Whether you’re just starting a garden for the first time or know your way around a backyard plot, the prospect of spring gardening makes the last throes of winter a little brighter. But your flower or veggie patch needs extra TLC during the transition from cold to warm weather. Refer to these 10 tips, from fertilizing the soil to pruning perennials.
Things to Do Before Gardening this Spring
Check Your Gardening Journal
If you kept a gardening journal last year, break it out for inspiration and essential info. Once you catch up on last year’s details, start a new journal for a successful spring gardening experience.
Clean and Repair
Perform a little spring clean-up by removing debris with your hands (rakes endanger delicate new shoots). Clean and repair trellises and other garden structures, and fill the birdbath once the risk of freezing temperatures has passed.
Prune Perennials
Clip dead growth from perennials with pruners; pulling from the crown could cause you to rip out the whole plant. Prevent clumping by planting stakes; these support taller plants before they grow too high. This is also the simplest time to divide clumps of perennials, since shoots are just beginning to appear.
Prune Ornamental Grass
In addition to your perennials, be sure to prune ornamental grass, attacking clumps with pruning shears. Hedge clippers will work for larger clumps.
Potted Plant Planting
Plant bulbs indoors or in black nursery pots on a sunny patio. Sow lettuce seeds in pots on window ledges or in an unheated greenhouse. Give new plants a healthy start with Jobe’s Organics® Fast Start Planting Tablets. These tablets also help reduce the effects of transplant shock.
Replace Your Mulch
Freshen or replace mulch when the soil warms. Adding mulch too soon could interfere with soil warming, especially in colder climates.
Install Fertilizer Spikes
Make fertilizer spikes part of your spring gardening routine. They offer a risk-free nutrient-delivery system that will keep plants strong and hardy.
Inspect Your Hose
Ensure healthy hydration by inspecting your hose. New washers and plumber’s tape are perfect for stopping leaks at the spigot. Check rain barrels for leaks, too, before setting them up for the season. Apply a non-toxic repellent to keep mosquitoes at bay when the weather turns warm.
Sharpen Blades
Sharpen mower and tool blades so you’re garden-ready at the first sign of spring.
Inspect Walkways
Inspect walkways for trip hazards like upheaved stones. Safety first!
Spring into Gardening with Fast-Acting Fertilizers
Starting a garden or getting last year’s plot in order is one of the best things about spring. Find the fertilizer spikes, fast start planting tablets, and other natural products you need all from Jobe’s Organics.