Tips to keep a vibrant garden this spring.

TAZEWELL, Va. (WVVA) -

This week’s beautiful weather is bringing with it an abundance of green in the gardens of the Two Virginias.

Not only is it perfect weather for exercise, but also to start tending to your lawn and garden.

And maybe to even pick up some tips from an expert like Kimberly Campbell.

She is the owner of Kimberly’s Greenhouse in Tazewell.

She says right now, broccoli and pansies are still in season due to their resilience to low temperatures.

Kimberly Campbell: “If you’re setting out your cold crops now, if you wanted to use a general purpose fertilizer, like a 10-10-10 or if you want to go organic, you can make some compost.”

10-10-10 is a balanced fertilizer made up of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

All are key nutrients that plants need to thrive.

Sunlight is another important ingredient for their growth.

Kimberly: “Most crops like the full sun, at least five hours of good sun a day, to get the fruit the size you want, the peppers the way and the size you want.”

And of course, water.

Not only do we need to stay hydrated in our day to day lives, but our seedling friends do too.

Kimberly: “Water them when they need it, when you’re first planting them. Keep them watered until they get established, and then they’ll really let you know when they need it.”

When the soil looks dry, that’s your reminder to water the plant.

And here’s another tip if you’re a fan of potted plants.

They usually dry up faster than ones in the ground, so they may need more watering.

Now, if maintaining your verdant lawn is your goal, make sure not to cut the grass too short, as it can have an impact on its ability to draw water.

Kimberly: “If you cut it too short, that’s going to limit the growth of the roots too, because the longer you keep the grass, the longer the roots are going to go down in.”

A good length to keep your grass is about three inches long.

That will help it stay full and healthy.

And if you are wanting to start a garden for the first time:

Kimberly: “Just take it slow and easy. Don’t try to overwhelm yourself with too much at one time. Even if you started with a small square garden, just a nine by nine foot area, just start something small and work up from that”

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