JOPLIN, Mo. — We’re getting ever-so closer to spring gardening season.
The folks from the Joplin Greenhouse and the Coffee Shop” have advice — as you make plans to cultivate a green thumb.
Garden Center Manager Emily Shores Maxwell says they’re anticipating the last freeze of the year to be around April 18th.
Right now, she says it’s best to grow cold crops, like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, potatoes, onions, and cauliflower.
She also says from now until June is usually when the Greenhouse is the busiest.
“For first-time gardeners, if you want to do a vegetable garden or plant melons or something like that, or even herbs, what I would honestly encourage you to do is don’t get in over your head. Start simple, only plan things that you’re going to eat, and really think about the practicality of your garden. So you need to be thinking of things like, how much time do I have to devote to this garden?” said Emily Shores Maxwell, Joplin Greenhouse Garden Center Manager.
If a freeze does occur, Shores Maxwell says you should cover your crops with a tarp or sheet, or whatever you may have to help preserve your garden.