When a day of full sun comes at last in the spring, gardeners like to get outside and get dirty. Attending to important spring gardening chores is necessary to jumpstart flow and vegetable gardens and get them ready to grow.
Check Your Tools
Nothing is more frustrating than getting all dressed for gardening—hat, gloves, and knee pads—and discovering a favorite tool is missing or broken. Take an inventory on a rainy day so you’ll have a good garden spade, trowels, a rake, composter, and yard waste bags when you need them. Inspect loppers and rose nippers, and have them sharpened if necessary.
Clean Up Debris, Trim Dead Wood, and Remove Weeds
Winter can wreak havoc on your garden beds, but you may not notice until the snow melts or the mud dries up. Fallen twigs and leaves, overgrown shrubs, and early weeds all stick out like sore thumbs. Your flower and raised vegetable beds might suddenly look more like weed farms. Tidy things up by pulling weeds and removing dead twigs. Trim dead wood from shrubs, cut ornamental grass low to allow for new growth, and prune early flowering bushes after the bloom.
Add Organic Matter and Mulch
Experienced gardeners know it is all about the soil. Even if you have been amending the soil diligently, it still needs topping off each spring. Add compost, and allow it to settle in before planting new flowers or vegetables. Rake away old mulch, and replace it with a fresh layer around plants.
Inspect and Repair Fences
Split-rail, wire, and even chain-link fences need a once-over in the spring. Reattach wires that have come loose, and repair spots that resourceful pests have dug under or around. Be sure to choose the right type of fence staples or hog rings to secure fencing to keep pets in or invading critters out.
Maintain Hardscapes
Stone walkways and brick-paved garden paths can experience heaving from freeze and thaw cycles. Severe heaving creates tripping hazards that might require repairing and leveling the path beds with fresh sand or gravel. Wood decks also take a beating from changes in the weather. Look for and repair rot, and make use of a string of warm, dry days to clean and seal your deck.
Spring gardening chores may not be as much fun as planting and watching the flowers and veggies grow, but a tidy, weed-free, and well-fed garden will provide pleasure all summer long.
