With spring just around the corner, you might be thinking about getting your garden ready for new plants. Knowing what steps to take, and when, can help the flowers in your garden flourish this season.
These steps include preparing your gardening tools, buying the right seeds and plants, cleaning your garden bed and preparing your soil, dividing perennials and pruning plants, and planting your plants.
Keep reading for tips on how to prepare your garden for spring.
Knowing your garden zone can help you select perennials, shrubs, and trees that can tolerate the coldest temperatures in your area over winter and still come back in the spring. Many plants will have their preferred zone on a label.
Here in Wichita, Kan., we are in Zone 7a. That means only plants that can handle our average coldest temperatures of 0 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit will most likely survive our winter weather.
You can find your zone by entering your zip code in the Plant Hardiness Zone Map on the United States Department of Agriculture’s website.
Before you start gardening, take an inventory of your tools to make sure they are in working order.
Clean and sharpen your tools so they are ready to use. Keeping them clean, nice, and sharp is safer and will help prevent the spread of any bacteria or plant diseases.
Buy any tools that need to be replaced or are missing.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists a hand trowel, a hand fork or cultivator, long-handled shovels and spades, a garden rake, hand pruners or pruning shears, a wheelbarrow, a water can, a garden fork, a garden hoe, and leaf rakes as “The Best Gardening Tools.”
It’s essential to know the needs of the seeds and plants you plan to grow, as those that align with your garden’s conditions will have the best chance to thrive.
Understanding the seeds and plants’ tolerance to cold, preferred humidity levels, light requirements, soil moisture needs, and ideal growing temperatures can help determine if they will flourish in your garden.
Often, seed packets and plant labels include these requirements, making it easier to select the right options for your garden.
Winter weather can be damaging to the infrastructure of your garden. Make sure any raised garden beds, fences, pots, trellises, and anything else in your garden have survived in one piece. Fix or replace those that didn’t to keep your garden looking its best.
Clean out any fallen leaves and weeds from your garden bed to make room for new flowers.
Once your garden bed has been cleaned, you can prepare your soil by tilling or turning it over until it is workable. You can conduct a soil test to check the pH level of your garden and apply the required fertilizers or compost mixes from there.
It is also at this time that mulch can be applied. Ground mulch is more nutrient-dense and will break down nicely.
If any of your perennials are looking grim, you can divide them up ahead of spring. Carefully take the plant out of the ground, loosen the root ball, cut the plant into three or four sections, and plant them back in the ground.
Prune any plants to keep your garden looking beautiful. This includes removing any dead, dying, damaged, diseased, and deformed branches.
Finally, you can plant new perennials, bulbs, and wildflowers!
Be sure to provide support to tall plants, ones that have heavy flowers, and vines so they have a place to climb.
Preparing your gardening tools, buying the right seeds and plants, cleaning your garden bed and preparing your soil, dividing perennials, pruning plants, and planting your plants are all steps in preparing your garden to look its best this spring.
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