Get Your Garden off to a Healthy Start
If you're anxious to put on your gardening gloves and get out in the yard, you don't have to wait for the official arrival of spring. You can start with this checklist as soon as weather permits.
If you're anxious to put on your gardening gloves and get out in the yard, you don't have to wait for the official arrival of spring. You can start with this checklist as soon as weather permits.
Get debris out of the way by picking up dead leaves, sticks, and branches that have fallen, and rocks that have been heaved to the surface by frost.
To see if your soil needs additional nutrients or minerals, or an adjustment in acidity or alkalinity, send a sample to your local county extension service.
When weeds begin growing in the flower garden, spray them with Roundup® Extended Control Ready-To-Use Weed & Grass Killer Plus Weed Preventer Pump 'N Go® Sprayer, which will kill existing weeds and prevent new ones from growing for up to 4 months. Be careful not to spray any desirable plants. The more weeds you eliminate now, the less competition your garden plants will have for sunlight, nutrients, and moisture.
Pick up a handful of soil and squeeze it. If it crumbles easily, you can start garden and flowerbed preparation. If it sticks together in a clump, it's still too wet to work in.
If the soil is workable, begin preparing beds for flowers and vegetables. Remove dead plants, then work in a premixed amendment such as Miracle-Gro® Garden Soil For Flowers and Vegetables, a blend of rich, organic ingredients plus continuous-release plant food. If you prefer to mix your own, you can use organic matter from compost, sphagnum peat moss, and other soil amendments.
Cut a clean edge where planting beds meet the lawn. Use a flat-bladed spade or a lawn edger made for this purpose, cutting deeply enough to sever grass roots growing into the bed.
Apply a pre-emergent weed preventer in early spring to keep new weeds from sprouting in the garden.
To keep birds coming back to your yard, continue to provide bird seed and water. They'll appreciate it if you clean their bird baths, feeders, and houses, too.
Begin pruning deciduous trees while they are still dormant. For an easy and effective way to feed your trees, try Miracle-Gro® Tree & Shrub Fertilizer Spikes.
Get outdoor furniture ready by repairing and cleaning it - maybe even give it a fresh coat of paint or some new cushions - before you put it out on the deck, porch, or patio.
If you can get these things done in the coming weeks, you'll be well on your way to enjoying spring when it gets into full swing.
