With winter hitting its peak, people are beginning to prepare for spring gardens.

For some, gardening can last only a few months, while for others it can be year round, but despite the season gardening takes preparation and hard work to be successful.

Beginning a garden all starts with choosing the right location. 

According to Grow it Build it, an area that is away from shrubs and trees, has well draining soil and gets at least eight hours of sunlight per day is the best location for most plants.

After choosing a location, preparation and maintenance needs to be done.

Tilling is a method of preparing the soil for planting, typically done through a trowel or garden fork.

Practicing tilling is often, but not always used in preparing a garden.

Tilling can help to reduce the amount of weeds, help the plants to grow and work in fertilizers according to Oregon State University.

A few weeks after tilling, plants are ready to be placed in the ground.

According to the See What Grows foundation, plants should begin growing in indoor pots for a few weeks, typically in March, and about a week before being planted outside the plants should be taken outside in short intervals.

These short trips outside are used to acclimate the plants to outside weather and can often be vital for the garden’s success.

Not only is timing important for the success of gardens, outside nutrients also make a difference.

According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, keeping a compost bin of kitchen scraps such as banana peels and eggshells to later use as fertilizer is beneficial because it prevents food waste as well as money waste.

This compost should typically be used when potting the plants and worked into the soil during tilling, giving the plants important vitamins and minerals.

All of the preparations taken will soon pay off, harvests from plants such as cabbage and carrots being ready for harvest within three months of planting, typically in mid to late March.

With gardening season on the way, people should continue preparing their vegetable and flower gardens.