With the beautiful weather we have been experiencing now is the perfect time to get a start on routine early spring garden activities. Step out into the crisp wintry air and follow a few garden tips to do now.
Early Clean-up and Maintenance
- Cut back ornamental grasses in the landscape as they are beginning to grow.
- Apply Natures Yield Organic compost to garden soil in anticipation of planting at a later date.
- Replace mulch that has blown or washed away. It is much easier to identify bare spots now and apply mulch before perennials and shrubs begin to grow.
- Winter is an excellent time to have a troublesome or dangerous tree removed from your property. With no foliage to cloud their work, many arborists will cut down trees that have to go at this time of year.
- Now is also an excellent time to begin pruning large shrubs. Remove dead branches and use the renewal pruning system by removing large shrub stems/branches as close to the ground as possible. This will open the canopy for new growth at the base of the plant to grow and replace the old branches that have just been removed.
- Year-round veggie gardeners need to keep an eye on their season extenders. Good time to prepare your cold frame. Cold Frame Info
Caring for Birds
- The warm temperatures put pressure on birds. A steady supply of water needed but also seed, suet or nectar will help them survive until spring. Birds in the Garden Info
Planning Ahead
- Build a compost bin. Locate your new composting system in a mostly sunny site, and you’ll be up to your elbows in ‘black gold’ before you know it. Compost Bin Info
- Planning a new garden bed for next summer in an area where grass or weeds are currently growing? Make it easy by starting the project right now. First, place a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard over the area, then pile on alternating layers of organic material like compost, leaves, pine needles, untreated grass clippings, and straw. In the spring, the grass and weeds underneath the pile will be dead, and your new garden bed will be ready to plant! New Garden Bed Info
- Raised beds are extremely popular for small spaces and intensive vegetable growing. Raised Bed Info
Creek Side’s Saturday morning community gardening classes are another great opportunity to learn from the pros and share with each other. Check out the schedule on our website.
