9 Preparations to Get Your Garden Ready for Spring
The weather might still be pretty raw in some places, as Winter is still underway. But the warmer months are fast approaching, and you may want to get your garden ready for Spring to get a jump on some of the most critical jobs. Then, as the Sun shines brighter, you might be able to soften up your soil, plant Summer bulbs, and think about making it safe for the children. You can’t do everything while Winter is bearing down on you, but you can plan ahead for what needs to be done once it becomes warm enough. For instance, it’s nowhere near ideal conditions for growing your Spring vegetables, including innovative garden pods.
Buy Essentials Now to Save Money
Getting all you need for your garden can become expensive. The average Brit spends over £600 each year on gardening in the UK alone. And with living costs on the rise, you might want to save all you can. So, it’s best to get what you need before Spring comes. Shop around online and in-store because gardening essentials like spades, soil, and bulbs are typically cheaper when approaching the season. Additionally, you can purchase decorative items such as window boxes, garden furniture, and fun statues at a discount while it’s still Winter.
Plan What You Want to Do
You can’t do everything while Winter is bearing down on you, but you can plan ahead for what needs to be done once it becomes warm enough. For instance, it’s nowhere near ideal conditions for growing your Spring vegetables. Still, you can make a diagram of landscaping that needs to be done for your edibles. If you plan ahead, you know exactly where and when to prepare the soil and get planting or transplanting. Additionally, you should plan out specific tasks like when to install verticals. Finally, it’s helpful to make contingencies for the weather.
Prepare Your Flower Beds
When Winter takes its course, your flower beds can become a little neglected. Debris-hardened soil and bugs are likely to have accumulated throughout the cold spell. You are likely keen to get out into the garden as the weather warms up, but you can’t do much before the temperature breaks. Yet you can make a start on tidying up your flower beds to get them ready for new Bedding Plants. You can use dead organics in your compost bin, and it’s also an excellent time to clear up borders and turn over the soil if it isn’t too hard. Be aware that some wildlife might be home.
Order Flower Bulbs for Summer
As you approach Spring, it is an excellent time to order your Summer blooming bulbs. Ordering bulbs early means you can plant them as and when required. So, for your Summer flowers, you will be able to get them in the ground as soon as they need to be. For instance, lilies are best planted in early Spring, so you can take advantage of optimal conditions by ordering bulbs ready for planting. Some vegetables also benefit from early spring planting. Healthy and tasty favorites like beetroot, kale, and spinach are best planted before it’s too hot and dry.
Protect Against Pests
Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you will know that pests love to devour your garden. Aphids, ants, and spiders are common bugs that like to eat your plants. But woodland creatures like rabbits, squirrels, and many bird species do too. You can humanely protect your garden by:
- Making natural sprays
- Planting in the right place
- Rotating crops
- Planting resistant varieties
- Leave some dried leaves
You might want to use common pesticides, but these could have harmful effects on yourself as well as your plants and wildlife. Natural sprays containing garlic, onion, and chili aren’t liked by common pests, and rotating between varieties will confuse repeat offenders.
Fertilize for Organics
While fertilizing is best done at planting, you can enrich your soil by getting some fertilizer into your beds early on. Your ground won’t freeze if the temperature has risen a little. Therefore it will be soft enough to soften it up, ready for new planting. While softening your soil, take the opportunity to mix in some fertilizer. Then, of course, make sure you blend in the required fertilizer for what you will be planting. This is one of the reasons why it is good to plan ahead with what will go where when it comes to planting and transplanting.
While fertilizing tomato zippering is best done at planting, you can enrich your soil by getting some fertilizer into your beds early on.
Get Ahead of the Weeds
Also, when it becomes warm enough to spend more time outdoors, you can get a start on clearing the weeds. Of course, weeding is an ongoing task, but you typically want as few weeds as possible when it comes to planting your seasonal bulbs and seeds. Of course, you should remove as many weeds as possible by hand, but you may not get all of them. So, you could use an off-the-shelf weed killer. Weed killers can be harmful, but natural products are safe to use. For instance, vinegar-based weed killers won’t harm you or your plants but are best for flowers.
Spring Clean the Shed
Not all gardening jobs relate to taking care of plant life. Millions of people have an extended garden with landscaping, decking, paving, and structures. And almost everyone who’s even a little serious about their garden has a shed. But it’s easy to neglect your shed throughout WInter since you probably don’t get in there much. Sheds can be rather large or very small. But since you don’t live in them, they become disarrayed. And a disarrayed shed can be dangerous. Try to organize the things you need within easy reach and get rid of what you won’t use.Â
Make a Safe Space for the Kids
Further to safety, a garden can be dangerous for young children. Many sharp tools like forks, trowels, and spades are usually found in the garden. In addition, pesticides and weed killers are easy for an unsupervised child to drink. Fortunately, you can make a safe space for the kids with sections. Perhaps install a fenced area with gates and a play area to keep them from wandering. It’s also helpful to exercise common sense. Keep things out of reach of children and use your shed for its actual purpose of storing dangerous items like the lawnmower and sheers.
Summary
As the weather becomes a little warmer, you can get your garden ready for Spring in many ways to do less work while enjoying the Sun. Of course, you can get ahead with smaller jobs like turning the soil and removing weeds. But you can also save money by purchasing what you need now before prices increase for the upcoming season.
