For best results, it pays to plan your spring #garden ahead of time, says Home for the Harvest. First, decide whether you’ll be #planting in the ground, in raised beds or in containers (look for these at #thrift stores supplied by your generous donations to ClothingDonations.org) — or a mix of all three settings. Then, use a garden planner to draw a layout detailing all of the #flower and #vegetable plots, and make a calendar of each variety’s ideal seeding, planting, maintenance, and bloom or harvest dates. Leave space in the planner for your notes and observations; they’ll come in handy next year if you make #gardening an annual event. #GardeningTips
Tag: garden
Test Garden Soils Before You Plant
While you may be able to get good #gardening results by simply tilling and #planting, it’s a good idea to perform a basic #soil test to ensure your #garden has the nutrients necessary for #flowers and #vegetables to grow to their fullest potential, Homesteading Family says. Soils need to hold carbon (humus), oxygen, water and minerals to provide a quality medium for plant growth, as well as offer a pH in the 6.5-7 range. To improve the quality of your soil quickly, invest in a quality compost — or make your own by giving raked leaves, lawn clippings and other organic materials the opportunity to break down in a bin or drum. #GardeningTips
Prepare Your Garden for Planting
In many hardiness zones, March is the best month to prepare your #garden for the #growing season. Tackle maintenance and preparation tasks such as cleaning out beds of debris, raking up mulch and pruning trees and shrubs, Better Homes & Gardens says. Divide #perennials before #spring growth begins to keep them healthy while adding to your garden or sharing extras with friends. Perform any needed upkeep on infrastructure such as edging and walkways, and clean and reintroduce outdoor furniture. By the end of the month, you should be able to safely #plant many cool-weather vegetables such as radishes, peas and potatoes. #GardeningTips
Plan Your Garden Before the Leaves Appear
The best time to plan your #garden is before any existing perennials, trees and shrubs start to fill in, Family Handyman says. Add evergreens, berry bushes and other plants to give those bare or blah areas four-season appeal. As #spring arrives, figure out how many hours of sun the different areas of the yard get to plant the appropriate flowers and shrubs in the right spots. Full-sun plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, while part-shade plants need three to six. Plants that thrive in shade grow best with just two or three hours of direct sunlight per day or indirect light throughout the day. #GardeningTips
Donate as You Spring-Clean
If you’re feeling more energetic and optimistic lately, it’s likely a physical response to the expanded daylight hours and warmer weather that has come to be known as spring fever. Embrace it, says Lakeview Regional Medical Center, and expand upon those good feelings. Open the windows, plant a garden, leave work early, exercise or go for a hike outdoors, and get together with your friends without screens in-between. Or use that spring fever to do some #spring #cleaning — and #donate any extra #stuff you don’t need to ClothingDonations.org. #SpringFever