|
|
|
|
|
|
| Spring Gardening Jobs |
Gardening Jobs for the Spring:
Springtime is one of the most important and hectic times for the organic and amateur gardener. There are simply dozens of jobs and tasks to do, both maintenance and planting to be done in preparation for a productive and fruitful summer period. There are numerous activities to be carried out including sowing, planting, cuttings, clearing, preparing and finishing areas of the garden in time for the new season.
- Sowing seeds is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the amateur gardener’s year and provides a whole host of cheap, good quality plants with the added bonus of being entirely organic should you choose to conduct this in this way. For more detail, however, please refer to the “Guide to Seed Sowing” article.
- Planting should also be conducted at this stage. Over wintered hardy plants which may have been divided in the spring, such as Hostas, Astilbes, Fuchsias and Dahlia tubers can be planted at this time, providing the last chances of severe frost are over. You might also like to plant up hanging baskets and patio pots, and grow these further in your greenhouse or poly-tunnels.
- Cuttings can also be taken at this time in the year and some of the finest specimens in the garden can be propagated using this technique. It is ideal for species such as Geraniums, Fuchsias, Mint and Hydrangeas. This is covered in more detail in the “How to Take Cuttings” article. These should be kept inside the greenhouse until they are properly developed, however, in the height of the growing season; this should take no longer than around 6-8 weeks depending on the species of plant. Mint is particularly easy to propagate and makes an excellent exchange gift for gardeners to use in exchange for other varieties.
- Clearing is perhaps one of the most time consuming and laborious of tasks but one of the most rewarding! Over the winter months, weed growth will have been inherently suppressed by the cold; however, the garden will have also accumulated the greatest amount of vegetation litter in the entire gardening calendar. If you failed to get out in the Autumn or Winter and clear the leaves and mulch, then you will definitely need to do this now. Areas that are cluttered with gardening junk, old logs, piles of rubbish, rubble or debris will attract slugs and snails as well as harboring mould and disease. These pests will destroy early crops of planted out annuals and shooting perennials if not dealt with immediately at this time of the year. Remove all waste and dispose of at your local household recycling centre.
- Preparing seed beds and planting borders should also be developed at this stage of the calendar. Well rotted manure should have already been incorporated in the Autumn and addressing the challenges of the Vegetable Plot has already been covered in the “Creating a Vegetable Plot from Scratch” article. You should lightly turn over the borders with a fork incorporating a small amount of Growmore ready for the spring season. Weeds, especially perennial ones such as Dandelions, will need to be removed and disposed of or burnt.
- The final task of ‘finishing’ involves the many tasks associated with ensuring that the garden is looking at its best in preparation for the entertainment season of the summer. Wood paneling should be painted or re-treated. Sheds should be painted and driveways cleared and cleaned. Pressure washing is a good job to conduct now, while plants are not in position and will not suffer damage from the debris and water blowing around.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Organic Vegetable Gardening Feature Article |
| Jobs to do in May (Growing Techniques and Planting) Part 2 |
Details |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Gardening Fairs & Events |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Your Recent History (Recently Viewed Articles)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
