Spring Chores in the Garden

Remember last fall when there was so much to do in your landscape? You had to put the garden to bed, cover the flowers, wrap the trees and shrubs. Well, here it is spring and guess what? Everything you did in the fall, you now have to undo.

Remember those perennials you left standing for winter interest? Well, it's time to cut them down. The main goal here is to get all the dead debris out of the garden, to give your perennials a fresh new start. Once you've done that, you can move onto the next chore, unwrapping trees. If you wrapped tree trunks to protect them from nibbling animals, now in spring, if you leave the wrappings in place, moisture can get trapped inside and cause the bark to rot. It's time to take the wrapping off.

It's a good idea to test the soil in your garden every couple of years. You can buy a kit at any garden center, but if you want an accurate report card, contact your local county extension service. They will provide instructions on having a soil test done. Basically, you go to five different locations in your garden, take a scoop of soil and put it in a bucket. Mix all five samples together, fill up the sample bag and send it away for analysis. What you get in return is a report card that tells you exactly what's in your soil, what nutrients you need and what you don't need.

Even if you don't have your soil tested, it's a good idea to amend your soil every year. Add organic materials such as peat moss, cow manure and compost to the garden soil. Spread on the amendments as generously as you can afford, and then with a tiller or a little elbow grease, mix them into the garden bed.