With spring fast approaching, it’s finally time to start turning our attention back outdoors. If you’re keen to get back into gardening as soon as you can, don’t be so fast to grab your gardening gear.
A lot of the gardening decisions you make in spring can affect the appearance of your outdoor space year-round. So before you get stuck, if you want to make the most of the season without creating extra work later, you’ll want to avoid making the following gardening mistakes.
Planting Too Early
It’s tempting to get plants in the ground as soon as the weather warms up, but if your local temperatures are still dropping low at night, keep in mind that late frosts can harm plants when they’re young.
If you want to give them the best chance of healthy growth, wait until the frost risk has passed before you plant flowers and vegetables from seed or bulb.
Overwatering
It’s true that your plants will need more water as the weather warms up, but you want to avoid a “too much of a good thing” scenario.
Overwatering your plants can cause them to turn yellow and wilt, and while it is possible to bring an overwatered plant back to life, it’s best to avoid this mistake in the first place. Check the soil before you get the watering can out:
- If the top layer feels dry, give your plants a drink.
- If the soil is still damp, wait another day, then check again.
Neglecting Soil Preparation
You can only expect healthy plants to grow in your garden if you’re starting with a good foundation of healthy soil.
So, before you start planting, take some time to prepare the soil by clearing weeds and adding compost, which contains essential nutrients for plant growth. It’s also good to turn the soil to improve drainage before you introduce new plants.
Forgetting Lawn Care
Another common spring gardening mistake is focusing so much on your plants that you neglect your lawn.
But spring is the best time to fix winter damage on your lawn, so it’s well worth committing to lawn care this season. Rake away dead grass and reseed bare spots. You might also want to give your lawn a boost with some fertilizer, and once it starts greening up, it’s time to start mowing regularly.
Real lawns aren’t for everyone, especially if you’re a pet owner constantly dealing with patches of dead grass caused by animal pee. If you want a low-maintenance option, consider installing synthetic grass for pets, so you can enjoy a green lawn without watering or mowing.
Pruning at the Wrong Time
Finally, pruning your existing plants promotes their growth, but getting the timing wrong and pruning too early could affect their flower production later in the year.
While you’ll generally need to prune summer-flowering shrubs in early spring, you should wait to prune spring-flowering plants until after they bloom.
Takeaway
You might be aware of all the best practices for spring gardening, but how many of these mistakes did you know to avoid?
With this new information, you can prepare your garden for the summer months and get the very most out of your time spent outdoors.
