Spring is right around the corner. You can feel it in the air. There is still a lot you can do in the month of February. Especially if getting a head start and feeling less overwhelmed in the coming change of seasons is important to you. So, let’s discuss how we can prepare our gardens for the spring season.
Here in zone 7a, we will still have cold temperatures and frosts headed our way. But, that does not give us a any reason to make excuses. Although, nearly every Spring I find myself behind, I still try to learn lessons from the previous season.
Here are 8 ways that give us a running start for the spring season:
Table of Contents
- Here are 8 ways that give us a running start for the spring season:
- 1. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!
- 2. Pruning Trees, Bushes and Perennials
- 3. Plant Cover Crop
- 4. Order seeds
- 5. Increase Growing Area
- 6. Start Seeds Indoors
- 7. Garden Tools Tune Up
- 8. Organize
1. Mulch, Mulch, Mulch!
You should have properly put your beds to rest after the finale of the last growing season in your plant hardiness zone and mulching is on that list. If you didn’t mulch, now is a good time to do so. Mulch the fruit trees, mulch your already established beds, mulch your pathways.
Why mulch?
As the temperatures rise, those pesky weed seeds are going to begin germinating. When they mature, you will be fighting the same issues as last year. When soil is bare, nature does it’s part to cover it. Although mother nature puts it there for a reason, like dandelions to break up soil that is compacted.
Weeds are not what we want growing in the areas where we are trying to grow our nutrient dense foods. So, cover that soil up before mother earth does. Covering our pathways is also a great idea. This action doesn’t just feed the soil beneath our walkways, but it will help keep weeds and grasses away from our garden borders.
Mulch it!
Many options here folks! Let’s not be too concerned. We use a source of carbon. Thats it! However, of course like everything else, there are some things to avoid.
Hay
Hay can be used but, there is a good chance that some weed seeds will come with it. This brings concerns to many. Except for Ruth Stout of course. It is important to look for hay that has not been sprayed with herbicides. Using hay that has been sprayed depletes all of our reasons for growing nutrient dense food in the first place.
Also, depending on when it was sprayed, this will kill the life in your soil. When I ask hay sellers if they spray, I often get the response do you like weeds. Well… no I don’t but, I don’t like poisonous chemicals even more.
Straw
Straw is one of my favorites. Straw can still have some seeds but, a lot less than hay. Keep in mind, straw is generally sprayed as well. I think that I have found a supplier that does not spray but, these days it is tough to trust. Sellers are in it for the money. So, they may tell you what you want to hear when it comes to making a buck.
Try getting to know a farmer that you can trust. However, in the past, I have used straw without asking the seller if they spray. Nowadays, I always ask. I am a lot more informed about the cons of using sprayed straw. If I cannot find it, I will simply move on to a different material to use for mulch.
Wood Chips
I have been using wood chips for a long time. Wood chips are my go to, especially for walkways. Getting that delivery of wood chips from a local tree service for free is a blessing. Chips of some species should be avoided, however, as they produce natural herbicides. These include eucalyptus and black walnut.
Am I picky when it comes to the types of wood chips delivered for free? No, I am not. However, you could end up with a huge problem if you spread eucalyptus or walnut chips all over your garden. I must be lucky because, I have never had issues with free wood chips.
Many will chime in and tell you that wood chips will suck all nitrogen from your soil and rob your crops of nitrogen. I have not found this to be true in my practices. But, keep in mind, wood chips should be used for mulching only!
That means that wood chips should be placed on top of the soil or garden bed. If you mix or till wood chips into your garden beds or walkways, you will be creating a recipe for nitrogen deficiency in your soil and plants.
Sawdust
Sawdust is another favorite amongst many. Just be sure that the sawdust did not come from treated wood. I personally have never used sawdust in the garden, but, I look forward to the experiment.
Leaves
Ahhh the power of the leaves. A true gift from mother nature. She has a system so smart that they naturally fall each year at the same time. If you don’t have trees, you will be sure to find the mass of folks that are irritated by this miracle super soil food covering their lawns.
