Spring gardening has arrived

Unless there’s seven feet of snow on the ground where you live, if you’re a gardener, you’re probably itching to get out in the yard and start your spring preparations. Here’s a short list of the springtime gardening to-dos:

Pruning and Transplanting Trees and Shrubs

Give your trees and shrubs a trim and watch them grow back fuller by pruning in early spring. Transplanting should ideally take place in the late winter/early spring while the trees or shrubs are still somewhat dormant. This allows the tree’s roots to rest for bit in their new home before growing fresh new roots where they’ve been replanted.

Laying Seed and Lime on Lawns

If the cold weather killed patches of grass, now’s the time to lay down seed and let the spring rains soak them into the ground. By early summer you should be enjoying new patches of growth. If you think you need to add lime to your grass to balance the soil’s acidity, now’s the time to lay that down as well. This is also a good time of year to add pre-emergent weed control if you’re ok with using it.

Vegetable Gardens

A few weeks ago we outlined the basics for getting a vegetable garden started, but if you’re a green thumb or have a few years practice, you can begin to think about prepping the soil for planting. Rick, a landscaper on JustAnswer, recommends adding an inch or two of compost to your soil as long as it’s not too wet. As we pointed out earlier, you can also work or “till” your soil a little depending on what side of the till or no-till  debate you fall to.

Your yard most likely could benefit from a general cleaning and raking, too. Clean out last year’s debris and getting ready for the young new growth in spring.

Rick and other Experts on JustAnswer love to talk gardens. Ask them about yours now.