Late winter is the ideal time for spring garden and getting your soil ready. Get a head start this season with these helpful garden tips.
Tips And Tricks On How To Prepare Your Spring Garden
– This was originally posted on Survival Life and has been shared with permission –
Spring and summer will be here before you know it! For some gardeners, the most exciting part of the spring and summer months are their gardens! Fresh flowers and vegetables – there’s nothing like the feeling of this accomplishment in your spring garden!
There is so much preparation that goes into gardening, some of which you can actually start on now. It’ll make the spring and summer months a lot less hectic and it will give you more time in the garden later on!
Here are some things you can start doing now for your spring garden!
Preparing Your Spring Garden
Ordering Summer Flowering Bulbs and Seeds
Summer flowering bulbs can be planted in early spring for a colorful summer display.
Most summer bloomers such as gladioli, calla lilies, dahlias, tuberous begonias, and crocosmias love warm soil and sun. If you garden in a mild climate (Zones 8 to 10), you can plant these bulbs in the early spring and expect flowers by summer.
If you garden in a colder area, early spring planting isn’t feasible. Instead, wait until late spring or early summer.
Clearing Up Garden Beds and Borders
Remove leaves and other debris from all garden beds, lawns, and ponds. It is a good idea to cut back the old dead growth of deciduous grasses and herbaceous perennials. If the soil is workable, you can dig a 5cm layer of organic matter such as well-rotted manure, compost, or recycled green waste into empty garden borders.
Edible gardening doesn’t need to stop in winter with these 15 plants! https://t.co/NI0dWqEVip via @HomesteadingUSA
— EmsyDoodle (@Misfit_Gardenin) February 27, 2017
Checking For Garden Pests
Removing hibernating pests now can save a lot of trouble come spring and summer! Take a closer look at the crowns of your perennial plants and you may find slugs, snails, and aphid colonies sheltering for the winter.
Removing Weeds
If you have found that patches of weeds are beginning to grow in your garden, remove them and dispose of them carefully. Pulling or tearing at certain weeds such as couch grass can cause the roots to spread, so be sure to dig them out using a trowel.
Do not place the weeds in a compost pile, as you will not want to accidentally spread the seeds around your garden. Once the weeds are clear, do a thorough clean up by removing leaves and other debris from the garden beds and borders.
Covering Soil With Compost
Cover bare soil with 3-6 inches with compost (organic matter). Compost acts as a slow release fertilizer and provides much-needed nutrients to the soil and plants to keep them healthy.
Avoid artificial and chemical fertilizers as they do not benefit the soil long term. If you do not have a compost pile – no worries! We will cover that in just a moment.
Repairing Fences, Gates, and Trellis
Even though it’s cold outside, this is the perfect time to repair your fences, gates, and trellis. Any broken structures are best fixed now so you have more time to spend in your garden during the spring and summer. If possible, treat your wooden garden structures with a wood preservative during the dry periods.
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Winter is normally a tranquil time in the garden however soon spring arrives and you’ll be caught up for all of the seed-sowing, developing, and supporting your garden as it wakes up! Getting your garden all together early will help make the spring somewhat less chaotic.
What steps do you take to prepare your garden for spring and summer? Tell us in the comment section below.
Want to get started with flower gardening? Here’are helpful tips made easy for every beginner to achieve that dream garden!
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This post was originally published in January 2017 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
