Getting the right plant selection for your garden in time for spring is not the only thing that will make it bloom. It is the concerted effort in preparing the various aspects of planting that deliver a successful grow.
As a gardener, you want to explore the endless possibilities that spring brings with the right kind of plant mix and on-the-ground preparation. While it may not be glamorous, it is the seemingly innocuous preparatory steps that will get your planting to stand out when in full bloom.
Here are a few things to look at when going through preparation for springtime.
Prepare your Soil
As you prepare to enter into the coming season, you need to get your soil ready for it as well. Turn the soil over using a rake to clear out any existing weeds. You can go the non-chemical route or pull them out with your bare hands or decide to use chemicals over a large area.
Whichever approach you decide to take, the endpoint needs to be the same; clearing all weeds. If you choose to use chemicals, pay special attention to the instructions to avoid negatively impacting your soil in any way as your yield will go down.
Once you deal with the weeds, you will want to bolster your soil’s nutrient load by enriching it with compost. Before you add any nutrients however it is advisable to first conduct a soil test to learn the current state of your soil (its nutrient and pH levels). The test results will guide you on what to add to the soil and how much of it to add.
If you have a compost pit, you can add fresh compost from it, or you can just get some from the store. Dig deep enough to turn the soil over completely and aerate it. 12 to 14 inches deep is adequate to effectively loosen it. You will ensure that top soil gets the fresh compost as well.
Prepare the Tools
When getting ready for the season you need to get the tools ready for the job at hand. Take inventory of what you have, and in light of the planting plan, you have to assess whether you need to expand or switch your tools to fit the coming tasks.
Clean them with water and a cleaning agent to get the dirt off. For any tools with wooden handles, you can use mineral spirits of those sections to avoid wood splintering.
While looking at the tools, you can also assess your current supply inventory to know what needs replenishing. From your fertilizer to plant supports or even crates you’ll need, you have to ensure that these supplies are ready for spring.
Deal with Pests Ahead of Spring Time
Another item to cross off the list is removing any pests that might make your season disastrous. Look for slugs, aphid colonies or even snails in the crowns of any perennial plants in your garden.
Collect Rain Water
One of the tenets of landscaping is a collection of rainwater. Tap water is alkaline and is not the best for watering some plants like the ericaceous ones for example. Rainwater has the perfect aquatic profile for such plants, and it is also good environmental practice to harvest rainwater. It is therefore important to adopt a landscape design that allows for rainwater harvesting.
Get to Pruning
Part of your garden planning for the new season is trimming plants that have grown too big and are now adversely affecting your other plants. If you have old wood growing, then this is the perfect time to go snipping because they now display their branch structure clearly. The buds still haven’t gotten out of dormancy, and you can shape them as you desire.
Use isopropyl alcohol and a clean cloth to clean your pruning tools before each cut to avoid spreading any potential plant disease. A tad bit to always remember is that once you prune you should add some fertilizer to bolster the soil’s capacity to help the plant heal its wounds effectively.
Clean the Greenhouse
The use of greenhouses in gardening has been on the rise in recent years. As the new season approaches, you need to clean your greenhouse thoroughly especially due to resilient pests. Clear the floor and benches of any debris.
It is good practice to use a disinfectant on the inner glass areas to combat any pests that are hiding out there. They can be quite tiny to see while living in the most microscopic cracks waiting to wreak havoc when you plant again. Let your greenhouse air out for some days before beginning the next plant.
Construct Garden Beds
The start of every planting season can be exciting and feel like it’s full of possibilities. While you can dream of all you would want to grow, you need to work with the capacity you have. Look to build more plant beds to create room for the greater inventory you desire. Contain your enthusiasm for the new season within the context of what you can and can’t grow.
Mulch It
When mulch is applied well (i.e., thickly), it acts like a blanket that insulates the plants from weeds especially if you can lay it before the weeds begin to grow. Organic mulch will help you to maintain the soil moisture. The best level of application is at 75mm. Though it’s thick enough to resist weeds, it can let water through. Otherwise, the plant will become starved and die off.
Plant Early
A splendid way to get ready for spring is to plant them indoors so that by the time the season arrives you will be transplanting them outdoors.
Conclusion
A successful planting is more than just the exciting bits. The soil is the foundation, and it needs to be enriched to bear up the rest of the duties in season preparation. Develop an overall plan on how to transform the garden and prepare bit by bit with that framework to make the best decisions.