Officially, spring runs from March to early June. This is the first time in the year when we begin to see colour, life and activity return to the garden. It’s a great time to get out and start enjoying your outdoor space. But you’ll only experience spring colour if you prepare a little before. Your window of opportunity for this starts around mid-January (depending on the weather) when the worse frosts are hopefully over and the ground begins to loosen.
When is it too late?
If you can only start work on the garden mid-January and spring starts officially in March that means we only have 1 month to fully prepare everything right? Well actually, there are no hard set rules for this.
You can be doing work that will bear results in spring as late into the season as you want. But the earlier you start and the sooner you get your preparation done the better your results will be, come spring and the less work you’ll have to do for summer.
Reasons to prepare your outdoors now
There’s work to be done
Though the garden may be quiet and lifeless at the moment, there are plenty of jobs that can be done. Check out our January and February garden job posts for more details.
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- Clean up and repair from the damage of winter.
- Support wildlife
- Inspect equipment
- Plan your planting
Enjoy the sun as soon as it arrives
Preparing your garden now will set you up nicely for the return of warm weather so you avoid rushing when the sun hits.
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- You can start getting social as soon as the sun hits
- You can invest in quality furniture sets and covers when you need them, instead of when it’s too late
Let your plants really blossom
Getting your garden prepared will allow your planting to take root, ready for a beautiful display come spring and summer.
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- Plan how your flower beds will bloom with colours, patterns and textures
- Check any bulbs that you’ve stored over winter
- Prep your garden soil so it’s ready for planting as soon as possible
Take it easier come summer
Putting the effort in now makes garden work in the summer much easier.
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- Tasks like laying down mulch this time of year not only helps to prevent early weeds but keeps moisture within the soil making it more drought resistant for summer
- Planning, preparing and planting now when the weather isn’t great gives you more time to relax and enjoy your garden when the good weather returns.
What one thing should I definitely do before spring?
Assuming that your plans for spring and summer include a certain amount of planting then the best thing you can do before spring is to prepare your garden soil. Whether this is an entire section of bedding or a single planter, having good soil is key to growing success.
- Break down any large clumps in your soil with a garden fork
- Spread a layer of organic matter over your soil. The nutrients will slowly release into the soil so it’s ready for spring
- Use a garden rake or hoe to delicately work the fertiliser into the soil
- If you want you can cover your soil with a polythene mesh or a series of cloches. This will protect it from frost, increase the temperature which will help the fertiliser and also help to suppress any early weeds
Scott is a copywriter currently making content for the Primrose site and blog. When at his desk he’s thinking of new ways to describe a garden bench. Away from his desk he’s either looking at photos of dogs or worrying about the environment. He does nothing else, just those two things.