Needless to say, this winter has been brutally cold.
It has been extremely long and hard. So hard, that many gardeners are just itching to get back into the soil and get their hands dirty.
Warm spring days bring a temptation to start too early when winter can reappear without notice – as weather this week demonstrated for the second weekend in a row. Freezing temperatures and snow are not uncommon in April. Protecting new plants is mandatory, regardless of the number of sunny days and double-digit temperatures.
Getting a head start in the garden really isn’t a good idea. Tromping around in boots may appear to speed things up but wet soil compresses very easily. The purpose is to loosen things up, not compact it.
Waiting for nature to give the all clear signal is much smarter. There’s no reason to push the starting date, when there are other things to get ready that are just as important.
Now is the time to evaluate all the vegetation that was left from last season. Many gardeners have compost bins or piles that hold decaying leaves, garden vegetation, and kitchen scraps. I hope the snow covered piles were constantly freezing and thawing during the winter.
Early spring is the time to turn the pile over to add “air” to further speed up the decomposition. Make sure the pile is wet. Do not add fresh plant material to those piles. Start new piles for next spring.
Compost is essential to the health of the garden. It provides mulch and other soil nutrients. It will keep the soil loose for water retention and aeration. Compost is excellent organic fertilizer that can be used throughout the garden.
It is a natural process where organic material is converted into a soil-like product called humus. The process works with the combining of bacteria, fungi, air and moisture.
With the plethora of tools that are used over the garden season, it is a great idea to make sure all mowers, tillers, and weed whackers are in top shape. Organize all hand tools so that they are in one place and easily located.
Many gardeners start thinking about their tools on the day they want to start to work in the garden. Spending good gardening weather fixing or locating tools is not a good way to start off the season. Better to use those colder or snow in the air days to get prepared.
If there was not enough time for the fall clean-up or it was put off to the spring, this is the perfect time to do it. All this material should go directly into new compost piles.
Trees and shrubs can still be pruned until the leaf buds start to swell. The golden rule for all pruning is no more than 1/3 of the plant should be removed in any one season. For those shrubs that are spring bloomers (i.e. forsythia), wait to do any pruning until flowering is complete. Dead wood should be pruned out as soon as it is found.
During this time, tree and bushes should be cleaned of debris that was not easy to reach during the fall.
Fruit trees must be pruned before they blossom. If the blossoms have started, it is best to wait until next winter during the dormant stage (February and March).
Perennials should be transplanted, moved, or divided at this time of year. Pot up surplus plants and offer them to other gardeners or your local horticultural society. Early spring is the easiest time to transplant summer flowering perennials.
Perennials that need support should have stakes or cages inserted before the plant begins to grow. Training new growth to follow a support device is much easier than dealing with numerous branches to tie down or force through support structures.
Lawns need to be cleaned with a fan rake. Remove any remaining leaves or other debris and place it in new compost piles. That should be done when the soil is fairly dry so the lawn won’t get compacted. Begin to remove any noticeable weeds and sprinkle lawn seed to fill in those bare, thin or patchy spots.
Adding handfuls of compost to problem areas will augment the soil. Soaking the compost will ensure that the nutrients are incorporated into the soil and that it stays in place and starts the germination process of the newly applied seed.
Try not to get overanxious with early gardening. Workable soil needs to be damp but never soggy or sticky. A handful of soil should easily fall apart when you open your hand.
