1. Clean up last year’s garden and flower beds. If they’re not covered with snow, you can clean up dead branches and leaves, pull dead weeds, and clean out any other debris that may be in your gardens. Be sure to add it to the compost pile.
2. Browse seed and plant catalogs. Look through some of the many gardening catalogs available for the latest selection of plants. See what new varieties are being offered, and get ideas for your gardens from the beautiful colored photography in the catalogs. Mail order catalogs are usually available free of charge and are also available online.
3. Order seeds. Early spring is the prime time for mail order seeds. Order early for the best selection – the most popular seeds, plants and new products often sell out quickly. Seeds will usually be shipped early in the season to give you the option of starting them indoors. Plants will be shipped when it’s safe to plant them outdoors based upon your zip code. You can also order from many seed companies online, or purchase seeds in your local nursery or big box store.
4. Clean and sharpen tools. If you didn’t do this in the fall, now is a good time. Make sure your gardening tools are free of dirt and debris, and are clean and dry.
5. Sort chemicals and dispose of old ones. Check with your local municipality for safe disposal or recycling.
6. Sort pots and other gardening containers. Save any broken shards from terra cotta or clay pots to use as filler or for extra drainage at the bottom of larger pots.
7. Plan out your garden. Make a drawing of the areas you wish to plant, and start thinking about and planning out where to put what. It also helps to have kept a gardening log or diary to reference what worked where, what you might want to move next year, etc.
8. Test soil. Test kits are available at most gardening and home center stores. Test your soil so that you can plan to add nutrients as needed or decide where certain plants might thrive.
9. Start seeds. During the gray winter days, starting seeds and watching something grow can be truly rewarding. Many types of seeds are very easy to start, and the plants can be transferred to your garden when the weather warms up. Start seeds in an egg carton or in several small pots, and line them up on sunny windowsills. Many home center stores also stock mini greenhouses to grow herbs, annuals and perennials – these come with six small terra cotta pots, seeds, and peat pellets that can be used for the soil. Detailed instructions are included as well.
10. Review last year’s garden. If you kept a gardening journal, review it for notes on plants that succeeded or failed, seed start dates, etc.
Related Articles: Essential Tools for Gardening
Most homeowners have probably spent hours looking at the different types of garden seeders. You may have even come across…
When it comes to vehicle lovers, cleaning their cars on a regular basis is essential to maintaining the paint job's…
Gas chainsaws are the perfect tool for a variety of outdoor tasks, including chopping up logs for firewood, clearing brush…
A home can be a daunting project, one that takes some time and energy to maintain. With hard work, determination,…
Today ginger is grown all over tropical and subtropical regions in Asia, in parts of Africa and South America, and…
Onions are one of the most popular vegetables in the world, and growing onions is a snap in the home…