Best time to plant a Garden

Now is the time to start.
While my garden is a year round activity because of our southwestern climate, most are not. From the time our favorite summer vegetables are over for the season, until spring planting time, I concentrate on nourishing the soil. I'll plant beets, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, carrots and such things in about half my beds. In the other half I'll spread a pound or two of alfalfa, or alfalfa meal, for each square foot of bed. I'll add the amount of bone meal, kelp meal and fishmeal indicated on the package labels, dig it all into the soil and saturate the soil with water.
When whatever vegetables I had in the other half my beds come out, I’ll nourish those beds the same way, and usually then plant “cool weather crops” such as above, in the beds that were first fully fertilized.
After a few days, I scatter legume (beans, peas, etc.) seeds by hand, and spread a thin layer of straw or shredded alfalfa over that, just enough to cover them, and water it down. They'll grow well through our colder months. Just as the legumes start to blossom, I'll chop them up and dig them into the soil. The roots will be laden with nitrogen, and the green legumes dug into the soil will feed the earthworms, fungi, molds and other microorganisms that are vital to healthy soil. Then cover the bed with a sheet of 6 mil (millimeter) plastic (available in any hardware store) and put rocks in enough places around the edges to hold it down until planting time.
Clear plastic will allow the sun’s rays to radiate deeply into the soil. The soil will get very hot when the green organic matter starts composting, and the heat can’t escape because of the plastic sheeting. When the soil cools off, but is still somewhat warm, I’m ready to plant. Usually two weeks under the plastic will do the job. If I want the soil to cool off completely, I’ll remove the plastic several days prior to planting.
If you have only one growing season, you probably want to make the most of it. As soon as last year’s garden is over, that’s the perfect time to get the bed ready for spring planting. By the time spring comes, all that organic matter will have broken down into a rich compost, complete with a replenishment of vitamins and minerals to the soil. (Follow the package suggestions on any of the organic meals [fish, bone, kelp, etc.] you use, as some recommend application every 6 months. You may want or need to re-apply those in the week or two before planting.)
You’ll have the best garden on the block!