It’s early spring and gardeners like myself can’t wait to get outdoors. But with so much to do (yes, it can be a bit overwhelming), where do we begin? Well trust me – there’s a lot less stress if you start with a springtime chore checklist. And here is mine – a 9 point plan that I go thru every year. And I know, there are surely more items/chores that need to be done pre-summertime, but this 9 point plan is a good start. So enjoy my fellow gardeners and let the gardening season begin.
1. Prune away dead and damaged branches.
Look around your gardens and orchards and you’ll find tree and shrub branches that have been damaged by the winters snow and cold weather. These will need to be pruned back to their live stems. The cut pieces can either be burned or put in the compose if you have a wood chipper.
2. Cut back and divide perennials if needed.
The flowering perennials can be pruned to a height of 4-5 inches and 2-3 inches if you have ornamental grass. If your other perennials have become too crowded and dense, you can dig them up and divide them, leaving at least three stems per clump, and then put the extras in some bare spots. For climbing perennials, cut back any dead branches and tie the green canes to hold them in place.
3. Clean up around your plants.
Rake away any leaves and dead foliage and pull up all spent annuals. When all the dangers of frost has passed, remove all existing mulch and prepare the area for a new layer. This is also a good time to fertilize the soil surface around your plants, because when spring rains occur, it will carry it to their roots. For bulbs – add a 5-10-10 fertilizer as soon as they flower to maximize bloom time and feed next season’s growth.
4. Compost your yard waste.
Dump collected leaves, cuttings, spent foliage, and last season’s mulch into your compost pile. Shred leaves and chip branches larger than ½ inch in diameter to accelerate decomposition. Keep the pile as moist as a wrung-out sponge, and aerate it every two weeks. Just don’t add any early spring weeds that have gone to seed—they might not cook completely and could sprout instead.
But if your like me – add your garden goodies to you vermicomposting pile. The red worms will eat these up like crazy.
5. Pest control essentials.
Rake up all leaves infected with apple scab from under fruit trees to avoid a new outbreak. Rake up blackspot-infected leaves from around roses before spring rains reintroduce disease spores
Before leaf buds break, spray still dormant fruit trees, roses, magnolias and woody shrubs, with dormant oil to smother scale insects.
6. Secure plant supports
– Put peony rings in place before growth begins.
– Set up stakes and netting for garden peas before planting the seeds.
– Tighten or replace wire supports for raspberry and grape canes before buds break.
7. Pre-summer lawn care.
Once the ground is firm, rake up any thatch and leaf debris from all lawn areas. Put the removed organic material under shrubs and hedges as a mulch to conserve moisture and insulate the roots from summer heat.
Top-dress lawns before they begin growing with a mixture of aged manure, peat moss, or shredded leaves.
8. Tools and equipment basics
– Lawn mowers. Remove the blades and sharpen them. Refuel, change the oil and replace spark plugs.
– Sharpen snub-nosed spades and round shovels.
– Clean the blades of pruners with steel wool to remove dried sap.
– Check your wheelbarrow. Repair any wheel punctures, add air to flat tires and tighten nuts and bolts.
– Brush out leftover soil from containers and terra-cotta pots. Soak them in a solution of one part chlorine bleach to nine parts water for 30 minutes, to eliminate pathogens.
9. START SEEDS INDOOR OR BEGIN PURCHASING SEEDLINGS.
Mama Bears Garden 