Spring Gardening Checklist: Preparing Your Garden for Success
As we count down the final days before the official start of spring, now is the perfect time to get your garden in shape for a thriving and productive growing season. With just one week to go, it’s essential to tackle key tasks that will set your garden up for success. From soil preparation to pruning, planting, and caring for houseplants, here’s a comprehensive guide to help you make the most of this critical period.
Soil Preparation: The Foundation of a Healthy Garden
The health of your garden begins with the soil. Before diving into planting, it’s crucial to test your soil’s pH level. Every plant has an optimal pH range, and if your soil’s pH is outside this range, nutrient absorption will be impaired, affecting plant growth.
To test your soil, you can purchase an inexpensive and easy-to-use test kit. If your soil’s pH is too low (acidic), you can raise it by adding ground limestone. Conversely, if the pH is too high (alkaline), elemental sulfur can help lower it. Once your soil is balanced, your plants will be better equipped to absorb the nutrients they need to thrive.
Tree and Shrub Care: Pruning and Relocating
Spring is the ideal time to tend to your trees and shrubs, but timing is everything. Most deciduous trees and shrubs, including fruit trees, should be pruned before they emerge from dormancy. This means pruned branches will heal quickly, and the trees will have the entire growing season to recover. However, if you have spring-blooming trees or shrubs, wait until after they finish flowering to prune. Pruning too early can reduce their bloom and disappointed you later in the season.
If you need to relocate trees or shrubs, now is the perfect time while they are still dormant. When digging, aim to remove as much of the root system as possible to minimize transplant shock. Plant them in a new hole that is twice as wide but just as deep as the root ball. This gives the roots room to spread out and establish themselves in their new home.
Flower Care: Preparing for a Colorful Bloom
For flower enthusiasts, spring is a time of excitement and preparation. If you’ve ordered bare-root roses, asparagus crowns, or onions, it’s time to clear your beds so you can plant them as soon as they arrive. Leaving them waiting too long can cause rot and ruin your spring blooms.
If your roses were affected by mildew or black spot disease last year, now is a good time to replace the mulch around them. Fresh mulch will help prevent the recurrence of these common issues. For perennials that bloomed in the fall and are now overcrowded, wait until they start to poke through the ground before dividing and replanting them. Spring and summer bloomers, on the other hand, are best divided in the fall, so you’ll want to remember that for later in the year.
Early-Season Vegetables: Getting a Head Start
With cooler weather still lingering, it’s time to start planting early-season vegetables. Order seed potatoes now and get them in the ground two to three weeks before the last expected frost in your area. You’ll know the timing is right when you notice the dormant grass beginning to green up.
Other cool-weather crops like peas, radishes, lettuce, chard, and spinach can be planted as soon as the soil temperature reaches 45 degrees. To give your peas a head start, soak the seeds in warm water overnight before planting. Then, treat them with a nitrogen-fixing inoculant, especially if you’re planting them in a new bed.
For the best results, keep an eye on the weather. If temperatures are expected to rise above 80 degrees F within 60 days of sowing, be prepared to protect your plants with shade cloth. These cool-weather crops can struggle in the heat, so a little extra care will go a long way.
Houseplant Care: Repotting and Preparing for Outdoor Moves
Spring is also a great time to give your houseplants some TLC. Many houseplants outgrow their containers over time, so consider repotting them into a container that’s no more than 2 inches wider than their current one. Add fresh potting soil and a light fertilizer to give them a nutrient boost.
If you plan to move your houseplants outdoors for the summer, make sure to acclimate them gradually. Wait until the danger of frost has passed, then start by moving them outside for just one hour a day. Incrementally increase their outdoor time by one hour each day over the course of a week. This will help them adjust to the sunlight, wind, and other outdoor conditions without shocking their systems.
Patience and Preparation: A Gardener’s Best Friend
While the urge to get everything in the ground as quickly as possible can be overwhelming, patience is key this time of year. Avoid the temptation to mulch your beds and borders too early, as this can trap cold in the soil and delay the emergence of bulbs and perennials. Instead, fill planters with cool-season annuals like pansies while you wait for the ground to warm up.
With these tasks complete, you’ll be well-prepared for the growing season ahead. So take a deep breath, enjoy the process, and let’s make this spring the best one yet for your garden!
Jessica Damiano is an award-winning gardening columnist who writes weekly for The Associated Press and publishes the popular Weekly Dirt Newsletter. For more gardening tips and advice, sign up here or visit AP News for additional gardening stories.
