Your garden has been on pause since the fall and it’s time to start getting it ready again for spring and summer plantings. But, we can’t just dive headlong into planting right away, there are some very specific things that you have to do in order to get your home’s garden, especially a vegetable garden (which are all the rage these days) ready for planting again. In today’s article, we’re going to cover the best practices for making sure that your garden is ripe and ready for seasonal planting.
Take Stock Of Your Gardening Tools
One thing that you can do first is to make sure that you have all of the tools that you will need for the year ahead and that they are in good working order. Take a few minutes to survey your gardening tools on hand and inventory them. Make sure that you have what you need on hand and that you are replacing tools that are broken, damaged, or worn out. It helps to start each year with fresh tools ready to work!
Prep The Planting Beds
Carefully take out the old and dead plant matter from last year’s garden that may still be there. Be careful if you’re composting the organic material that you don’t include weeds in the compost pile. Once each planting bed is cleared of plants and weeds, now would be a good time to break up the layer of topsoil with a specialized gardening tool or shovel in order to till the soil as best as possible. Now your beds are free and clear and ready to set up for this year’s planting.
Test And Repair Sprinklers/Watering System
With your planting beds clear and set up as a perfect pre-planting staging area, you can now test out your watering system. Has it survived winter? Are the parts and hoses and pumps still working or do things need replacing or maintenance? Test your watering system a few times to make sure that it is in working order. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to add a smart internet connected timed watering apparatus to your watering system. An automatic timer, especially a smart timer connected to a phone app can save you tons of hassle, time, and money in the months and years to come.
Add New Rich Planting Soil
Your beds are now ready for a new layer of topsoil! Buy a few bags from your local gardening goods store. Cover your beds with a layer that is about 2 to 3 inches in height for maximum soil nutrient density when planting. You may want to pick up some seeds while you’re out shopping as well. It’s a little early to start planting just yet, but you could probably start things like peppers and tomatoes indoors in little cups or homemade beds until it’s time to transfer after the last thaw.
In Conclusion
Now you should be ready to start planting in your home’s garden just in time for the spring thaw. We want to make sure that every homeowner is prepared for the task ahead with the best news and information and quality products available. Shop our store online here or contact us to learn more about what FAMCO has to offer when it comes to high quality HVAC supplies and ventilation accessories.