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Spring is in full swing yet summer is right around the corner, and with the warmer weather comes the desire of most amateur gardeners to get back into the garden. However, almost a year’s worth of weather conditions, diminished maintenance and seasonal changes can take their toll on your garden, and if you haven’t touched it for quite some time, you will need to prepare it for the summer months.
The good news is that spring is an excellent time to get back to pottering as the soil generally becomes softer, new life starts to flourish and the weather is perfect for your garden plants and flower beds.
But before you can get back to nurturing nature, you will need to do the following first:
- Clear, Prune and Trim
- Check Soil and Mulch
- Plant at the Right Time
Gardens that have been left for some time can be hazardous and sometimes even professional care is required while soil needs to be prepared in order to accept and sustain flowers and vegetables and in order for the best possible growth, you should plant certain things at the right time.
Clear, Prune and Trim
An abandoned or overgrown garden poses all kinds of hazards for the amateur gardener and professional alike. Such things as overgrown trees, shrubs and bushes will need trimming while their disposal is just as important as well. Most cleaning up and maintenance can be done on your own if you are able, but a professional tree surgeon can help with more pressing tasks.
For the toughest jobs, an arborist can help with removing dead plants, controlling weeds and even transplanting from one place to another without damaging any plants, wildlife or the surrounding environment. Other complex jobs may also need to be performed such as carefully removing branches or even an entire tree.
Check Soil and Mulch
Preparing your soil as soon as possible is one of the most important steps in getting your garden ready for accepting new plant life. As soon as you can, get outside and begin to work the soil so you can get a head start and enjoy your garden by planting some hardy vegetables such as onions and potatoes that are able to survive a harsher environment.
As the weather warms, you should be able to begin working with the softer soil in order to work in your mulch as this will prepare the environment for your plants and provide a natural deterrent against weeds, so do this just before you plant your new seedlings and bulbs for the season because it is very difficult to mulch around growing plants.
Plant at the Right Time
Plan out your planting and perform it in sequence so everything grows in sync with each other. Early planting can begin in harder soil for tougher varieties such as root vegetables, but you can begin planting more temperamental fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes indoors so that they are ready for transplanting into softer, mulched soil when the warmer weather begins.
You could develop a schedule for when you are to plant each of your varieties as some require more or less water than others, more shade or more sun. Spring and summer is also an excellent time to begin thinking about specific herbs such as basil and chives that love the sun, but be sure to water everything accordingly as herbs especially can be very sensitive to conditions.
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