Ultra Outdoors
Re-do Flower Beds and Borders
It may feel like one of the most tedious jobs, but a good Spring clean will make you feel like you’ve achieved something out there in the garden. It’s just like inside the house – getting rid of the clutter will make you feel a million times better. Make sure you have a garden waste bag to hand and clear up any leaves, cut away any dead growth and get rid of any soil that can’t be re-used.
Go Shopping
Once that awful job is over, it’s time for a bit of shopping as a reward. Now is the perfect time to get yourself some bulbs and seeds for Summer flowering. There’s nothing better than sitting in the garden with a cup of tea, admiring the Summer blooms. If you’re restoring a garden but you’re not used to planting bulbs and seeds, you may want to look at some advice for growing the perfect Summer blossoms.
Consider Landscaping
If you have a lot of space, you may need to consider how best to use it. Getting some professional advice from a landscaper onunique landscapes could be priceless. You’ll want to ask everything, from the layout of the garden, to including a pool or water features and where to plant flowers or trees. If you’re not someone who has visual talent, having a visually creative mind around could help things to go much smoother.
Vegetable Patch or Greenhouse
If you’re enthusiastic about growing vegetables or fruits, you need to have the right conditions. Growing anything in the wrong soil, the wrong temperatures or with the wrong amount of watering will lead to disaster. It’s a tricky business growing fruit and veg. You’ll have a much better chance of succeeding if you have a greenhouse in the garden. To prepare your greenhouse for the Spring and Summer months, take everything out and give it a good clean. Sweep away cobwebs, debris from plants and thoroughly disinfect the area. It’s important to do this because bacteria and disease that can kill plants have a habit of growing in greenhouses throughout the Winter months.
It’s Hunting Season
Well, it is for you. Before you start to plant anything new or carry out any new designs, it’s time to hunt down those awful pests that can ruin any garden display. You’ll probably find slugs, snails and other little critters among the leaves of your perennial plants. If you do, it may be wise to put down some repellent to kill them before they get a chance to really move in. Sorting out this problem now will ensure you don’t have to do it when your new flowers are just blooming.
Feed Your Plants the Best
Tap water isn’t always the best for plants because it’s slightly alkaline. Finding ways of collecting rain water and saving it for drier days will do your plants the world of good. Water butts are excellent for getting this job done. If you notice your plants struggling, you may want to give them a little boost with plant food. This can be found at most garden centres or you can order bulk online.
Deciduous Shrubs
These shrubs can grow and take over everything if you’re not careful. It’s important to be aware of what type of shrub you’re buying before you buy it. If you already have one in the garden, it could be wise to move it to an area where there’s plenty of space for it to grow. It’s advised to do it on a warm, calm day so the roots don’t dry out as you work. This will prevent it from over taking any new plants you put in the garden. A fight for space never ends well.
Check Garden Gates
It’s not impossible for wildlife to dig holes under fences or for paint work to scrape off during the Winter. Take a walk around your garden and check the fences, gates and trellis for any damage. If you need to replace something or update the paint work, now is the perfect time to do it. Choose a day that’s dry but not too hot. You don’t want to get heat stroke while you’re painting and losing track of time.
Get the Right Tools
A worker is only as good as his tools. If you’re new to gardening or your tools have rusted away over the last few months, it’s time to get some new ones. Without the proper tools for the job, you may as well give up before you start. You’ll also want to clean and sharpen any tools that you still have that will still do the job well. It’s important to clean your tools so you don’t introduce any new bacteria into the soil and plants.
Make Your Own Compost Bin
Making your own compost bin is hugely beneficial to your plants and you. It’s the perfect way to get rid of some of your waste and once it breaks down, it’s the best source of nourishment for your plants. You can use vegetable peelings, grass clippings, paper and wood pruning’s. It could also save you a lot of time and money, so there’s no downsides to this. One of the best ways to make your own compost bin is to use wood crates and discarded pieces of wood together.
Some of the plants and flowers to sow in Spring are:
- Dahlia – This can be sown indoors and nurtured until the tubers are ready for lifting in the Autumn.
- Begonia Tubers – These can be planted and kept in a greenhouse. To get the best results, plant them just beneath the surface of the soil.
- Salad leaves – If you’re interested in starting your own vegetables, these are the ideal way. Start them in pots on the windowsill or in a greenhouse.
- Cauliflower – This tasty veg can be started off in the Spring months under cover to get the best results.
Starting Your Vegetable Patch Off on the Right Foot
- If you’re adamant about having a vegetable patch in your garden, find a spot that gets some sun but is also sheltered for part of the day. Vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumber need some shelter from the wind to grow properly.
- To avoid any pests getting into your veg on a regular basis, it may be a good idea to create a raised veg box instead of having a patch on the ground. There is also the option of using an allotment rather than your garden, where you’ll pick up other tips from people who have been growing their own fruit and veg for years.
- To grow organic vegetables, you’ll need to get rid of anything that grew in your patch previously right from the root, including grass. You need a completely clean slate to ensure you get 100% organic.
- Before you plant your veg, cover the soil for a few weeks prior so it has chance to warm. You can do this using a clear plastic sheet. When you uncover the area to plant your veg, you may come across some annual weeds. Don’t let this put you off. Take them out as thoroughly as you can before planting.
- As you plant your vegetables, remember they’ll need plenty of space to grow. Space them out appropriately and you’ll get a better chance of producing healthy veg throughout the months.
- You may want to start with some of the easier veg, like peas, potatoes and cucumber. There are an array of great quality seeds here to buy online.
Getting your garden Spring ready is one hell of a job, but with the right tools, experience and help from others it’s entirely possible. The best advice to give is to book some time off work to get it all done. This isn’t a job that you can plan to do over one weekend, and if you somehow manage to do that, you’ll walking into work like a zombie with a sore back come Monday. Spread the jobs you’ve given yourself across a week and get some help with the heavy lifting if possible – it’s surprising how much a bag of grass weighs! Just remember, it’s worth all the effort. When you’re sat in your tidy garden, with flowers to look at and fresh veg for dinner, the sense of achievement is unbeatable!
