Raise Your Garden

Musings on the Seedier Side

in Garden How To

Getting your garden ready for spring

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At this point in the middle of winter, we tend to get a little blue, in fact this week is the peak point when people notice the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder.  
The reason for this is that the weather is at its coldest, nights at their darkest, and spirits at their lowest after having had the social time of the festive season.
January is the month when most people book a vacation as they are desperate to cling onto something to help them get through the winter.
Now, when it comes to your garden, perhaps the middle of winter is not the time you feel compelled to get into the garden and start preparing for spring, but there’s something hopeful about this process.
It reminds us that winter doesn’t last forever and seasons are just that, seasons – so, if you’re feeling a little blue about winter then now is a great time to get in the garden and start preparing for spring.
In fact, even if you don’t prefer getting in the garden right now, you can still celebrate in the fact spring is coming by looking online at things like gazebo kits to feel more inspired about what you will get up to this spring and summer.

And I just read there are just 57 days until spring!!!

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Make a plan

There’s a good chance you haven’t done all that much in the garden in the past few months, and in this sense, you’re likely to need a big clean up.  

Perhaps there were things you were going to take care of in autumn, that you never got around to doing, and if you have a big garden with lots of incomplete tasks you might feel rather overwhelmed.

The best way to move forward, therefore, is to write a list of all the nagging tasks that need to be taken care of.  

​This way, you have something to work from, rather than feel overwhelmed, and there’s power in progress so each time you complete something and tick it off your list, you will feel more motivated to keep going and get more done.

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Tidy up

The first step might be to tidy up and revitalise your backyard, in the sense that there are likely to be lots of dead leaves that have fallen to the ground.

Some of these will have already rotten into the ground, serving as compost, yet many will still be blow against trees and the sides of your house.

It’s important to remember that rotting leaves can harbour diseases, meaning bacteria that could infect your plants.

Now is also a great time to consider deep cleaning your patio with a jet washer and specialist treatment.

Take care of your lawn

Your lawn will have been left to its own devices, over winter, and probably won’t be in too bad a shape… yet as we approach spring, you might want to consider providing your lawn with some additional nutrition.  

The most important thing you can do, however, is rake the lawn to ensure all debris, leaves and grass cuttings that have been left to compost are removed – as this way the lawn can “breathe” and not become waterlogged.

​ Adding some grass seed, at the right time, is a good idea, too.

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Recycle

The brilliant thing about having a good old fashioned clean up when it comes to ‘organic matter’ is that you can put it in the composter, so that in a few months, your plants will have an abundance of fertiliser to help them grow strong for the summer.  

In the spring, you will want to make sure you turn over the compost pile, but for now, you can just keep adding to it.

Order seeds

If you’re wanting to grow your own vegetables, many of these seeds will need to be planted soon, so make sure you get them off to a good start in a propagator or warm windowsill.​

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Remove the weeds

If you’ve left your garden to its own devices, then no doubt, some weeds will have started to take hold.  

They might even be strangling some of your more precious plants, therefore, one of the most important jobs is to get into the garden and undertake the somewhat back breaking work of weed picking.

In winter, the weeds were free to enjoy their time, but now as we approach summer, you want to show them who’s boss!  

When the weeds have been removed you want to make sure you rake the soil to maintain air flow and revitalise the ground.

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Get rid of pests

Winter is a time of year that pests are more free to find refuge in the hidden corners of your garden, and while this is nice for them, the last thing you want is to be a hotel of hostile critters.  

You therefore want to look at pest management practices that are both humane yet effective.

Bear in mind, however, that some “pests” are actually protected species, and whilst you might not wish to share your home with them, you do need to be mindful of the ethical implications around pest management.

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Indoor gardening

While the cold weather is still with us, it might feel like there’s little you can do to get ready for spring, yet there are many simple things you can do feel like you’re making progress toward brighter days.

Also, don’t forget that your garden doesn’t have to be limited to the outdoors. 

Today, indoor gardens are becoming more and more common, as they add a wonderful burst of colour, freshness and vibrancy to your home.  

They also provide solid health benefits in terms of their ability to create fresher air and balance humidity, which is particularly helpful at this time of year, when the central heating dries out the air.

Hopefully, this article has helped you feel more optimistic toward the fact brighter days are coming, and there are things you can do to herald in Spring, even though it’s not quite here just yet.

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“And he who waters will be watered himself.”
• Proverbs 11:25 •