4 things to do in your garden before Spring

I love nothing more then planting and working in my garden each season. See how some of my early spring planning tips for your garden will help your vegetable and flower garden flourish this season.

Plan

Since I have had all winter to think about this seasons garden, planning out the garden is fairly easy. I ask myself, what did well, and what didn’t. Do I need to move things around for better growing conditions (water, sun). Is it time to try something new in the garden?

This year we are adding a few new beds and going to grow a few rows of corn. Also, Watermelon is a huge spreader and took over one corner of the garden, so I don’t think I am including it this year. This will make room for a few other things.

There are loads of garden planners out there, but I tend to be old school and use a notebook to draw out my beds and write down my notes about the plants I want and don’t want. Whether you are high tech with a on-line planner or old school like me, creating a plan will help when it comes to getting your plants in the ground and how to care for them once you do.

Clean the Garden

We spent last weekend getting out in the garden and cleaning up. It’s amazing how the winter months can do a number on the garden. In just a few hours the garden is a clean slate and ready. Here’s a few things we do to clean up our garden.

• Pull weeds
• Create new raised beds
• Check fences and access points for critters
• Divide and move any perennial’s in the garden

Prep the Soil

Make sure your soil is ready for planting. Get any weeds and debris out of your beds. You can do this by hand, or using a rake. After this is done, we till the soil up before adding fresh compost from my compost bin. If you don’t have access to a compost bin, you can use store-bought compost or manure to add nutrients to the soil.

We will wait at least a month before planting anything so it has time to mix well with the soil and it won’t burn the roots of any new plants.

Sow some seeds indoors

Since it’s just a bit early to get plants in the ground outside, it’s not too early to get your seeds going indoors. I have started seeds on cauliflower, brussel sprouts and tomatoes. These are some of the best seeds to start growing indoors because of their maturity time.

If you are a beginner to growing plants indoors, try tomato seeds first. They are the easiest seeds to start indoors before you move them into your garden.

Who else can’t wait to get in the garden this season? Visit here for more of my gardening tips and projects.