There’s very little that is pretty about a garden in winter, unless it is covered with a blanket of pristine snow. Occasionally, a red cardinal will visit, giving the dreary scene a splash of color and a faint promise of spring. There’s also a rabbit that lives under the storage cottage and shows up at the kitchen door, as if to ask “What’s for lunch?”

Winter days however are a perfect time to begin planning ahead for the garden scene you hope to create when spring arrives. You have probably already perused the spring garden catalogs, giving you new ideas about the trees, flowers, or vegetables you hope to plant.

So, what can you do now to get the best results for your spring and summer garden?

Soil preparation is your first step toward having a successful show in your garden. That involves using natural ingredients and adding organic fertilizers. You may also want to shake up the earth with some tilling. This is also the time to plant bigger trees and shade plants. March is the perfect time to plant pansies. Mid to late April is the prime time to plant all other spring flowers.

If you are planning a vegetable garden, it’s crucial to have your soil tested. Veggie gardens thrive when the soil is mixed with mulch or mushroom compost. The County Extension office will test your soil, according to the Oklahoma State University Extension staff.

Another tip from the Extension Service is to map out your garden on graph paper before you start planting and remember to allow space for your plants to grow. Tulsa’s Southwood Nursery garden staff also suggests “Keep your garden simple, if you’re a novice gardener. Start small to avoid garden frustration.”

On a field trip to the Linnaeus Teaching Garden in Tulsa, our tour guide suggested: “Consider the size of garden appropriate for you. Gardens require maintenance. Don’t over-crowd. Space plants properly. Over time, this leads to excessive pruning and poor plant performance.”

Other tips included:

• Plan for all four seasons when choosing garden plants.

• Consider using native trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants, which thrive in hot weather.

• Pay attention to the garden’s traffic paths.

• Finally, enhance your garden with visual attractions — fountains, garden art, decorative pots or urns.

Micki J. Shelton is a Muskogee native and master gardener.

Homeowners enjoy gardening for many different reasons. In addition to adding beauty to a property, gardens can offset grocery costs by yielding tasty produce. They also offer important habitats and food sources for both insects and animals.

While growing a vegetable or flower garden can turn into a rewarding hobby, or even a passion, gardening also can be overwhelming – particularly when the results are less than stellar. Novice gardeners have scores of resources at their disposal, including the advice of gardeners who have made mistakes and learned from them. The following guidance can make home gardens that much more successful.

Start small

You may have visions of an expansive garden growing rows of crops or acres of flowers. But it is smart to start small and build on what you find successful, which includes plants that thrive in your lawn and garden.

This also is beneficial if you are unsure of vegetable yields. Several blooming plants producing bushels of crops can be overwhelming, especially if you can’t get to harvesting or cooking them in a timely fashion.

Assess the soil

Plants need nutrient-rich soil to encourage extensive root systems and produce strong, hardy plants, according to the gardening resource GrowVeg. Nourish soil with organic matter, such as manure, compost, shredded leaves, and natural mulch. Add this organic matter in the off-season to give it enough time to be incorporated into the ground before spring. You can have your soil tested for pH and other characteristics that make it friendly or averse to plants at a local garden center.

Arm yourself with knowledge

Do you know how deeply to plant seeds and how far apart to space plants? Are you aware of the sunlight needs of certain flowers or plants? If not, read the packaging and do your research so your plants have the best chance of not only sprouting, but also surviving. Many people prefer to start seedlings indoors in late winter and then transfer those plants outdoors when they are stronger and more established.

Sit in your yard and observe

Watch the way the sunlight dances over areas of your landscape. Take note of which areas get the most sun and shade. This will help you plan what to plant and where to plant it. Vegetable gardens tend to need ample sunlight to bear pick-worthy produce. You can give plants a leg up by growing them in optimal conditions.

Choose hardy varieties

Certain plants have been bred to thrive in your climate, including heat-tolerant plants for climates with sweltering summer sun. Consult with a local gardening center to figure out which plant zone you are in and which plants will do best within that zone.

Use rainwater

Rainwater contains fewer contaminants and additives than tap water, which can benefit garden plants. Collect rainwater in rain barrels and use irrigation systems to deliver it to the garden.

Home gardens can yield many gifts, from flowers to fruit. Beginners can utilize some time-tested strategies to increase their chances of planting a successful garden.

Nothing beats the taste of fresh produce picked right from the garden. A fresh homemade salad, a delicious side dish or toppings for a cheeseburger, garden-fresh produce is the best.

Novice gardeners who are contemplating installing a new vegetable garden this year should consider a number of factors, including site selection, removing existing vegetation and soil preparation.

When choosing a site for a garden, think about sun exposure, soil, air flow and water supply. A garden needs at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. Choose a site with southern exposure. Well-drained soil with a pH level of 6.6 is optimal for gardening success. Even though the garden is outdoors, air flow is important. Try to avoid choosing a site in a low-lying area because they tend to collect cold air which slows germination and plant development in the spring.

Something else to consider is choosing a site away from any established trees and shrubs, especially walnut trees. Walnuts exude a substance called juglone from their roots which is allelopathic, meaning it can kill other plants. Tomatoes and other solanaceous plants are highly sensitive to juglone.

We know natural irrigation isn’t a sure thing in Oklahoma, so be sure to locate the new garden close to a water source.

With a new garden site, it’s important to start with a clean slate by removing existing vegetation and controlling weeds. Ideally this should be done the summer prior to planting, but it’s not too late. Chemical methods such as applying herbicides will get rid of vegetation, but also consider non-chemical methods such as solarization and smothering. Solarization is a simple technique that captures radiant heat energy from the sun and uses that heat to kill seedlings and weed seeds, along with some soil-borne disease organisms. Solarization can also be combined with the application of soil amendments and fertilizers. In fact, solarization can speed up decomposition of organic matter, releasing soluble nutrients into the soil. To smother weeds, cover the soil with black plastic or several layers of newspaper, cardboard or carpet.

Whatever method is used, it is ideal to control perennial weeds before establishing a new garden. It will be much easier to manage them before the area is planted with vegetables.

Once the vegetation is removed, till the soil to loosen it. This is a good time to enrich the soil by adding manure or other organic material. It’s a good idea to do a soil test as part of your garden preparation. It is easier to amend soils and add nutrients before planting, rather than after. Soil tests collect information on soil nutrients and pH.

The proper way to collect soil samples is available online in this Oklahoma State University Extension publication, Soil Testing … The Right First Step.

Soil sample bags are available at your local OSU Extension county office, where soil samples may also be submitted. The samples are sent to the OSU Soil, Water, and Forage Analytical Laboratory for testing. Tests cost $10 each and evaluate soil pH, nitrate nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium contents. You can also request micronutrient tests as well as organic matter content and other specific tests. Test results include fertilizer recommendations specific to the type of vegetation growing on the site. Be sure to mark the proper space on the sample label indicating the type of area sampled, such as turf or garden.

David Hillock is a consumer horticulturalist with Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension.