With the warming weather and promise of spring, more and more people are starting to grow their own vegetables and fruits. Having fresh fruits and veggies helps to save money and encourage healthier eating habits. Here are some tips to help get you started, regardless of if it’s a new or old garden.
Steps To Prep Your Garden This Spring
Easy steps to help get your garden ready for spring.
The Prep Work
Like all projects, the best way to begin is by gathering your tools and materials. You should start by laying out all of your gardening tools and analyzing them for damage. Check for signs of rusting on metal and mold on wooden pieces.
Clean tools by hosing them off, soaking them in soapy water or disinfecting them in bleach water. You can determine which steps to take by assessing them.
Beginning the Plants
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To begin with, start planting seeds of your own! This can be done in small plastic cups or containers indoors. Purchase potting soil and seeds at home improvement stores or garden centers anywhere. Be sure to check the plant length time on the back of the seed packs.
Alternatively, if you don’t have time to start plants yourself, juvenile plants can also be bought at the same stores prior to getting your garden going as well.
In addition, local farmer’s markets are also a great place to buy locally sourced plants that can be easily transported and transplanted.
Shopping For Essentials
Once you’ve gone through all of your tools and begun some of your plants, it’s a good idea to take a trip back to the garden store. Before going, take a list of additional items you will need to start your garden once the weather is cooperative.
Tomatoes cages, hoses, water cans and buckets for hauling produce might be some items that you need to buy. Consider purchasing fencing to go around your garden to keep wildlife away.
Prep Your Garden Soil
The next step is to clean the area of your actual garden. Choose a warm day to go out to the space where the garden is and asses the state. Begin working the soil with a rake or a hoe, breaking it up after the long winter’s rest.
As you move, pull weeds and rocks out of the garden bed. Once the soil is soft and turned over, check it for signs of nutrients. Doing a soil test is necessary in order for the plants to thrive. Afterwards, you can add additional items to the soil to improve it’s quality. These might include compost, mulch or grass clippings. Miracle Grow can also be used to help your garden be the best it can be as well.
Other Things To Consider
Track weather patterns before choosing the day to plant everything. If you plant them too early, a late frost could kill them. But if you wait until too late they might not grow at a proper rate.
Hopefully these steps and ideas have helped you plan how to prep your garden this spring!
