Get Ready for Spring Gardening

Right about now, you may be feeling that winter will never end, but spring is definitely on the horizon — and with it, the renewal of everything fresh and green. Now’s the time to start thinking about preparing your lawn and garden for warmer months of lush grass and beautiful flowers. Here are the things you should put on the to-do list for a gorgeous landscape that will last through the summer. Do what you can when weather permits:

Start With Your Tools

While it’s still cold or wet outside, you can take some time to get your tools ready.

• Scrub off dirt. Soap isn’t required, but a stiff brush will help to get all the old dirt out of crevices. Be sure to rinse and dry tools thoroughly.
• Remove rust. If blades are rusty, soak them in a container of vinegar for a day or two. Most or all of the residue should scrub off with a steel wool pad or rough sandpaper.
• Lubricate pivot points. Just a few drops of WD-40 or a similar product will keep tools operating smoothly.
• Sharpen blades. Use a whetstone or knife sharpener on all your cutting tools and mower blades. Dull blades make your work a lot harder and can mangle stems and branches.

Prepare the Lawn

Harsh weather and foot traffic on snow-covered lawns can cause the soil to compact and make it uneven in spots. It can also alter the pH, making the soil less conducive to healthy grass and more welcoming to weeds and disease. Work through these steps over a few weekends:

• Rake vigorously. Give yourself and the lawn a workout to remove surface leaves, debris and dead grass as well as to disentangle matted areas and thatch.
• Level the surface. To equalize drainage and avoid low spots that will become soggy, take a shovel to lop off raised places and fill in those that are sunken.
• Aerate the soil. Compacted soil needs to be opened up so oxygen, water and nutrients can reach grass roots. You can rent an aerator at a garden center, but they’re bulky, heavy and difficult to transport and use — better to hire a professional lawn aeration service and get the job done right.
• Correct the pH. Grass thrives in soil with neutral pH, so use a simple test kit to tell you how yours rates. Apply lime to acidic soil and sulfur to soil that’s too alkaline. But get some expert advice before you use either or you could do more harm than good.
• Sow grass seed. You can seed bare spots alone or overseed the entire area for a lusher lawn overall. Seeds won’t germinate, though, until the soil temperature reaches about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Pre-treat for weeds. A pre-emergent herbicide will take care of weeds before they start, but it will also stop grass seeds from germinating, so be mindful of where and when you use it.
• Feeding your lawn gives it a stronger root system and the energy for a long growing season. Follow directions for whether you have warm or cool season grass and for the part of the country in which you live.

Clean up the Flower Beds

All kinds of old foliage and debris accumulates in the garden during the winter, making a handy home for insects and disease as the weather warms. Clear it all out so your plants have room for a fresh, new start.

Prune Woody Plants

If you haven’t pruned your rose bushes yet, get to it at the first chance you have. As for trees, It’s best to prune branches while they’re dormant but after the coldest weather has passed, though dead branches can be removed any time. For some great information about trees, check out the Arbor Day Foundation.

Divide Perennials

Daylilies, Agapanthus, peonies and other varieties of clumping perennials that have gotten too big for their spots in the garden should be divided ahead of the coming warm weather, so their roots have time to establish themselves.

Start Flower and Vegetable Seeds Inside

Seeds won’t sprout in cold soil, so even in temperate climate zones, starting seeds indoors gives them a head start. Seed packets will tell you how many weeks it will take for each variety to get ready before the optimum time to transplant them outdoors. It’s also fun for the kids to help pot the seeds and watch them sprout.

This is a collaborative guest post. The ideas and views expressed don not necessarily reflect those of Mommy Ramblings.