Green Thumb Guide: Tips for Spring Gardening

April is National Garden Month, and now that spring and warmer weather are here, it’s the perfect time to get your green thumb working. Here’s a list of to-dos to get your garden going this April.

• Tend to your perennials: tend to your perennials and trim down any dry stems that were left after winter.
• Weed: neglecting to pull weeds will cost you time and effort later on, so just keep on those weeds. Unless you can find a natural alternative, avoid herbicides for killing weeds as well.
• Plant your summer bulbs: you can start summer bulbs off early by planting them in pots first before you transfer them to the ground. Once the ground is warm enough, get your summer bulbs in as early as possible.
• Hook up the hose: while we may (hopefully not) see some snow again, it’s unlikely to dip low enough in temperature to risk having your hose out. However, rain barrels are an eco-friendly alternative to watering your garden with the hose.
• Clean up the bed: there’s likely a lot of leftover stuff from winter in your garden bed, things like leaves and other materials should be cleaned out before you deal with soil.
• Soil: chances are, areas of your garden and yard will need to have new soil put in, or you may even need to replace full sections of grass. Start with the soil, and be sure to always mix in fertilizer and then use a roller or similar yard tool to flatten and even the area.
• Seed: plant your seeds when the ground is warm enough: plants, flowers, vegetables or herbs—the earlier you seed, the earlier they are ready.
• Add mulch: refresh your mulch in garden beds as soon as the soil is warmed up. Don’t add your mulch too soon, or you could risk slowing the process of warming.

Have another spring gardening tip that we missed? Please share it with us on Twitter. Happy Garden Month!