Your garden is calling…can you hear it?
Your garden is calling you to prepare for the upcoming season. You need to buy and organize seeds, clean your tools, clean out debris and just listen to what your garden is telling you.
This is what your garden is saying to you:
1. Get Your Shed in Order
Go over your tools. Sharpen blades, oil hinges, and think about expanding or upgrading your collection. Use a mill file to sharpen blades, then add penetrating oil to remove and prevent corrosion. You would be surprised how much easier it is to dig or cut with a sharp, well-oiled implement. The right tools will make the whole season much easier!
2. Clear Out Weeds, Mulch, and Debris
Do a spring cleaning of the area by removing anything in the way until you are back to the bare soil. Dead organic matter can go on the compost pile to break down. Well-composted mulch or organic matter can stay right where it is to be incorporated into the soil. However, fresh mulch needs to be raked away to expose the soil.
3. Prune
Many trees or shrubs can use a good pruning this time of year, especially those that bloom on new wood. Late winter/early spring is the perfect time to prune back old wood because you can see the branch structure well. Also, you can shape the plant before the buds break dormancy and the plant starts investing energy in its branches. Some of the plants you want to prune at this time of year are: buddleia (butterfly bush), cornus canadensis (flowering dogwood), and lonicera (honeysuckle). Early spring is also the perfect time to prune and shape hydrangea paniculata, cercis (redbud), summer-blooming spirea, lagerstroemia (crepe myrtle), rose, and wisteria.
4. Prepare the Soil
Once the frost has lifted and the soil is workable, start preparing your garden beds. In winter, soil tends to become compacted. So, the first thing you want to do is loosen it back up by tilling or turning it. Using a tiller or a sharp spade, work the soil to a depth of 12 to 14 inches to loosen it up.
Next add compost and amendments. You can use a soil test to see where your pH and nutrient levels are and will tell you what type of materials you might want to add. If you have clay-based soil, it is especially important to add a healthy layer of compost to improve the soil’s texture, nutrient content, and moisture-retention. Then rake the soil level and water it lightly to help it settle and release air pockets.
If your existing soil is particularly poor, the easiest option might just be to rise above it with a raised garden bed.
5. Set Up New Planters and Garden Beds
It is easy to get excited by the beautiful new varieties you come across in catalogs. Unfortunately, you may end up ordering more plants than you have places to put them! This is the time of year to build garden beds, install shepherds hooks or window boxes. Don’t forget to order new pots to ensure you have enough to showcase all your gorgeous, over bought, new plants.
6. Divide Perennials
Some perennials tend to crowd each other out, causing their performance to deteriorate year over year. Daylilies, Shasta daisies, hostas, and many others all benefit from being divided in early spring.
7. Early Planting
Get the first wave of planting done. Many plants can be started indoors this time of year for planting out in spring. In particular, hardy vegetables (onions, potatoes, artichokes, and some lettuces) are ready to be planted now. Look at the plant information for whatever you intend to plant.
8. Apply Mulch
Last but not least, apply a thick layer of mulch wherever you can. Mulch is much more effective if you can get it in place before the weeds start sprouting. If you think that mulch will bury your germinating seeds, you can avoid a lot of this conflict if you start your seedlings indoors. If you are working around established plants, mulch carefully. Just don’t wait too long to mulch an area, or the weeds will beat you there!
(Thanks to wayside gardens for these great tips.)
Planting
When the time comes to plant your kitchen garden, you’ll need to decide which plants to start from seed and which to buy as transplants. Many gardeners choose to plant all of their crops from seed. Usually it includes lower costs, greater selection, and the challenge and satisfaction of seeing a plant go from seed to soup bowl. But whether you’re a greenhorn or a green thumb, there’s no shame in buying seedlings. Doing so increases your chances of success, especially with crops that require a long growing season.
Specific Tips:
Once the soil has unfrozen and is dry enough to crumble, turn or till it to 12-14 inches to break up compaction. Mix in 2-3 inches of compost or organic matter to boost nutrients.
- No-Till Approach: If using no-till methods, simply add compost and organic material to the surface.
- Clay Soil: For heavy clay, add plenty of compost to improve texture.
- Vertical Gardening: Install supports for climbing plants early, before planting
Have a wonderful time in your garden. Stop often and listen to what it’s telling you.
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