Posted by Chris Randle on 20th Apr 2022
How to Prepare Your Garden for Spring
As soon as the weather warms up and the day gets longer, we can finally jump outside and into the garden and start digging and planting. Spring is an exciting time of the year, a time for new life and growth, and a transition from the blahs of winter. With this wonderful feeling, it is the perfect and active time to start caring for your spring garden.
Spring is traditionally the season when many new flowers and bulbs emerge from the slightly warmed up earth. As we transition from winter to spring it's time to get the garden ready for the spring preparations. Doing this as early as possible will mean that you can reap the rewards later on. These preparations should be a pleasure rather than a chore so get ready to put on your gardening gloves!
With the excitement of the season ahead you will soon be sowing, growing and nurturing all the amazing plants, flowers and trees you were planning to grow. Using all the pent-up energy we accumulated over the winter, let's head outside to our gardens and clean them out, repair hardscaping, do a little pruning and moving, and start the spring season off right. Here are a couple of things you can do to prepare your garden for the season ahead.
Clean Your Garden Tools
As they say, cleanliness is next to godliness so make sure your gardening tools are in top condition to help you be successful throughout the season. Just like your garden, they also might carry bugs or diseases so a good scrub will go a long way in preventing infection to your plants. Remove the rust, and sharpen the blades and the edges of shovels, trowels and hoes. Regular maintenance of garden tools will keep them efficient and will last longer. Also, think about expanding or upgrading your collection. Having the right tools will make the whole season much easier.
Remove Weeds
Do a spring cleaning of your whole area and remove anything until you are back to bare soil. Pull out all the weeds from your garden, along with fallen branches and large plant debris. Dead organic matter can be put into the compost pile to break down. They need to be removed from the soil and placed in the middle of a compost pile.
Well composted mulch can stay and be included in the soil but "fresh" mulch needs to be raked away to expose the soil. Note that you should wait until the soil is dry enough before attempting any heavy weeding or tilling.
Prune
Springtime is a good time for pruning many trees, especially those that bloom on new wood. But before you start snipping there are a couple of things to be considered. First things first, you should always use a clean rag and some isopropyl alcohol to sterilize your pruners before each cutting. This precaution will keep you from unintentionally spreading disease all around the garden. Second, there are many plants that should not prune in early spring because they bloom on old wood. Some of the plants that should be pruned after the spring-blooming are Magnolias, Hydrangeas, Azalea, Kalmia and others.
As a plus, it is a good practice to add a little fertilizer to the soil whenever you prune your plants, to ensure that they have the nutrients on hand to heal their wounds more quickly.
Prepare Your Soil
Once the frost is gone and the soil is workable you can start preparing it. In the winter months, the soil tends to become compacted so the first thing you want to do is loosen it by turning it. Using a sharp spade, work the soil to a depth of 12 to 14 inches to loosen it up. Any mulch that is well-composed should be mixed into the soil right away, but the fresh mulch should be put in the compost pile. For the next part, you should add compost and amendments accordingly to the type of soil you have. The final step is using a rake to level the soil and then watering it lightly to help it settle.
Set up a Compost System
If you don't already have one, consider making your own compost system a priority number one for the coming season. Establishing your own compost system is a great way to cut down costs on fertilizers. You can add lots of different things to your compost like kitchen scraps, garden materials and yard trimmings. And of course, choose a compost system that is suitable for your garden and the amount of plant material you plan or can add to it.
Plan for Maintenance
A spring garden requires regular work. Watering, weeding, and harvesting are just a part of the tasks. That's why it is helpful to plan for the maintenance of your garden.
At the end of the day, the greatest teacher is your garden itself. Pay close attention, take notes and don't be afraid to experiment with different methods or varieties of gardening to figure out what works best for you. Happy spring gardening!
FAQs:
First thing first, ask yourself what type of garden you're interested in planting. Maybe a vegetable garden appeals to you or perhaps a herb garden if your priorities are healthy cooking. Or maybe a flower garden to beautify your surroundings. There are plenty of beautiful flowers, vegetables and fruits that can be planted in spring. Once you’re sure that the cold freezing nights are behind you, you can grab a spade and start planting petunias, pansies, sunflowers, hydrangeas and much more. When it comes to veggies, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and carrots are the safest option. As fruits go, raspberries, blackberries or strawberries are the perfect options for early spring.
Each year, home growers or gardeners wonder when to start their spring garden. The window of opportunity varies based on where you live, the location (or zone), the plants that you want to grow and the preparation of your soil for the new season. Early spring is considered to be the favourite time of the year for gardening. If you want to have the best results it's good to know the last frost date for your area and plan a planting schedule accordingly. In general, the end of March or the beginning of April is the earliest you should start planting.
There is some deal of preparation for planting a spring garden. Garden prepping for spring should start with a nice and thorough cleaning of any leftover debris and weeds. After that, you should prepare the soil for gardening and then make a plan and schedule what you want to grow.
A garden is a piece of land right next to a house that can include flowers, vegetables and fruits, other plants and grass. The actual plants used in the garden vary depending on the gardener's personal taste and location (zone).