Here are the Top 10 things to do for your yard this spring
March madness continues as nurseries stock up on colorful plants and tender vegetables starts, but the storms of early spring can be a challenge for any new plant.
Practice the art of “hardening off” when you bring home a new plant that was greenhouse grown. Let a new plant sit on a covered porch or patio for a few days so it can adjust to the cold nights and spring wind. Group your new green babies together in a a basket or place them in a wheelbarrow so you can more easily move them out into the sunshine during the day then return them to the protection of the porch at night.
Home-grown seedlings also need the hardening off process before they are plunked into the cold earth. Hardening off a plant is like half-day kindergarten. Not every plant needs it but it helps most plants.
Here are the Top 10 things to do for your garden this spring.
1. Rake, then mow, edge and feed the lawn. You don’t have to do it all in one day, but your lawn needs feeding at least once a year in spring or fall. A nicely mowed lawn can hide a multitude of weeds.
2. Pick a back corner or a screened area as an out-of-sight spot for a compost pile. You can even use a bucket if all you have is a patio or balcony garden. Just make sure you have a spot to start tossing all your garden refuse and faded blooms. You will need that rotted plant material to improve your soil later or to add to the bottom of container gardens.
3. Weed it and reap. Start with one section of the yard at a time and remove every weed you can find — especially the weeds that flower and shoot seeds all over. By weeding early, you reap the rewards all summer long because there will be fewer weeds sprouting from spring-sown seeds.
4. Prune back tall roses if you haven’t made the cut yet. Cut hybrid tea roses down to 24 inches if you want blooms on more compact rose plants. Cut off any branches that aim in to the center of the rose bush and anything that looks damaged or diseased. Clean up your pruning scraps to help stop the spread of rose diseases.
5. Add new trees, shrubs, perennials, berries and groundcovers to the landscape. Your local nursery not only stocks the plants that can be planted now, but has the best advice on what grows best in your area.
6. Dig out sick, damaged and ugly trees, shrubs, perennials, berries and groundcovers now. The weak need to get out of the way so the healthy can start building a better garden. Plants are not your children and you do not owe them a lifetime commitment. Life is too short to put up with ugly plants.
7. Improve your soil. Improve your soil. Improve your soil. Better soil is the root of a beautiful and more carefree garden. Add mulch such as bark chips around trees and shrubs. Shovel compost around the roots of roses and on top of the veggie garden. Invest in a load of composted dairy manure to layer on top of small weeds and improve any soil. In Enumclaw, the organic dairy farm at www.hygrassfarms sells weed-free “Super Doo” for pickup or to have delivered to your site. You also can find compost and composted dairy manure for sale by the bag at local nurseries.
8. Visit a nursery. You will learn a lot just by walking around and reading plant tags.
9. Did I mention weed the entire yard? A plead to weed more. Go back a few weeks after you weed and do it again.
10. Finally, enjoy the spring. You don’t need to cross everything off your “to do” list — or even have a garden of your own — to look around and enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of spring. We made it through winter. Sunny days and better times are ahead! Enjoy!
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.
This story was originally published March 27, 2021 at 5:45 AM.