Garden
projects for early spring
... suggestions
for starting the spring garden out right
The urge to garden in early spring is primal. Re-connecting with the earth is affirming, renewing, promising. Waking up the garden to a new growing season is about more than soil and seedlings...this rite of spring is a tonic to the gardener as well.
• Clear drainage ditches. Leaves and debris gather in drainage areas over the winter. Now is the time to ensure that the spring rains will have adequate runoff. Spring seedlings do best in soil which drains well.
• Repair any bowed sides to raised beds. Soggy winter soil puts a strain on raised beds; sometimes a stake will rot and give way. Any bowed or leaning sides should be fixed now. Dig back the soil behind the bowed side and drive in new stakes with a slight inward lean. Push sideboards up to stakes and fasten well with screws or nails. If you prefer to replace old raised beds with newer models, click here to see our selection of raised beds.
Trellis and fencing are also easiest to repair in early spring, with less growth to work around and fewer roots to disturb.
• Weed young spring weeds. Mulch bare spots in beds. Any weeds which appear in your garden beds will be easiest to pull now, as the roots are shallow. Covering bare spots with mulch or ground cover will minimize the emergence of new weeds. A depth of 3 to 4 inches is usually sufficient. To help prevent rot, keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks and the crowns and stems of plants.
• When it's dry enough, 'top dress' beds with compost or well-seasoned manure in preparation for planting. Resist the urge to dig the bed; established beds have a complex soil ecosystem which is best left undisturbed. Nutrients added from the top will work their way down into the soil.
• Early spring is the time for lime. Soils with a pH below 6.2 will benefit from the addition of lime. Dolomite is the finest grind, and is recommended. With ground limestone it will take twice as long for plants to derive any benefit from it. Ideally, lime should be added several weeks before planting. Hydrate lime, or "quick lime", is not recommended, as it can change the soil pH so rapidly that plants may be damaged. Cover newly limed beds with plastic during heavy spring rains to prevent runoff. Soil pH can be determined by using a soil pH test kit
• Prepare your lawn for summer. Rake the lawn to remove dead growth, and winter debris and let light and air to the soil level, encouraging the grass to grow. Re-seed bare patches of lawn. Rake the bare spot firmly with a metal rake. Sprinkle grass seed into a bucket of soil and spread evenly over the bare spot. Keep well-watered until seeds germinate and the new grass establishes. Pre-emergent herbices such as corn gluten may be applied now.
• Remove dead foliage of ornamental grasses and ferns. Once growth begins this becomes difficult without damaging the plant. New growth will quickly replace the culled foliage.
• Plant
early spring vegetableswhen
soil is workable. Soil
is ready for gardening once it is free of ice crystals and crumbles easily.
Soil that is too wet is easily compacted, reducing beneficial soil aeration.
Common early spring crops are peas, spinach, lettuces and leeks. For a
prolonged harvest, plant several varieties, each with a different maturation
date. Follow
these crops with broccoli, cabbage, radishes, kale, turnips, new potatoes
and
onions. Mulch early bulbs if you live
in areas where freezing temperatures hang on.
• Protect seedlings from hard frosts. Early spring plantings are vulnerable to
hard frost which can set in overnight. If you expect a hard frost, cover
seedlings overnight with anything you have on hand - an overturned bucket
(with a rock on top) or large flower pot, a portable
garden cloche, or row
cover.
• Be one step
ahead of the cabbage moth. Once
the frosts are gone, the cabbage moth may appear. It lays eggs against
the lower stems of brassica seedlings - cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprout,
kale, cauliflower. Once the eggs hatch, the seedlings lose vigor and often
die. Be prepared to protect these crops from root maggots by covering
plantings with row covers or small pieces of barrier
paper. Maggots are more of a problem in cool, wet soils.
•
Plant out daffodils, lilies, crocus, hyacinth and
any other bulbs,
which were forced in pots or bowls in the house.
Some may bloom next spring, others may take two or three years to rebuild
enough food reserve to support flowering.
• Divide
perennials. For
easier handling try to time the division so emerging shoots are only 2
or 4 inches tall. Prepare new beds for perennial flowers by
spreading a 6-inch deep layer of organic matter (i.e. peat moss, compost,
rotted manure) and work in deeply. Plants growing in deep, rich soil are
less likely to suffer from summer drought.
• Prune out dead or damaged branches of trees and shrubs after new growth has begun. Cut back any remaining dead
perennial foliage from last season. Prune roses just before they start
to bud out. Spring blooming trees and shrubs, however, should not be pruned
in late winter, their flower buds ready to open as temperatures warm.
Azaleas, forsythia, weigela, dogwood, and other spring shrubs can be pruned
after they bloom.
•
Prune fruit trees. Fruit tree pruning is best
done in late winter or early spring. Prune before buds begin to break
into bloom or the tree may be stressed resulting in a reduced crop.
• Remove stakes and guy wires installed
on trees planted last fall. Allowing
a little swaying of tree stems results in sturdy yet resilient plants.
Thin out some branches of trees, which have a history of leaf spot diseases.
Pruning will improve air circulation and penetration of sunlight, which
in turn can reduce the incidence of disease. Remove tree guards or burlap
wraps from the trunks of young tree or shrubs. This will prevent moisture
beneath the wrap, which can encourage rot and promote entry of diseases.
• Transplant any
existing shrubs you want to move before they begin to
leaf out.
• Apply horticultural oil sprays to pear
and apple trees. Apply oil spray to pears just as the
buds begin to swell and then again 10 days later to control pear psylla
and pear leaf blister mite. Make a single application of oil on apple
trees when a half-inch of green tissue is visible in developing buds.
•
Also apply oil to ornamental trees and shrubs with a history
of aphid, scale or spider mite infestations. Destroying these pests safely
with spring applications of horticultural oil will reduce your use of
pesticides later in the growing season.
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