For many older adults, the kids moving away is a bittersweet occasion, marked with the joy of witnessing your children take life’s next steps, and sadness from not being there to see it all. A method many parents use for coping with this event is finding a new at-home hobby to sink their teeth into. Gardening provides this escape. You can enjoy the great outdoors while improving your home’s curb appeal at the same time! As the season of regrowth inches ever closer, here is a closer look at how to prepare your garden for spring.
Clean and Prepare Equipment
Doing anything in a garden without the proper tools is often difficult, if not downright impossible. This is what makes preparing your tools and equipment so vital. Maintaining clean and functioning tools helps you avoid spending money on new equipment and ensures the tools are ready when you need them. Creating a space in your shed or garage for gardening tools makes finding and accessing them easier.
Prune Your Garden
Even during the colder months, the plants, trees, and bushes in your garden continue to grow. Pruning away some of that growth helps ensure the health of the plant and makes shaping your garden far less challenging. Consider sterilizing your tools before and after each different type of plant to avoid spreading diseases. Tree removal may be a big task and one that you may have a lot of difficulties accomplishing by yourself. However, your trees may be dead or infected, and ridding them from your garden will allow you to make way for new vibrant trees and a more vibrant garden.
Remove Yard Debris
After pruning, the next step should be getting rid of yard debris such as weeds, fallen branches, or stray twigs. There are many options for dealing with this waste that builds up throughout the year. It’s important to remember that many local trash services limit their pickup of yard waste for various reasons, so always have backup plans available.
Prepare Your Soil
The last thing to do when determining how to prepare your garden for Spring is to get the soil ready for planting. This prep work includes steps such as setting up the planters, purchasing your seeds, and making sure your buds have the necessary space to grow. For seeds that take longer to sprout, consider planting them early in planters that allow you to quickly move them indoors when necessary to avoid any late-season frosts.