Set Your Garden up for Success
When the unusually warm days arrive in early spring it can be so tempting to get out in the garden to clean up or plant a few seeds. It is almost frustrating to be so tantalized by the spring weather while knowing it can not possibly last...another cold snap will roll in soon enough. I am guilty of walking around my yard on those warm days, wishing I had something to do. I want to take action!
Looking ahead to the very warm weather forecasted for next week I decided I would brainstorm a few tasks that need to be accomplished to start the gardening season off on the right foot. I'm sharing them with you just in case you feel similarly to myself and want to get outside!
1. Care for your tools: Garden snips, trowels, and clippers all get used heavily each season. Take some time to clean each tool with soap and water. You can remove any rust spots with some steel wool. Sharpen your snips and clippers so that they are ready to make clean cuts. Keeping your tools clean and sharp will go a long way in preventing the spread of diseases in your garden. If you are planning to start any seeds indoors now would also be a good time to pull out your trays and clean those. It might not be a bad idea to give your gardening gloves a good wash, too!
2. Organize your workspace: Last year I did not have a dedicated spot for each of my tools and I wasted so much time because of this! I was constantly searching for a glove or shovel or snips. This year I am taking time to get things organized in our garage. This includes giving away a small mountain of plastic pots that I have somehow collected over the past few years...
3. Pull out winter weeds: You might be surprised at how many tiny weeds are starting to make themselves at home in your garden. Give your garden a once over looking for any weeds. If possible, cover bare dirt with leaves or a mulch to discourage the growth of new weeds. Keep in mind that it is still too early to do any major clean-up in your garden as many pollinators and beneficial insects rely on the debris left behind for survival during the cold months. Pulling weeds now is a great way to get ahead for the season, just resist the urge to clean up anything else as you go.
4. Plant some hardy annuals: Early March is the perfect time to plant some hardy annual seeds (hardy annual flowers are flowers that like a few weeks of cold as they are germinating. For more info see the book Cool Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler). Bachelor's Buttons are a great hardy annual flower to start with.
5. Landscaping: Take advantage of the workable ground and get started on any landscaping projects you might have. Add in some edging, line paths with recycled bricks, or prepare new garden beds as needed.
Have fun planning! Grab a nice cup of tea, some favorite pens and pencils, a notebook, and then head outside. Take a tour of your garden and envision what it could look like this year. I like to draw maps of individual beds that I am focusing on, assemble inspirational bits and pieces, or simply make lists of plants that need to be divided, moved to a new location, or purchased. If you need a beautiful book to browse for inspiration, a current favorite of mine is English Gardens: From the Archives of Country Life by Kathryn Bradley-Hole.
