After a long winter, your soil needs a little TLC before it’s ready to plant for Spring. It’s time to get down and dirty with the little plot of land called your garden!

A few tools you’ll need before getting started:

-towel or small shovel

-Small garden rake

-Bucket for removal/composting of waste and debris

-Gloves, kneelers, and sun hat

Begin with a quick surface cleanup. Remove any debris from the winter, dead leaves, or waste from the previous year’s planting. Any organic materials such as leaves or plant stalks can be added to your compost pile.

If you have perennial plants existing in your space, take a moment to clean up any dead or damaged portions of the plant. Keep in mind that with the unpredictable temperatures of Spring weather, your perennials may not have completely come back to life yet. Use caution when pruning and only remove what you are sure is dead.

Next, use your trowel, shovel, and small garden rake to clear out any larger debris from under the surface of your soil. This might include things such as small rocks or gravel, broken branches, or old roots from previous seasons. Again, organic materials can be composted. This step will also serve to gently aerate your soil and provide a rich environment for new roots to establish themselves.

Finally, if you desire, work some of your compost into the soil. This will add organic matter and nutrients to your soil. Compost will help loosen the soil making it easier for your plants to grow and improving air and water movement into the soil. 

If it’s been a while, a soil test at this time would be a good idea. Beechwood gardens will offer soil test kits just stop in and we will explain how to test your soil. This will help you maintain the ideal growing conditions.