7 tips to prepare your garden for spring

Regardless of the size of your home’s garden, or even if you own just a little slice of garden on your flat’s balcony, a little preparation will go a long way in making sure that your spring exteriors are pleasing to the eye. If frigid weather during the winter months has left your garden to waste, now is the best time to perk things back up for a colourful, and blooming garden in spring!

• Sharpen your tools! If you’re like me, you bought your tools from a home improvement store and just started using them as is. While that’s always fine, you’re exerting more energy than you need to. Sharpening your garden tools will make working the soil much easier. 
• Clear your garden. Get rid of weeds, rocks, and any debris that has made its way into your garden during winter. Dispose of weeds in the recycling and throw away any pesky bits of rubbish that may have blown in from the street.
• Till your soil. Tilling is simply turning over and breaking up the soil. To make the task of tilling easier, you can purchase or rent an engine-powered tiller from a garden centre. These tillers are great for large areas, but if you only have a small area, try a cultivator fork or a deep spader to loosen up compacted soil. Doing this every few weeks will let oxygen down into the soil and help spread any fertilisers and compost materials. Loosened soil really helps young roots flourish.
• Let compost and soil mingle. It’s not advisable to dump your compost directly onto your garden. Mix compost materials with soil and let the mixture settle for about three weeks when possible.
• Select your fertiliser and condition the soil. Take this time to test your soil; you need to check its acidity, drainage, and any nutrient deficiencies. Based on the results, select a fertiliser that will facilitate healthy, stable soil.
• Select your seeds, bulbs, and starter plants. Arguably the easiest task to do from the comfort of your sofa. Use the time now to plan your flowerbeds and decide which vegetables you might like to grow. Make notes of what’s missing in a gardening journal. You can plant perennials, trees and shrubs in early spring.
• Join a gardening community! Seasoned gardeners and novices alike can benefit from active involvement in a gardening club. Share tips, get new ideas, learn quick tricks and more. In addition to the educational purposes of the group, the social aspect proves to be priceless. Receive encouragement from other gardeners that will get you playing in the soil on days that you may otherwise feel like giving up.

For more tips on maintaining, updating or selling your home contact your local Hunters branch today.