The winter storms have finally passed, and it’s time to start preparing your garden for spring planting. You might look at the snow mess outside and feel overwhelmed, but don’t worry. Follow these five steps to get your garden ready to bloom again.
Get Your Garden Ready
1. Make a Clean Sweep
The first step to getting your garden ready is to sweep away all the old leaves and twigs. Clean old garden debris from your yard with a rake, a blower or both. Check your garden borders to see if they’re broken or dented. Replace the broken sections to create a tidy look.
2. Scrub Your Stuff
If you didn’t clean your tools, buckets and garden equipment before you put them away last winter, do it now. Wash your garden tools, garden gloves and even your garden clogs in warm, soapy water. Scrub them well and let them dry. This cuts down on pests and diseases going into your soil and into your home.
3. Check for Pests
Are you seeing signs of pests in your garden? Common garden pests in Washington include aphids, cherry fruit flies, paper wasps and codling moths, which can attack apple trees. If you spot the larvae of these common invaders in your garden, now is the time to introduce predator insects and organic pesticides into your yard.
4. Condition the Soil
Get your planting beds ready by raking through the top layer, cleaning out any debris and turning over the soil. Add compost, manure or soil conditioner about two weeks before you put plants in the soil. Adding it after you plant or place seeds can cause the roots of your new plants to burn.
5. Plan Your Planting
Make a plan for your garden. Decide which plants are going into which beds. If you have perennials, cut them back and decide which annuals would look good near them. Take height and color into account when you’re making a garden plan.
Get Ready to Get Growing
If you need any tools for your spring planting or advice on any aspect of successful gardening, contact our landscape supply in Camas. We want to see your garden grow.