Top 10 Tips To Prepare Your Garden For Spring
By Zoe Dromgolle
Author bio: Zoe Dromgolle is the marketing executive at Wood Flooring Ireland. She has an interest in all areas of homes and gardens.
Spring can be an exciting time of the year for many gardeners. As the cold winter comes to an end and warmer months are underway, the soil is getting warmer and trees are budding – it is yet another growing season! But are you ready?
Everyone wants a beautiful, blooming garden by the end of the first few spring weeks, and we all know that early and proper preparation will be the difference. If you prepare your garden appropriately, you can rest assured you will be pulling carrots from the ground or picking fistfuls of kale leaves after a few weeks. So how do you prepare your spring garden?
Top 10 tips to prepare your spring garden
Purchase and Organise Seeds and Bulbs
Selecting planting materials is arguably the most important and fun part of gardening. It is essential to complete this process as early as possible since the better the quality of planting materials, the higher the yields. Take advantage of the time you spend indoors (before the soil warms up enough) to research and find the best seeds and bulbs for your spring garden.
Clean the Garden
During the long months of winter, there are a lot of leaves and debris that accumulate in your garden. It is important to get rid of the browned foliage and other debris to give room for the growth of your perennials. It also clears your garden ahead of other preparation activities and planting.
Prune Summer-Blooming Shrubs and Overgrown Trees
To ensure your garden is truly clean ahead of the gardening season, prune your summer-blooming flowering shrubs and trees that could shade your crops. It is advisable to handle any pruning needs before you plant since the task could become relatively challenging once the crops germinate.
Remove Weeds
Once you remove all the debris and leaves, it is time to pull those weeds out. Your garden could have leftover weeds from the last gardening season or ones that found a way to sprout in the cold weather. It is essential to remove these weeds before they get deep-rooted and, most importantly, before they get a chance to produce seeds and multiply.
Also read: 5 All-Natural Ways to Keep Your Garden Bed Weed-Free.
Repair raised garden beds and Fertilise Perennials
Once the soil warms up enough, it is time to replace the old soil in your raised garden beds. It is normal to have smaller volumes of soil in raised beds after a planting season since microbes and plants consume the fine humus in soils. Ensure you also apply granular fertiliser around your trees, shrubs and perennials to ensure they get the nutrients they need as the new gardening season starts.
Implement Pest Control Measures
Pests are the gardener’s sworn enemies. So, before you even start sowing seeds, it is essential to get rid of any hibernating pests and save yourself a lot of trouble when the warm seasons set in. Check out the entire garden for common pests such as slugs, snails, aphids and white-vine-weevils and destroy them before they can infest your crops.
Plant Crops that Require a Longer Season
As you rush to complete your preparations ahead of spring gardening, it is essential to sow the seeds of plants that need a longer season to mature. Examples of such crops include begonias, peppers and geraniums. If the soil is still frozen, you can start these crops in heater propagation.
Start Collecting Rainwater
The gardening seasons can be very dry – so make sure you make the most of the seasonal rainfall. Harvesting rainwater can save you a lot of money as the dry season sets in since you wouldn’t have to resort to water companies for your irrigation needs. Install gutters and water butts around your house and sheds to collect as much water as possible.
Repair Garden Fence and Gate
Garden fences help keep chickens, rabbits and other animals off your crops. Unfortunately, the winter weather can spell trouble for these fences. So, before planting your crops, ensure you mend all damaged parts of your fences, gates and trellises.
Prep Your Gardening Tools
Prepping your gardening tools can help make manual gardening work more manageable. It also helps prevent the spread of diseases and keeps tools in good shape, which saves you money in the long run. So, it is essential to clean and sharpen the tools before and after you use them.
Also read: How To Handle Every Gardening Challenge With Ease Using These Tools?
In a Nutshell
The start of a gardening season can be a very exciting time for many gardeners. Unfortunately, there is a lot of work to do, and without proper planning, things can quickly get out of hand. Luckily, with a few guidelines and dedication, your garden can get off to a good start.
In addition to the tips above, ensure you generate a gardening calendar that defines when to plant each crop. That helps keep yourself organised and avoid confusion regarding maturity days. VEGEGA has listed a whole planting calendar for the US, UK, Canada, and German. You can see it by clicking here.
