Kick Start Your Garden into Action

Essential Spring Gardening Tasks

• Clear drainage ditches – Over the winter, leaves and debris gather in drainage areas. Spring rains need adequate runoff and spring seedlings fare best in soil that drains well.
• Gauge the soil – Healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy plant. To make sure soil is fertile, prepare a quick-start growth stimulant for perennial plants by mixing equal parts blood, bone and kelp meals and scratching 125 milliliters into the soil around each plant’s root system.
• Top-dress lawn– Topdressing on your lawn with BigYellowBag Black Garden Soil can help remove low spots caused by rotting roots and drainage problems. Even if the lawn has no noticeable problems, topdressing can provide essential nutrients for healthy grass to grow.
• Prepare for irrigation – Buy soaker hoses and position them in beds and around shrubs before perennials and groundcovers start sprouting. Patch any punctured hoses and install in-ground irrigation systems that automatically turn-on in the morning before the sun comes up.
• Check and apply plant supports – Put peony rings in place and setup stakes, wire and netting for any fruits or vegetables you plan to grow that may require these devices.
• Prune shrubs – Avoid pruning anything that flowers and anything that flows with sap in the spring, it also prevents wasting potential blossoms. Other plants that benefit from being pruned in the spring include roses, clematis, hydrangeas, spirea and fruit-bearing plants.
• Fertilize– Shrubs and perennials may need to be fertilized. Shrubs may need an application of iron in early March and again in May. Clover also fixes nitrogen in the soil, helps to prevent weeds and strengthens the lawn against drought.

Other ways to prepare for the spring garden include:

• Assess tools – Clean and sharpen blades on gardening tools. Check the lawn mower and have it serviced if necessary.
• Organize the shed – Sterilize and organize pots and planters. Soak terra-cotta pots in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water and brush out hugging soil from containers.
• Freshen-up outdoor furniture – Clean and paint garden furniture to make it sparkle in the beautiful spring sunlight.
• It’s never too early to start dreaming of warmer weather and planning for your garden. A few early preparations for the spring gardening season will bring benefits all year long.

Essential spring gardening tasks help set you up for a prosperous growing season.

Fall Lawn Care Tasks

There are a number of essential fall garden tasks that must be undertaken to ensure a healthy garden, come spring time.

When it comes to the lawn, autumn is the perfect time to undertake a bit of “doctoring”. The soil pH can be adjusted with lime or sulphur, depending on levels of acidity or alkalinity. Fertilizer in the fall will result in better performance of the lawn in spring.

Leaves need to be raked and debris cleared.

One essential fall garden task is aeration. By pulling out cores of grass and soil, the roots of grass get more oxygen, as well as moisture and benefits from fertilizing.

Some over seeding may be necessary, if areas have become worn or dead. Fall is a great time to plant grass seed – covering it with a light layer of garden soil. The perfect solution is to order in a bag of high quality garden soil from Big Yellow Bag – it’s a tidy and efficient way of getting the soil you need.

And here’s an often neglected but essential fall garden task: keep watering! Just because the days are cooler doesn’t mean the grass won’t dry out. Lawns generally don’t require as much watering during this time of year, but there are often hot and dry spells in September and early October that can affect moisture levels.

Finally, drain your lawnmower of gas and clean it thoroughly. That way, when spring finally arrives,  it can go to work on the luxurious growth your lawn will be enjoying –  because you have carried out so many essential fall garden tasks.