Spring is here! Early spring rains and warming temperatures can excite a flush of activity in your garden beds. Since garden maintenance can sometimes feel overwhelming, we like to break maintenance tasks down into four quarters, following the changing of the seasons. Here is our go-to checklist for spring garden maintenance:
General Landscape Management
You may have noticed some opportunistic species popping up in your own gardens this month, as winter rains subside and longer, sunnier days persist. Now is a great time to start spending time tackling the young weedy shoots – being careful not to cause too much compaction on the wet soil.
o Review plant health and investigate reasons for observed decline.
o Weed and deadhead flowers as needed, being careful not to compact wet soil.
Replenish Mulch
Spring is a great time to replenish your mulch, ensuring that at least 2” is maintained on established garden beds (and 4-6” in more newly planted gardens).
Time to plant (but not in wet soil!)
If we have a week or more of dry weather, early spring is also a great time to get some new plants in the ground and refresh your planting beds.
Irrigation Check Up
Don’t forget to check on your irrigation system as the weather begins to change. Now is a good time to flush valves, make repairs, and replace filters, as needed, in preparation for the more dry summer months.
o Turn on each valve to check for problems and make repairs.
o Open flush valves and flush.
o Clean irrigation filters.
o Seasonally adjust automatic irrigation schedule.
o Replace controller batteries if needed.
o Move drip irrigation and/or add emitters as trees grow to maintain the wetting zone at the dripline – the outside edge of the tree’s canopy.
We hope this checklist helps you to feel more connected to your garden’s needs this spring season. Check back around the Summer Solstice in June for a post about our Summer garden maintenance checklist!
