Spring Gardening Tips For Beginners

If you are looking for some Spring Gardening Tips then you have come to the right place!

As Spring breaks we see the earliest flowers starting to bloom and many gardeners start to think about what they are going to do with their garden this year. If you are a beginner then you may be wondering where to start!

A lot of new gardeners worry about their lack of experience and many are put off getting started because of it. However, spring is the best time to start enjoying nature more.

If you follow the spring gardening advice below then hopefully it won’t be quite so daunting and will give you a great start.

Here then, is a list for new gardeners of how to transition a garden from winter to spring.

Check for Snow or Ice Damage

Are there broken tree branches? Damaged bushes? Appropriate steps need to be taken to remediate damage as soon as you discover it, as plants will resume growing as the days become longer and the weather warms. Damaged plant tissue is an invitation to insects, fungi and molds, which will take advantage of the warming weather and easy access to the plant.

Take a Soil Test

Never work your soil when it is wet. Digging or tilling wet soil will turn it into clumps as hard as concrete. It will take several seasons of adding organic matter to the soil to rebuild its structure. To check if your soil is dry enough to work, take a handful and squeeze it. If the soil crumbles through your fingers, you can work your soil. If it stays in a ball after squeezing, wait a few days.

Check soil pH with a home soil- test kit, taking several samples from different planting areas for an accurate reading. Enrich soil as necessary: Add dolomitic lime to raise the pH or elemental sulfur to lower the pH.

Prepare New Beds

Clear the planting area as soon as soil can be worked, removing sod or weeds and debris. Spread a 4-inch layer of compost or well-rotted manure and any amendments over soil, and cultivate it to a depth of 10 to 12 inches with a spading fork.

Buy plants from a reputable garden nursery

Some large nursery centers (like certain big box stores) don’t give proper care to plants when they’re on the lot. Don’t buy plants if they’re crispy brown, the top of the potting medium is bone dry, or if leaves are falling off, are discolored or look chewed. All of these are signs of stress and possible infestation and the chance that your plant will survive, much less thrive, is doubtful.

Time to Plant

Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, and perennials such as hostas and daylilies by early spring. Choose a cool, cloudy day if possible. Transplant container-grown plants anytime during the growing season except midsummer; be sure to water them thoroughly. Sow seeds of cool-season flowers like sweet peas, poppies, and calendula, and vegetables such as lettuce, parsley, and spinach.

Fertilize

Apply balanced fertilizer (6-6-6 or 8-8-8), fish emulsion, or other soil amendments recommended by soil-test results around trees and shrubs when new growth appears. Spread high-acid fertilizer and pine-needle mulch around acid-loving shrubs like azaleas and camellias. Begin fertilizing perennials when active growth resumes.

Start a Compost Pile

Start a compost pile, or use a compost bin, if you don’t have one already. Begin by collecting plant debris and leaves raked up from the garden. Chop these up first to speed decomposition.

Add equal amounts “brown” (carbon-rich) materials like dried leaves and straw and “green” (nitrogen-rich) materials like grass clippings and weeds in even layers with water and a compost bioactivator. Turn regularly. Continue adding to the pile throughout the season for rich, homemade compost next spring.

Happy Gardening!