Once the weather starts to warm up, it’s finally time to start your spring planting. Similar to a house needing a thorough cleaning after being closed up all winter, you also need to prepare your garden. You’ll need to follow a few steps and acquire specific equipment to ensure your preparation doesn’t hit any bumps.
Whether you’re a beginner jumping into spring gardening for the first time or a seasoned gardener needing a refresher, this guide will outline everything you need for spring garden preparation.
Considerations when preparing your garden
There are a few things to consider before beginning your spring planting. You’ll need to pay attention to the amount of space you have, as well as knowing ideal planting times.
Pots vs. raised beds vs. ground
Before picking your plants, you might want to consider what type of garden you will have. For example, a pot is acceptable for flowers but cannot accommodate melons.
If you have a lot of space and excellent soil, planting directly in the ground is your best choice and won’t affect what you can plant. If you have ample space but inadequate soil like sand or rock, raised beds will be an ideal choice. For those who have little to no space or just a patio, you’ll want to plant in pots.
What should I plant in spring?
Flower Seeds: Sold by Amazon
Give your garden some color with these beautiful flower seeds. Nothing says springtime quite like flowers blooming in your garden.
Vegetable and Herb Seeds: Sold by Amazon
This vegetable seed set includes cucumbers, peas, broccoli, peppers and more. Most of these are suitable even for beginner gardeners.
Honeydew Green Melon Seeds: Sold by Etsy and Amazon
One of the easiest fruits to grow in the spring is honeydew melon. It’s low maintenance and reasonably hardy.
Watermelon Seeds: Sold by Etsy and Amazon
Watermelons are also easy and low maintenance. They grow best with hot air and moist soil.
Tomato Seeds: Sold by Etsy and Amazon
Tomatoes are one of the most popular items in a home garden. They’re great for beginners, and you can expect tomatoes in only a couple of months.
Strawberry Seeds: Sold by Etsy and Amazon
Strawberry seeds are best planted in late spring to avoid any frost or cold soil. They need a ton of sunlight.
Raspberry Seeds: Sold by Etsy and Amazon
Pick a sunny spot to plant your raspberry seeds. They usually bloom in the summertime.
How to prepare your garden for spring
Your garden has sat empty for the winter months and needs a little care before it’s ready for planting. It doesn’t require too much time and effort, but a little work can help your garden succeed in a big way.
Tool maintenance
Another thing that needs a little care after sitting untouched the entire winter is your gardening tools. Plant sap and dirt from the previous year can hold bacteria or fungus, and you don’t want to pass that onto your new plants. Your tools are also prone to rust from water and condensation. Sharpening your tool blades is vital to staying safe during the gardening season. You want your tools to do the job they intended and not create unnecessary work by being dull.
If you don’t have any tools, look at our list and see what equipment you need to have a successful spring gardening season.
Weed and pest management
Weeds don’t disappear during the winter, and neither do pests. If you have existing garden beds, give your plants the best chance to succeed by ensuring no weeds are present when you plant. Some pests might have also made a home in your soil, so examine it thoroughly. Roots need airflow to survive, so this also does double duty by loosening the compacted soil.
Test your soil
Not all soil is created equally. Doing a soil and pH test is the best way to see what nutrients your soil needs. If your test uncovers that your soil has high phosphorus levels, you’ll want to get a fertilizer that doesn’t contain much phosphorus. Hydrangeas and other plants love acidic soil, so if your test reveals naturally alkaline soil, you might need to add aluminum sulfate.
Mulch and fertilizer
Whether you’re a beginner or have an existing garden, you’ll need new mulch and fertilizer. Fertilizer feeds your plants essential nutrients, so decide what you want to plant before deciding on fertilizer. For example, tomatoes like calcium while pansies enjoy phosphorus. Mulch is essential since it protects against weeds and controls moisture.
What equipment do I need for spring gardening?
Garden Gloves: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Gloves are essential when gardening to prevent scrapes and blisters. These are lightweight and flexible, so you don’t have to worry about your movement being restricted.
Garden Trowel: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
After a long winter, dirt is often packed down and tough to dig. Use this trowel for digging seed holes, weeding, or mixing.
Pruning Clippers: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Pruning is essential for gardening to keep your plants thriving, and clippers make your job easier. These have a low friction coating to protect against rust.
Water Hose: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
If you have gardening experience, you know a lot of your time is spent watering. This hose is 100 feet long and includes a nozzle with 10 functions.
Bow Rake: Sold by Home Depot and Amazon
This rake has a 58-inch long fiberglass handle to increase leverage and reduce fatigue. The steel head is ideal for preparing your garden beds.
Shredded Rubber Mulch: Sold by Amazon
Rubber mulch doesn’t suck up the moisture, which discourages weed and fungal growth. It doesn’t attract insects and is low maintenance.
Plant Food Fertilizer: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Plants need nutrition to thrive, and this Miracle-Gro is suitable for all flowers, fruit and vegetables. It’s easy to use — just mix and water.
Plastic Nursery Pots: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Whether you have a small patio space or want to start your seeds indoors, these plastic nursery pots are essential. One-gallon is an ideal size for fruit seeds, vegetable seeds and a variety of flowers.
Frost Protection Cover: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Nights can still produce frost in early spring. This frost protection cover will keep your new plants from getting too cold and dying.
Raised Garden Beds: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
While you can build your own garden bed, these fabric beds are easy to set up and tear down. They’re a great choice if you don’t have a lot of garden space.
Landscape Fabric: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Landscape fabric is one of the easiest ways to control weeds. Make sure all weeds and old vegetation are removed before rolling your fabric out.
Gardening Shears: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Larger trees and shrubs will need to be trimmed periodically. The patented self-sharpening design keeps the blades at their best.
Spade Shovel: Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
If you’re digging large holes, a bigger shovel like this one is handy. The square design is also great for edging.
Bre Ritchey is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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