Don’t let the warm weather fool you, it’s too early to start a garden

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Every year, thousands of people prepare their gardens for the summer. Some even look to get an early start.

With a warmer week hitting the Black Hills, gardeners may think it’s a good time to get started.

But, hold that green thumb.

“As we all know too, if you’ve been around here for very long that this isn’t here to stay and that we’re probably going to get a little bit more winter, so as much fun as it would be to be out and start gardening and stuff at this point, I’d certainly put the brakes on there,” said Tim Sime, the Owner of Jolly Lane Greenhouse.

Sime says that the time to plant a garden won’t be here for about another six to eight weeks.

But, the warmer temps shouldn’t go to waste. You can still get some prep work done and give yourself a fresh start for when it’s time to plant.

“A lot of people are preparing, getting their seeds and stuff and maybe starting some of their plants but the thing you could do is work the soil, add some soil amendments and get the soil ready and you know, depending on how much warmth we have, the soil probably thawing out a bit to where it’s not frozen,” Sime said.

With it also being a dry year in the Black Hills, it also never hurts to water your trees or shrubs but only when the ground isn’t frozen.

“If you know, we have these nice days and you can get the garden hose out and lay it by the base of that tree and just let it trickle, as long as the ground will absorb that moisture and so forth, you’re doing a lot of good,” he said.

Taking advantage of the warm weather for your garden, saving time and money.