Garden Center at College Station #6559

Mother's Day Gardening Gift Sale
When you're searching for Mother's Day gardening gifts, check out the big bargains on our flower pots, planters, and garden decor. Our Mother's Day Sale is your solution for the perfect present. You can even surprise her with new patio furniture. If you're unsure of what to get, a gift card never fails. It's easy to shop the sales that run from May 2nd to May 12th on our mobile app or at your local store.



On those beautiful days, clean up the yard before everything blooms in earnest. Many people feel inspired to refresh their outdoor space for entertaining, as well. Planning your garden lets you make the most of your time and space. Remember to measure your garden so you can find fresh mulch near you as soon as it's available. No matter what outdoor projects you choose to tackle, The Garden Center in College Station can help you enjoy your spring activities to the fullest.

Plant Hardiness Zones Explained
The first thing you should know when planting vegetables, spring flowers, and other seeds is your planting zone. Every location in the U.S. and its territories is sorted by climate. Find your zone on the USDA zone map and learn when to plant seeds.

For example, you could transplant bell peppers outdoors in mid-March in Zone 10, but not until the end of May in Zone 4. For best results, choose plants in your zone number or less. In other words, a Zone 6 garden can support plants listed as Zones 1–6. You can plant seeds indoors roughly a month before you can plant them outside, or direct sow. Read your seed packet for details. If you start seeds later than recommended, it's not ideal, but it will likely even out as time passes.

Gardening in Your Growing Zone
Growing season starts early and ends late in this part of the country. The climate and weather make it easy to get and keep a beautiful garden. A wide variety of plants, veggies, and flowers thrive in the Gulf region. You can even grow citrus trees for fresh fruit when you plant somewhere with good soil drainage. You'll have excellent results with peppers of all heat levels and colors, including bell peppers, jalapeños, and more. Zucchini, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins, which are direct sow only, will flourish. Tomato plants will yield thriving leaves and fruit, as they're tropical in origin and are happiest in the heat.

In balmy Zones 9 and 10, you can begin planning and planting indoors in January if you’d like. Zone 8 generally has a slightly later recommendation for indoor starts. Cruciferous veggies and garden favorites, like peppers, do well when started inside your home. Greens like spinach, artichokes, and fragrant herbs, including parsley, basil, and oregano, also don't mind an early beginning.

You can sow spring flower seeds and watch them mature under the grow lights, too. In this part of the country, your garden might still be growing if there's no reason to put it to bed — especially if it's close to the house or in a greenhouse. In that case, tend it as usual. Whatever you choose to grow, transplant them after the last frost.

Plant Seeds Outside With Direct Sow
Planting seeds with the direct sow method, right into the soil, is another option. There's less planning and tending than growing indoors. If you like to go with the flow, follow the instructions on your seed packet and try it.

Prepare to deal with whatever hand nature deals you: Be ready for all your seeds to sprout, none of them to come up, and anything in between. Your seedlings will need to survive wind, rain, animals and bugs that want a crunchy green snack, and sudden cold temperatures. But if you're lucky, you'll get strong sprouts that are ready to grow all spring.

Start Seeds Indoors
If you'd like more control over your seedlings' journey or you're eager to get growing, start your seeds indoors instead. In general, you can plant seeds indoors about a month before you can do it outside. Like direct sow, you push the seeds into the soil as directed on the seed packet, but that's where the similarities end.

You're responsible for giving them quality substitutes for sun and rain. Keep your seeds warm with heating mats and grow lights, water them carefully with a mister or watering can, then thin them as they germinate in groups of three. Give them a boost with a gently blowing fan as they lengthen into sprouts if you'd like. Harden them off to get them used to outdoor conditions, then transplant them into your garden when they're big enough.

Transplant Young Plants Into Their New Homes
Carefully take your seedling out of the container. Turn it sideways or upside-down and gently squeeze the plastic to break the seal. If your transplant grew in the garden, dig deeper than you think with your garden trowel and leave plenty of room around the stem. You don't want to damage the roots. Place it into the hole you dug for it, even with the surrounding soil.

Protect Your Garden With Mulch
Finish it all off with mulch and compost. Compost enriches the soil so your garden can grow even better. It may help foster larger and stronger plants that bear more fruit and flowers. Mulch controls weeds and keeps the soil moist. Mulch and compost can be purchased in-store or created at home. The next time you're looking for "mulch near me," stop by the Garden Center to get the perfect amount.

Greet the Spring
Late winter into early spring is an exciting time in the world of gardening. Don't miss a minute of growing season. Prepare to fertilize your lawn, plan your garden and landscaping, and browse our garden center pages to find inspiration on which spring flowers to plant when the weather warms. Shop for the fertilizer, seeds, and soil you need in the aisles of your College Station Garden Center, online, or on our mobile app. Let's get growing together.