My garden is looking lovely so far this leaping . I ’ve been spending an hour or two a twenty-four hours whittle away at some of the various undertaking I like to accomplish before yearly planting time arrives . I find that if I get these things finish well before my tomatoes are quick to make their way into the garden , I have a straits commence on the rest of the growing season and wo n’t fall behind docket later . Here are some of the things I ’ve been focusing on .
1 . mulch
Every fountain , I try my best to have all my garden beds mulch by Cinco de Mayo . I find that doing so really cuts down on grass later in the season . If I wait much later than that to fill in this important task , many pot seeds have already germinated and I end up having to hoe or pull them out before I put down the mulch . In my vegetable and repeated gardens , I mulch with 2 to 3 inch of leaf compost . In my shrub layer and around the yield trees , I mulch with 2 to 3 inches of chopped hardwood bark .
2 . arrange Up the Rain Barrel
We employ an old oak tree wine barrelful to gather the rainwater that rolls off our roof . Because it ’s made of wood , I have to empty it every fall and salt away it in the shed for the winter to make certain it does n’t split . I like to have my rain barrel set up and ready to go before my warm - season harvest go into the garden . I elevate the cask on a readiness of concrete block . This realize for loose access to the spigot and admit the water to hang better through the hose . I ’m also trusted to repair the top covert every springiness to keep the mosquitoes from accessing the urine in spite of appearance to lay their eggs .
3 . Erect Stakes , Cages and Trellises
I much prefer to hammer in my tomato stake and rear the tudors andtrellisesfor my cucumber and pole noodle well in improvement of the planting date . Having the tomato stakes in place before planting mean a reduced hazard of accidentally inserting one through the theme of a growing plant . Same with my rod beans : I put the tudor in spot first , then plant the noggin seed around it . Because the stake and treillage are kept in the shed , I wish to hose and brush them off before putting them in the garden .
4 . unclouded and Fill Pots
I grow many plants in container on the back patio , include lots of annuals and tropical plants . To get a jumpstart on the planting season , I lug all the pots up out of the garage , scrub them off and pose them on the terrace . Then , I meet them with my planting mix . I habituate a 50/50 blend of compost and quality organic potting grime . I also put 1/2 loving cup of organic mealy fertilizer into each turgid pot ( 1/4 loving cup in container minuscule than 5 gallons ) . The stack are fill up for a week or two before planting metre , giving the potting soil time to settle . I can easy rearrange the pots to my liking before they ’re filled with plants and too dense to move .
5 . Edge Garden Beds
I love to have a neat edge on all my garden beds . I find that this is a undertaking well complete double per season , once in the early bound and then again in belated summer . It make the beds look well - manicured , even if the plants grow inside of them are a little wild — as I care them to be ! I ’ll show you how I march my bed quickly and easily inthis video .
« More Dirt on Gardening »
