5 Garden Checks to Ensure It Will Thrive This Year

Spring is just around the corner and that can only mean one thing – the days will get longer, the birds will go back to chirping, and it will finally start to warm up a little. However, your garden will probably need some love after a harsh winter. So, before you even think about enjoying an iced coffee in the garden on a fresh spring morning, take the time to do some checks to make sure your garden is going to thrive this year.

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See what survived

The first thing you should do is take a walk around your garden and see what made it through the winter. There might be some plants that battled through the cold weather and survived, but you’re likely to find a lot of dead plants. If you’re not sure if something is going to make it, do a little bend test. If the branch snaps, it’s as good as dead. If there’s flexibility there, you might be able to save it. You should also prune back anything that didn’t survive so that your healthy plants have space to thrive once the weather really begins to warm up.

Check your soil

The winter period can be very harsh on your soil. You might find that it’s compacted, which is a pain in itself, but it also loses nutrients too. Turn your soil with a rake or a fork so your soil can begin to breathe again. If you want to boost the health of your soil, add some compost or other organic matter so that it can get those all important nutrients back. Having good soil will promote plant growth, so don’t skip this step!

Look for pests

Humans aren’t the only ones that love the springtime. Pests also love it too. Now the weather is beginning to warm up, they’ll start coming out of hibernation. Who knows, they could have been chilling in your garden all through the winter. Check your garden thoroughly for signs of pests. If you notice anything, make sure you deal with it now before it becomes a bigger problem. If you’re already at the bigger problem stage, call an exterminator before your garden becomes overrun by pests.

Do some tool maintenance

If you’re like most, there’s a good chance that you tossed your tools into your shed at the end of the season and forgot about them. We all do it! However, you’ll need tools to make your garden look its best again, so now is a great time to make sure they’re still up for the job. Sharpen blades and test any electronic tools to make sure they still work. If any are broken, now is a great time to replace them because DIY stores are likely to have cheaper tools since it’s not prime season.

Make a plan

Finally, take some time to plan out your garden for the year. Are you planning on growing veggies? Maybe you want to build your own decking? Whatever it is, planning it out now will save you the headache later on.