Time to dust off the wheelbarrow and get the mower started – it’s officially spring again! But with a new season filled with such promise – and so much to do in the garden – where in the world do you start?
It’s finally time to start growing again, and time to wake up those sleeping garden plots. Here are just a few suggestions to get you started:
- Do a maintenance check on the compost pile. Turn it, move it, use it!
- Remove protective coverings from roses and tender shrubs.
- Prepare your perennial beds by raking and mulching.
- Rake any leaves that may have been missed once snow fell. Add to the compost pile.
- Treat your lawn mower right by greasing it up, filling the gas tank, checking the spark plugs and sharpening the blades.
- Flush out your pipe lines by running your outside faucet. Inspect your garden hose for cracks and leaks and, if necessary, replace it.
- Check your rain spouts for leaves and debris that may clog in the summer. Clean out and add to the compost pile.
- If you put your lawn ornaments away for the winter, introduce them back to your landscape.
- Give your lawn furniture a good spraying with the hose to remove dirt and dust that has built up. Set it out in the sun to dry. If possible, launder seat cushions and covers.
Get Ready, Set, Grow!
After all that cleanup, now you’ve got to put something in the soil. It’s a great time to get started on your vegetable garden. Start some early crops, like lettuce and spinach in a cold frame. Plants that take a long time to get to maturity, like mammoth pumpkins, should be started in peat pots. Prepare to plant other crops as the ground begins to warm and the danger of frost has passed.