Spring Into Action With These Top Tips

Spring is just around the corner which means you’ll soon be nurturing your garden back to life. So, we’ve put together some spring gardening tips to help your garden back into action.

Now is a good time to tidy any borders before they start to bloom again. Remove early weeds and fallen leaves. Add a layer of mulch to feed the soil and prevent weeds from growing.

If you’ve been composting, now is the time to turn over the compost pile, the bottom layer will make an excellent mulch to spread around your borders.

Once the soil temperature warms, crops such as greens and peas can be directly sown. It’s a good idea to start vegetable seeds and annuals indoors around 6-8 weeks before setting them out. For the best results, start your seeds off under grow lights to help them grow healthy and strong.

Ever considered growing your flowers and vegetables together? Sweet peas and runner beans are effective when grown together, whilst dwarf marigolds and tomatoes can be planted out together when the risk of frost has passed. The flowers help to attract bees which makes for a better vegetable crop as they help to pollinate the vegetables.

It’s also time to prune shrubs and roses, and remove dead branches, but hold off pruning spring bloomers until after they flower. It’s a good idea to learn the proper pruning techniques for each variety of plant, and don’t forget about a good set of pruning scissors. Check underneath leaves for pests. Some of them can be brushed off, but others will need a pest treatment.

Spring is also the perfect time to show your lawn some TLC. To thicken up a patchy lawn, rake the ground gently to loosen the soil, spike it with a fork, then add a garden fertiliser before sprinkling with grass seed. Rake the seed in, and keep it well watered.

Don’t forget to look after your garden furniture. The plastic type is pretty easy to clean with soapy water and a sponge. Anything made of timber will need a clean and then a wood oil applying to seal it and protect it from the elements.

Just like garden furniture needs reviving, it’s important to keep your garden tools clean and in good working order. Identify tools that need to be repaired, sharpened or oiled before you start to use them.

Finally, don’t forget to make time to enjoy your garden!