It’s officially “go” time for gardening in Indianapolis. Here’s how to hit the ground running with the right tools and supplies to make your garden look great.

Soil Test Kit

Do you know whether your soil has a high pH, neutral, or low? Most Indianapolis soils have a higher pH, but if your water’s pH is low, that could impact your soil. Grab a soil test kit now that the ground has thawed and check the pH. If the pH is low, your garden might be a good place for growing holly bushes and rhododendrons, but you’ll struggle with tomatoes, because they do best with a higher pH.

Eyeball the readings and pick up lime if you need to raise the pH and sulfur if you need to lower it. We have both.

Garden Hose, Watering Wand, and Sprinkler

Planning to reseed any lawn areas this spring? you’ll need a sprinkler because grass seeds need to stay moist while sprouting.

Planting new shrubs? Put a soaker hose around each one or along a row of new shrubs, at least 8 inches from the trunk/stem to make quick work of keeping them watered deeply and infrequently.

A fresh, un-kinked hose will make keeping your new transplants well-watered while they’re getting established. A water breaker or rosette for the end of the hose will break the water stream into a more gentle cascade, and a watering wand can help you reach into deep landscape beds.

Vegetable and Flower Seeds for Indianapolis

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You can still start plenty of seeds indoors for your Indianapolis garden. Do you enjoy growing cut flowers? Zinnias, celosia, salvia, and marigolds take a few weeks to get large enough to transplant outdoors, so late March is a good time to sow indoors. Sunflowers are quick to sprout and easy to grow from seed outdoors, so wait until nights are at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit regularly before planting. (But it doesn’t hurt to pick up sunflower seeds for planting while you grab other seeds.)

Start warm-weather herb seeds, including basil, indoors now. Sow cool-weather herbs, salad greens, and peas outdoors now while it’s still chilly.

Flower, Vegetable, Tree, and Shrub Fertilizers

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We recommend working some slow release fertilizer into the soil when you plant your annuals and vegetables. Which fertilizer depends on what you’re planting. Espoma makes a full range of fertilizers that you can mix into the soil with your vegetable transplants, annual flowers, trees, or shrubs at the time of planting. These fertilizers will feed the plants slowly throughout the beginning of the growing season, getting them off to a good start.

If you need help deciding which fertilizer is right for your Indianapolis garden, we can help! Grab one of our staff members.

Animal Repellent Sprays

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You’re doing all the work to grow a gorgeous garden so make sure a critter doesn’t come along and eat it! We have repellent sprays for deer, rabbits, mice, and other creatures that want to make your lunch their lunch.

Shovels for Fast Planting

Our favorite way to plant 1-gallon perennials is with a good spade or shovel. Forget trying to dig a hole big enough with a hand trowel! It’s much faster with a spade.

Our line of tools has orange handles, making them less likely to get lost in the garden.

Watering Can and Rosette

If you like planting container gardens or live in an apartment with a patio or balcony, a quality watering can is your best watering friend. Keep one filled and handy by the back door so you can pop out and give your plants a drink on your lunch hour or after work. (We don’t recommend keeping filled watering cans outdoors unless you enjoy breeding your own mosquitoes.