Preparing to Grow with The Continental

Gardening is a great way to get outside, soak up the sun, and put your heart into something as you watch it bloom before your eyes! Here at The Continental Independent Living in Austin, TX, we love seeing what our active seniors can grow each spring. And this year, we have some tips to help you plan your garden with ease!

Garden Size

There are some factors to consider with the size of your garden before you get started. The two most significant are the room and time available to you! You want to be sure that whatever you want to plant, you have the time and space to tend to it. Try not to overwhelm yourself with too many fruits and vegetables to care for. You’ll want to shower the ones you have with care for an abundant harvest. To start, we recommend looking at your schedule and the physical space you have available, and then narrowing down your favorite fruits and vegetables.

What should you grow?

Every climate and environment has specific crops that grow better there than anywhere else. Its no different in Austin, Texas. Lucky for us, we have a lot of sunshine from spring all the way into fall, making it great weather to be a gardener! You can find seeds for these vegetables below at your local nursery or any hardware store that has a nursery attached. Check out what vegetables are ideal to grow here in Austin depending on the season:

• January, February, March: Asparagus, Radishes, Carrots, Parsnips, Head & Leaf Lettuces
• April, May, June: Broccoli, Eggplant, Peppers, Pumpkin, Snap Beans, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes
• July, August, September: Beets, Cauliflower, Collard Greens, Chard, Cucumbers, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Tomatoes

With so many tasty plants to choose from, it’s important to keep in mind what you’ll actually eat and use in recipes, as well as the amount of plants you can tend to.

Plant Placement

Now that you know how much you should grow and what you should grow, it’s time to think about where to place them in your garden, in your home, or on your patio. Consider how tall certain plants will grow, as you don’t want taller plants to cast shadows on shorter plants because it can hinder their growth. A good rule of thumb is to place the taller plants on the north side of your garden so they don’t cast these shadows. It’s also important to keep in mind any plants in the vine family, like tomatoes, and be sure you have a trellis or plant cage for them to grow on. If you’re planting in pots, consider the size of the pot you will need to house the fully grown plant you wish to grow.

Now it all comes down to when you want to start planting! Think it over and write out what vegetables and plants catch your eye. If you’re a visual person, sketch out a drawing of what you imagine your garden looking like in terms of size, number of plants, and plant placement. Don’t forget to account for growing room between plants in your sketches.

We’re so excited to see what our residents at The Continental Retirement Living grow this season!

To learn more about our residency or schedule a tour at The Continental, contact our friendly team today.

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