6 Garden Tasks to Do in Early Spring
Hello, spring! Yesterday, marked the first day of spring. This has to be one of our favorite times of year. We are eager to see all that has been dormant for so many months come peeking through. When we watch our garden come in, it feels almost like the playing of a symphony. Each plant is a different instrument playing its own special notes. Together they create the most beautiful song.
With the welcoming of spring comes lots of fun tasks to do in your garden. We can welcome warmer weather, longer days, singing birds, and budding trees. It is a line that marks that winter is finally over and days spending outside are here.
It truly is an exciting time of year for your garden and your yard. It can also be one of the most important times of the year for your garden and yard. Taking a few steps to help your garden, you will be able to see amazing benefits in your yard. Here is a list of six different tasks that you can do today, in early spring, to help make your garden and yard look incredible this year.
6 Early Spring Gardening Tasks
- Clean Up Your Yard
Spring is a great time to clean up your yard and garden. Our home is located on a path that many people walk by. So, when we have a nice sunny day, like today, we walk around the yard picking up little pieces of garbage and debris that we might have missed or were once hidden underneath snow.This is also the time where we pull out our yard waste bags and fill them up. Pick up all those sticks that have fallen down. Find the dead brush that you did not get a chance to get to last fall. Use garden clippers to cut them down. This will help make your garden look great as it comes in. It is also a lot easier to take the dead scrub out before the new green plants come through. At that point it can be harder to avoid cutting the new green.
- Prepare Your Soil
Now that the ground is no longer frozen, take time to prepare your soil. You can add a nice amount of organic compost to help enrich your garden.Fun Compost Tip: If you do not have your own compost pile, you can use coffee grounds. Just take your filter and dump the grounds directly into your garden. This is an easy way most people have handy to add rich organic nutrients to their garden. For more on composting, please see Composting Strategies for the Busy Gardener.
Toil the soil. You can do this with your hand or use a garden tool to help. This will help to break up any clumps. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for the roots to grow down deep.
One last important part of preparing your soil is to weed. Make sure to pull out the weeds and put them in your yard waste bag. This way they do not come growing back later in the spring.
- Trim Over Grown Trees and Shrubs
Take a walk around your yard and your garden. Look at each bush and each tree and find the areas that you would like to cut back. Look for any trees that might be wounded or hurt from the winter and might need more attention or even cutting back or down. Early spring is a great time to trim back those shrubs and trees. - Start Planting Seeds Indoors
Depending on the area of the country you live in will determine which when and how you start your garden from seeds. For many parts of the country, seedlings that have a longer growth life might have to be started inside.The rule of thumb to plant vegetables or many plants is to wait to plant outside after danger of frost. Vegetables like peppers and tomatoes tend to be picky and need warmer weather. For example, in the Northeast, the mental calendar marker is Mother’s Day. That tends to be a good time of year for gardeners to feel safe enough to begin to plan outside. For peppers and tomatoes, they tend to need around 6-8 weeks of indoor growing before placing outside. Beginning them now indoors is a great time.
- Move Deciduous Shrubs
Now is the perfect time to move a poorly placed or crowed deciduous shrub. The idea is to move it while it is still dormant. This will help to make sure that your tree transfers and does not get too shocked from the transplant. - Buy The Right Tools
Now is great time to prepare your garden beds, your trellis’, your garden walls. If you plan to grow plants that need a trellis, plan where they should be located and how many you will need. If you are planting a vegetable garden, you may want to consider having a trellis to help your veggies grow up. This helps to create more space in your garden. Sweet peas, tomatoes, and squash and watermelon are just a few examples of vegetables and fruit that can grow vertically.
If you are planning on planting new trees and shrubs, having a Rootwell will be a very helpful and beneficial tool to make sure they take root and thrive. Newly planted trees and shrubs are most vulnerable when they are just planted. This is the time that is most important for them to receive the adequate water and nutrients to help them survive the transition.
Your Garden Will Thank You
Spring is finally here and getting outside to prepare for the new life that is emerging will be worth the effort. You will take yourself and your garden will thank you for the effort you take to do these 6 gardening tasks in early spring. When you take the time to clean your garden, prepare the soil, trim over grown trees and shrubs, start seedling indoors, move poorly placed shrubs, and buy the right tools and you are on your way to a stunning garden and yard this year.
