No matter where you live this is for sure, your organic garden needs you most right after winter. Whether temperatures get well below zero in your region or not, your organic garden has endured over 12 weeks of reduced sunlight and a limited supply of nutrients. Because of these conditions, you’re going to want to revive it as soon as spring returns.
If you’re new to the organic gardening world or you’re simply looking to amp up your organic gardening game, below are ten helpful tips and tricks to reviving your organic gardening after winter.
- Before doing anything else you’re going to need to remove any dead organisms and debris from your garden. Have a plastic or garbage bag handy, as well as some gardening gloves, and clear away dead twigs, leaves, etc.
- While clearing the unwanted debris from your organic garden, be sure to remove any dead plants you come across. Infected plants should be burned and any that appear normal can be placed in the compost bin.
- If you have perennials in your organic garden they’re probably looking pretty horrible right about now. Once you see new growths around the base, start pruning your herbaceous perennials. Be sure to encourage new branches to grow by pruning during the spring.
- Don’t forget to watch the forecast. You’re going to need to be sure the danger of winter has passed before exposing the new branches of your woody perennials with pruning. If you discover that more cold days are ahead, wait for warmer weather. If there are opening buds on them, it’s safe to prune
- Keep in mind that some organic plants don’t go completely dormant during the winter. These types of plants are called evergreen and semi-evergreen perennial plants. On semi-evergreen and evergreen perennials, you’ll notice new leaves and branches growing throughout the winter season, which means they’re going to need a lot of tending to once spring hits. Take the time to trim the tattered leaves and branches in order to promote new beautiful ones.
- Do you have ornamental grasses in your organic garden? If so, you can trim them at any time. Don’t wait for your ornamental grasses to show signs of new growth before cutting a few inches off. The warmer season will revive them without extra work from you.
- Be extra cautious with shrubs and trees that grow flower buds during the summer or fall. If you prune them before they’re ready, you’ll be removing the new round of flowers. Read up on the species in your garden to know if it’s okay to tidy them now or if you should wait until later in the spring.
- Once the sweater weather has passed, you need to tackle the weeds. If you took a break from visiting your organic garden during the winter, chances are it’s crammed with pesky weeds now. The good news is that spring showers make the soil damp, which makes pulling them much easier!
- Have you checked your soil yet? Check out the condition of your soil before planting any new plants or species. As you may already know, organic plants require an abundance of nutrients during the first phase of their growth. Assess the acidity of your soil first and then treat if it’s not quite right. You can then proceed by dressing the soil, flipping it over, and dressing it again with your own compost or your favorite organic fertilizer.
- Note the sogginess of your organic garden’s soil. Damp soil makes spring the perfect time to transplant your plants because it’s easier to draw the roots all the way out. Before you do this, make sure to prepare plant’s new home so you’re not going back and forth too much.
