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GARDEN CLIPPINGS: Your early spring garden checklist

This March will not go down in the record books as the most pleasant.

This March will not go down in the record books as the most pleasant.

We’ve had a few days of warm sunshine, but mostly, we have seen one cold day after another. And the wind has been relentless.

GARDEN CLIPPINGS: Your early spring garden checklist Back to video

For gardeners, the bright spot has been a few days of heavy rain to help get rid of the snow. Rain also percolated through the deep freeze, so there is no more frost in the ground — even on the north side of the house.

When spring weather finally arrives, we’ll be champing at the bit, anxious to get dirt under our fingernails.

Here is my first-things-first checklist for the early spring garden:

Pick up debris: I completed this task a few weeks ago. Winter wind knocked down several limbs from our white pine, cedars and the neighbour’s spruce, and I’ve accumulated more than a pickup truck could handle.

Rake the grass: If you have a lot of dead grass, leaves and small sticks on the lawn, raking up the excess should be early on your list. Don’t be too vigorous, because a certain amount of thatch is desirable for healthy turf.

Plant pansies: For a splash of spring colour, delightful pansies can’t be beat. Plant a few in containers to welcome visitors to your front door. Pansies are frost tolerant and will give continuous colour until summer’s heat fades them away.

Start tomato and pepper seeds indoors: Most folks buy their vegetable plants in late May, but starting your own seeds indoors will save a bundle and will give you the variety you are looking for. Start cabbage, kale and cauliflower now, so they will be ready to plant outdoors in early May.

Buy vegetable and flower seeds early: That’s when the selection is best. Seed suppliers do their best to predict what will be popular, but certain vegetables such as peas and beans always seem to run out early.

Clean up the perennial garden: If you can, try to resist doing this until late spring. Birds and pollinators rely on last year’s spent flower heads and old flower stems for food and shelter and would appreciate it if you left the garden undisturbed for another month or so.

Add compost: Turn the compost bin with a garden fork and if it looks like rich garden soil, spread it over the garden. If you don’t have compost, well-rotted manure or triple mix are good nutrient-rich soil supplements.

Get your tools ready: In a short month, it will be time to run the lawnmower again. Take advantage of the next few weeks to give a tune-up, add oil and wash power equipment. Clean rust off the shovels and rakes, sharpen cutting tools and check the garden hoses for leaks.

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GARDEN CLIPPINGS: Greens of all kinds popular in spring

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