Some will use leaves just as they fall and dump them on top of their beds. This is perfectly fine to do. However, I have noticed that they will matte together when wet and they will take longer to break down. I like to make rows and run the lawn mower over them with a bag catcher on.
This method does a great job at shredding up the leaves. Especially if you have mulching blades on your mower. I have also put the leaves in a trash can and ran a line trimmer inside to shred them up. Might want to wear a dust mask while doing it this way.
Grass Clippings
Grass clippings are a great option. It is best to let it dry and turn brown because grass clipping tend to matte together as well. Just be sure that wherever you get them, the grass has not been sprayed with any weed killers or fertilizers. Keep in mind that if you have weeds in your grass and the weeds have gone to seed, then you will be transferring these seeds into your garden beds and pathways. So, if this is the case, I would not use grass clippings in my growing area.
And that my friends are some of the options you have for mulch.
2. Pruning Trees, Bushes and Perennials
An ideal time to prune is in the fall when trees go dormant. Dormant trees that have dropped all their leaves and are focusing their energy on root growth are ready for a haircut. But, if you missed that time in the fall, you can still prune in the late winter when the trees are still dormant.
Just try not to prune more than a 1/3 of the trees wood and growth at a time. This may shock the tree and could possibly kill it or make it weak. Weakness = disease.
3. Plant Cover Crop
Many cover crops are planted in the fall and spring. However, there are some that can be planted whenever the weather is warm enough. Their are so many benefits to planting cover crops. Here are some.
Helps with soil erosion
Crowds out weeds
Improves soil health
Controls pests and disease
Increases biodiversity
4. Order seeds
While it may seem a little early, the early bird catches the worm. Best not to wait because you will begin to see words like on back order or sold out. This has happened far too many times to us. So order your seeds before it’s too late. A few of our favorite sites to order seeds from is Johnny’s Seeds, Rare Seeds, and Peaceful Valley also known as Grow Organic.
5. Increase Growing Area
If your like us, you may have come to the realization that some of your crops did not last through the off season to feed your family. Leaving us with the nightmare of having to buy from the grocery store. We expand, when our needs rise above our harvest.
In the fall when all growing areas have gone to rest is the best time to expand your growing area. This gives the soil some time to build and become healthier throughout the winter. Doing this in the fall was our goal, but once again time got away from us.
So, here we go again running in circles trying to get ready for the, soon to come, growing season. Maybe next fall we will follow through with our goals. Until then, we will begin our expansions now.
6. Start Seeds Indoors
Depending on your plant hardiness zone, now is the time for us in zone 7a to start our early spring cool weather crops. This zone is 3 years new to us. We start the majority of our seeds indoors under grow lights now to get a head start and to have strong healthy transplants that are ready for their beds. To read more about starting seeds head over here.
At this time we started our cabbage. We love our Sauerkraut and we always run out earlier than we like. So anything that you can start early indoors, now is the time.
7. Garden Tools Tune Up
Get those essential garden tools ready for the work. Sharpen, clean and oil the blades, lightly sand and oil the handles and fix any issues that you are capable of fixing. Nothing worse than realizing that your prized shovel and rake were left out in the elements to find them unusable when you need them the most.
It is better to do your inspections and fixing now, than to go to the big box store during peak season when prices are up. This is better to do in the beginning of winter, but it is not too late.
8. Organize
Start organizing the essentials. Tools, fertilizers, pots, seeds etc. Remember, everything has its place and every place has its thing. Remember this phrase. Nothing worse than going to look for something and its not there. Then you spend the time, effort and frustration looking for it. This is the time when you lose motivation to frustration.
Growing food is such a humbling and enjoyable way of life. But, putting all your hard work in the garden, on the plates of your loved ones, is an element that cannot be substituted with anything else. Preparation on all ends is invaluable to your success. Happy growing! Let’s make this growing season a success together.
Until next time…
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