(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Spring is here, and with it comes nice weather now people are beginning to enjoy their favorite outdoor activities, and for many gardening is a top favorite.

This time of year, is when a lot of people begin to feel the effects of spring fever, but unfortunately it’s not quite time to begin planting. However, there are some ways you can prepare a garden to make sure it’s ready when the time comes.

Experts say you should wait until after Mother’s Day or until the soil is 50 degrees throughout the night. It’s no secret that just because it’s April does not mean the cold weather is behind us just yet.

“I’ve always been really passionate about agriculture. Obviously I love plants, and one day I really want to start my own farm,” said Kaitlyn Marks, a new employee at Rick’s Garden Center.

The warmer temperatures in the coming days and weeks ahead have Southern Coloradans eager to start spring and summer projects.

“Make sure that you have a plan for the for Colorado weather, whether that be hail, the sun, or deer. I mean, that’s not weather, obviously, but have a plan for the different things that are challenging to grow in in Colorado,” said Daniel Hopper, the owner of Rick’s Garden Center.

Marks says it is important to be patient to make sure you get the best crop you can. That’s why it’s important to hold off on planting for now.

“A lot of places have a longer growing season in Colorado, but you want to get in as soon as possible because we have a really short growing season, so around Mother’s Day,” said Marks.

But for all the impatient gardeners, there is some good news; there are a few ways to prepare your garden in the meantime. Winter watering, pruning, and adding compost to your soil are a few things you can do.

Marks says she found her green thumb at the library as a kid and says she was always drawn to the agriculture section. She’s just one of the many who are eager to begin their garden.

“One day I went to a farm and I tried a tomato off the vine and I was like, wow, this is like nothing I’ve ever tasted before, it was nothing like in the grocery store, and I was like, I really want to try and grow these myself,” she said.

The rest is history. She even began a gardening club at her high school so she could share her passion with others.

“I really wanted to start a club that was for gardening and teaching people how to grow their own food, I just think it’s really important, and my teacher, my environmental teacher helped me to start it,” said Marks.

Coming soon to local gardening shops, is a new flower that is sure to ‘glow’ up your garden.

“There’s something called a petunia firefly that’s coming out this year. It’ll be available to garden centers, and it’s a glow-in-the-dark petunia….It’s a genetically modified petunia so that whatever solar energy it gains throughout the day, it is radiating back kind of through a bioluminescence,” said Hopper.

Hopper says it is important for gardeners to watch out for wildlife by adding protective covers over the crop.