For a gardener, there is no greater pleasure than planting seeds, watching them sprout into beautiful seedlings, then transplanting them into their permanent growing spots in the garden and see the ‘wonder of nature’ transform them into full-grown trees, vegetable patches and blooming flower beds. As the winter season is about to end, it is time to sow the seeds of spring in your garden. If you don’t know which plants to grow in spring, don’t worry, we have got you covered.
All you need to do is scroll down and find out which vegetables and flowers bloom in the spring season.
So, let’s get started!
Best Plants to Grow in Spring
There are a few prerequisites for a flourishing spring garden. First, you must prepare the lawn for spring. Good, nutrient-rich soil can make a huge difference in the quality of plants you plan to grow.
Make use of kitchen scraps and make a good compost at home for your soil. Then plow the field and make clean rows of beds for the flowers and vegetables.
For your convenience, we have divided this blog into two parts. In the first part, we will discuss the types of vegetables to grow in spring and in the second part, we will help you choose among the different kinds of flowers that flourish in the spring season.
Let us first explore the best vegetables to plant in spring
Vegetables to Grow in Spring
Growing a vegetable patch in your garden has tremendous benefits. Not only do you get fresh vegetables, but they are also organic and have fewer pesticides sprayed on them. Here is a list of vegetables to plant in spring.
- Brinjal
- Potato
- Okra
- Hot Peppers
- Tomatoes
Let us discuss each of them in detail
Brinjal
Among the best plants to grow in spring is eggplant. Brinjal, aubergine or eggplant, can easily be grown at home, provided you sow the seeds at the right time. For brinjals to thrive, keep the soil well-drained and loose. A leafy compost can boost the nutrients in the soil. Make a raised level bed and sow brinjal seeds which you can easily purchase from a local gardening store or even get it online.
If you want to go the DIY route, then cut out the seed part of brinjal and keep it moist in a container for a day. You will see a new sprout. Sow this in the soil where you want it to grow. You will see small saplings appear in a week or two.
Continue watering the plant, but don’t keep the soil water-logged. Once the plant is big enough, light purple flowers will appear, which will then form the brinjal.
Sowing Time: February-March
First Harvest: 60-70 days
Potato
Another plant to grow in spring is potatoes. To grow tubers, for example, a potato, at home, look for potatoes in your vegetable basket that have sprouted. Cut out a deep 3-inch piece of potato where you see the growing shoot. Plant the seed potatoes 12 inches apart and cover them with soil about 3-4 inches deep. It is important to keep the soil well-covered.
Once the shoots reach 12-14 inches in size, use a shovel and dig around the plant bed, scooping soil from the sides and placing it on the plant, burying part of the stem, to keep the growing tubers well-covered. This technique of keeping raised beds will produce the highest yield.
Sowing Time: February-March, September – October
First Harvest: 110-150 days
Hot Peppers
You can produce a good variety of green chillies or hari mirchain in your spring garden! The best sowing time of hot peppers is either September-October or February. You can easily grow chillies at home. All you need is a damp coffee filter.
Pluck out the seeds from the chilli pod and place them inside the damp coffee filter. Keep the seeds covered and in a warm spot. It usually takes a week or two for the seeds to germinate but some varieties of peppers take a longer time. Place the sprouts in your garden. Once the plant is big enough, you will see small white flowers, which will then form green chillies!
Sowing Time: February, September – October
First Harvest: 50-60 days
Okra
To germinate okra seeds, the process is quite similar to the germination of green chillies. However, you don’t need to keep okra seeds soaked for a week. Okra seeds can be soaked in water overnight before placing them inside the soil.
This will quicken the germination process. Since okra plants are quite big, make sure to plant the okra seeds 12-18 inches apart in a row and space out each row 3-4 feet apart.
There can be weeds in the okra plant so it is recommended to use a 3-4 inch mulch to discourage weeds from growing. Water the plant regularly, especially if the weather turns hot.
Pro tip: After the first yield, trim the lower leaves of the plant to encourage more okra production.
Sowing Time: February, September – October
First Harvest: 50-60 days
Tomatoes
Granted, tomatoes are botanically fruits, but their use in daily life is that of a vegetable. Tomatoes can be grown all-year-round in Karachi. But people living in the northern areas of Pakistan or Islamabad, Lahore and Peshawar will have to wait until the snow and winter months pass or you can opt for the unheated greenhouse, where the plants are covered.
Take out some tomato pulp containing seeds. Dry it out on any newspaper or tissue until the seeds are separated from the pulp. Sprinkle the seeds in the soil. Tomatoes don’t need an ultra-rich soil to grow in.
They need nutrients, of course, but in moderation. If the soil is too rich it will produce leafy shoots but fewer flowers and low tomato yield. It is best to take regular soil, add some leafy compost and keep the soil loose and airy. Once green shoots start to appear from the seeds, space them out.
Don’t drench the plant in water. Also, make sure it receives plenty of sunshine throughout the day.
Sowing Time: February-March, September – November
First Harvest: 60-70 days
You can also sow seeds of Turai or sponge gourd and onions in spring. Onions can give beautiful leafy spring onions throughout the season.
Now, let us take a look at which flower seeds to sow in spring in Pakistan and how to prepare your garden for the festive spring season. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Flowers to Grow in Spring
These are the flowers you can grow in spring:
- Petunia
- Pansies
- Dahlia
Let us discuss each of the above-mentioned varieties and some handy tips to grow flowers in spring.
Petunia
For petunias to flourish, choose the right spot in your garden, where there is plenty of sunlight. Six hours is the minimum amount of sunlight required for petunias to bloom. You can get different colours of petunia seeds from your local gardening store or if you want to be less risky, go for a paneeri, which is basically a ready-to-transplant-seedling. You can get these seedlings or flowering petunia pots in January and February.
Plan out your garden in a way that you get different shades of petunias – pink, purple, white, double-shaded petunias – choose from a huge variety of colourful petunias and plant them in their relevant beds. To keep petunias blooming, prune the plant regularly. Remove worn-out flowers and the plant will continue producing fresh petunias throughout the spring season.
Flowering Time: December-May
Required Amount of Sunlight: Full
Pansies
Pansies give a colourful look to your garden. They don’t need sunlight for the entire day and can thrive in a semi-shade spot in your garden. Just like petunias, you need to plan out your garden with different coloured pansies.
Flowering Time: January-May
Required Amount of Sunlight: Semi-shade
Dahlia
Use cuttings of Indian dahlia if you want double and large dahlias. Pakistani variety of dahlia usually flowers single dahlia. Dahlias can’t flourish in icy cold weather. So, people living in Quetta or in the Galiyat region can wait for the cold winter months to pass before sowing the seeds in early spring for a late summer-autumn bloom.
The tried and tested method of growing dahlia in your garden is to go for flowering pots of dahlia and plant them in growing positions in your lawn. Keep weeding the flower bed often and also remove wilted flowers from time to time for more flowering.
Flowering Time: December-June
Required Amount of Sunlight: Full
You can also grow marigolds, hollyhocks, phlox, carnation and salvia flowers but for that, you need to prepare your garden in autumn or late winter to get the perfect spring garden you wanted.
So, this concludes our piece on plants that easily grow in spring. If gardening is your favorite hobby, you might want to grow these herbs on your windowsill, like spring onion, mint leaves and coriander. Moreover, don’t forget to explore these tips on kitchen gardening at home.
For more information, stay tuned to the best lifestyle and home decor blog in Pakistan. If you have more gardening tips to share, please write to us at blog@zameen.com and we will surely get back to you.
