Oh my my! Where has summer gone?

Good news is that you can keep on planting even as the long warm days of summer start to wind down.

Are you planning on planting fall bulbs? You should be!

Now is the time to consider tulips, alliums, crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, irises, freesias, and even garlic!

Yes, we said garlic! Want the prettiest, most colorful spring garden in the neighborhood?

Follow the ‘3Ps’ to fall bulb planting success…

1. Planning: Figuring out where you want to plant your bulbs is a great start. Well drained soil and a mostly sunny spot is a must. This step will allow you to calculate how many bulbs you will need to create a beautiful landscape. Consider planting bulbs in clusters, shorter varieties in front of taller varieties, and stagger bloom times. Now you are ready to sit down, and order up your bulbs.
2. Prepping: While the days are still warm and it is not quite time to get the bulbs in the ground, the soil is still super workable, and it is the perfect time to get your planting sites prepared for planting. Dig up the soil to a depth of about 8”, remove all rocks and debris, and if it is a new bed, it will definitely benefit from the addition of a bit of aged compost. Now you can relax and wait for those bulbs to arrive.
3. Planting:  Today is the day you have been waiting for! Your bulbs are here, the garden is ready, and the nighttime temperatures are between 40-50 degrees. Planting requires a few simple steps...
   • Take a moment to read the labels and packages that your bulbs came in. Keep things organized or you will have no idea which bulb is which.
   • Make sure your planting bed is ready.
   • Depending on the bulb, follow recommendations on the label for planting depth. General rule of thumb is to plant big bulbs about 8" deep and small bulbs about 5" deep. Set the bulb in the hole pointy side up and roots down. Some varieties are tough to tell, do not worry, in most cases, even if you don't get it right, the flower will still find its way up!
   • Bulbs are in and now it is time to backfill with soil over the hole. This is where the Organic Plant Magic Potting Soil comes in super handy. It is great to keep your new babies well fed over the next few months and keep the soil loose. Lightly compress the soil but do not pack it. Water only once to stimulate root growth and to fill any air pockets.

You did it!

What a great way to start out the season and we cannot wait to see how your spring garden grows.

Happy gardening from the Organic Plant Magic family!