For people with a green thumb, getting ready for spring gardening is like going to bed on Christmas eve for little kids. Gardening is a craft that takes a little love, care, and patience. To make spring gardening go smoothly its important to follow some preparation steps. Here are a few tips to prepare for spring gardening.
If you are just starting your garden, consider the area that you will be gardening in. Take into account the amount of sunshine and rain that your plants will get. This will help to determine exactly what you can plant in the area. You should also check out the soil. You have to figure out if you need to add nutrients to the soil after its been frozen and compacted from winter, and also add some organic material.
This can be an annoying task, but it is necessary to get your garden into shape for the spring season. Weeds take away nutrients, water, and sunlight from the other plants in your garden. In some cases, they can even cover the other plants in your garden. Weeds also carry so many seeds that if you don’t get a handle on them in the beginning, they could grow in numbers that it becomes completely overwhelming to get rid of later.
The first part of this is checking to see which plants survived winter (if you already have a garden). In mid-April or a little later, prune the surviving plants. Then check to see which plants will survive whatever sun, rain, and soil conditions you have. It is ok to do a mix of plants, but make sure you have enough space for them to grow. Another thing to consider is whether you are going to start from seeds or from small plants. There are pros and cons to both. In general, starting from seeds is less expensive, but takes a lot more time, equipment, and work. However, depending upon your gardening goals it could be worth the extra effort.
Pest control is a part of any garden. The type of pest control you use depends on the type of plants you have in your garden. It’s important to plan this before you plant your garden, so you can decide if you want to use traditional pest control, organic pest control, or more natural options. Another deciding factor is if you have a vegetable garden or a flower garden. There are many options and you need to understand the benefits of each one.
One type of pest control is to use certain types of healthy insects to get rid of pests. Different insects are attracted to different plants, so you need to know which insect is attracted to which plant. One example is Ground Beetles. They prey on cutworms, colorado potato beetles, slugs, and caterpillars. The plants that they are attracted to are Clover, Evening Primrose, and Amaranthus.
Organic pest control is very popular. A few options to consider are sticky traps, parasitic nematodes, and floating row covers. Organic pest control is great, especially for vegetable gardens because you don’t have to worry about spraying harsh chemicals all over your food.
You finally get your garden prepared, weeded, and planted but the work doesn’t stop there. Gardens require regular maintenance and a lot of patience to stay healthy and happy. There will be some mistakes, but there will also be a big pay off for the person that keeps their cool and puts in the time and effort.
Preparing a garden and plants for spring gardening takes patience and a good bit of effort. Despite this, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming and can even be a lot of fun. By following these few tips, it will be a snap to prepare for spring gardening.