How to prepare your garden for spring

gardening in spring

Evenings are starting to stay lighter for longer and the crocuses are starting to pop out from the ground, which can only mean one thing, Spring is just around the corner! After a long, cold winter there is nothing more exciting than getting ready for spring, welcoming those fresh, sunny days with open arms. With just a few weeks to go before spring arrives, now is the perfect time to get everything ready and prepare your garden.

Ordering the Essentials

Now is the time to put an order in for all of the essential items that you’re going to need for spring. Firstly, you want to place an order for some summer-flowing bulbs as these can be your first project of the season. Planting these bulbs and seeds in the spring will ensure that you have a beautiful arrangement of flowers to welcome the summer with. It’s also a great time to stock up on a selection of food for the wild birds that are going to be visiting your garden. From mixed seeds to mealworms, it’s really good to stock up on a supply to help you care for the birds in your garden. Checking that you have all of the essential gardening equipment is another important thing to do, as this will ensure you have everything ready to start your projects when spring arrives.

Tidying Up Flowerbeds

Over the winter months your flowerbeds can become overgrown and messy, which is never a good look for your garden. There’s no point in planting new seeds and bulbs into a messy flowerbed, as not only will the soil not be right, but you may limit the chances that they have of growing to their full potential. Start by removing loose leaves, as over the autumn/winter periods you’ll notice leaves become quite a problem within the flowerbed areas. You should also ensure that the current soil in your flowerbeds is clear from any weeds or unwanted plants, which you can remove and add to your compost heap or throw into the bin. This will simply ensure that there are no risks when it comes to planting and growing your new seeds and bulbs in the spring.

Eliminating Garden Pests

Pests are by far the most frustrating part of gardening, especially when you’ve spent hours preparing your garden to get it to where you want it to be. Over time, pests can cause havoc in the garden, from nibbling their way through your prize vegetables, to spreading diseases across your flowerbeds, so they need to be stopped before its too late. Hunting down the pests in your garden can be a challenge, but if you look closely enough, they often leave a trail behind them. From slugs to snails, you need to combat the issue and remove any potential pests from your garden. You’ll often find that they gather in areas where there are dead plants, compost and even diseased soil, so removing any of this from the garden is a very good place to start. You can then invest in the popular pest control from your local garden centre such as snail and slug repellent.

Spring Cleaning the Greenhouse

For those with a greenhouse in the garden, now is the time to get out there and ensure it’s clean and fresh for the busy seasons ahead. After a busy yet successful summer filled with gardening projects, you often find that the greenhouse can be left a little messy and become neglected throughout the winter. From dirty windows to untidy work stations, it will be really frustrating to have to tidy down and clean when all you really want to do is crack on with the spring projects you have planned. Now is the time to get into the greenhouse and give it a thorough spring clean, from washing down the windows to labelling drawers, restocking essentials and even investing in new tools to see you through the next couple of seasons.