Spring planting season is officially here, and while 70-degree weather might tempt Milwaukee residents to start planting today, local experts say it is best to wait.
At Riverwest Grown, a plant shop in the Riverwest neighborhood, owner Nick Reuland advises gardeners to use this time to prepare their gardens instead of putting plants in the ground.
"Wait a couple more weeks and it'd be a perfect time to plant," Nick said. "Some plants like peppers and tomatoes, it's about a month too early."
Another common mistake with outdoor plants is failing to acclimate them to sunlight. Because greenhouse windows are opaque, plants are not used to full, direct sun.
WATCH: Riverwest plant expert shares essential tips for spring gardening and avoiding common houseplant mistakes
"If you put a plant outside like that, you're going to shock it, and it's not going to be a good thing," Nick said. "The plant's probably going to die. Just take it, put it outside slowly, like over the course of a week, it'll be good."
For those looking to cultivate a green thumb indoors, Nick said anyone can keep a houseplant alive. He noted that people often get bad advice on the internet and tend to overwater their plants.
"People think they need to constantly be doing something," Nick said. "People think they need to water them there every day. Most houseplants really only need to be watered once a week, and people just get nervous around it."
Nick started selling plants at markets during the pandemic before quitting his job to open Riverwest Grown three years ago. He encourages people to shop locally for plants to get better products, service, and advice.
"Where they go to a big box store, they're not going to be able to get advice and they're not going to have the advice to know how to make the plants survive and thrive," Nick said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
