Most of us have turned into gardening when we got nothing else left to do during the last year’s lockdowns. Though some have been hardcore and were able to tend to their plants indoors, I’m sure this spring season brings out another level of excitement for old and new plant-lovers alike.
Have you prepared your garden for this year’s planting season?
If you haven’t yet, not to worry as anytime can be a good time to start as long as you follow these simple steps.
Let us know in the comment box below if you’re all prepped for Gardening 2021.
- Condition your mind – planting can be easy, okay, or hard depending on someone’s state of mind. What may be simple to some can be hard for you if you haven’t set your mind to work for a great garden.
If you have the budget to pay for someone to landscape and create a beautiful garden for you, contact ORGANICSCAPES for professional landscaping. If you don’t or won’t have, you need to put in quite a bit more effort. After all, do you think that beautifully manicured lawn in your neighbor’s yard just sprouted overnight and out of the blue? It takes a lot of care and love to get a perfect one. But you don’t have to be overwhelmed with the commitment.
How? Check the next steps.
- Create a plan – do you want a simple one with a few pots and a couple of raised beds? Or do you want a Versailles-inspired lawn/garden? Would you love to have a floral or a vegetable garden or a mixed of all that you want. Again, make a plan – check how much time, effort and budget can you commit to doing it.
- Stretch out – if you haven’t been so active lately but decided you’d go for it and create your own garden maze, then might as well stretch and do a few warm-ups before you prepare your garden. You don’t want your arms and back hurting the next day and then having the excuse not to continue just because of it. Unless that was your plan in the 1st place.. (wink*wink* to those who were given responsibilities in cleaning up the yard, I hear ya!)
- Tools – check all your garden essentials stored in the topmost part of your cabinets gathering dust and waiting for your comeback after buying them a few years ago. Still no rust? Great! Just clean and oil a few and you’re good to go. If you don’t have the garden tools, check out this link for some tools’ vocabulary that even your preschooler can understand by looking at the pictures.
Gardening Tools: Names, List with Useful Pictures
Mentally prepared – check!
Physically prepared – check
Tools prepared – check!
Will just list down quickly the next steps that you would need to finish the preparation:
Do a spring cleaning in the area and clear out the weeds, debris, toys, and other items you’ve left out to break up and wish to disintegrate in the cold harsh weather. (I still see ya…you who were tasked to be the responsible one…wink!)
Prune – nope not the preserved plum that some would disguise as a tasteful wine. Prune in gardening terms, is removing the damaged/diseased part of the plant.
Prepare the soil
Set up new planters and garden beds
Choose and research wisely on the plants that you wanted to grow if you’re a beginner or if you just wanted to plant a new one that you haven’t previously done before.
Here’s a guide to “Selecting Native Plants for Home Landscapes in Central Oregon”
Early planting – if it’s still too cold to grow your chosen plant, you can try and plant them in small pots indoors and put them out and replant once the temperature is okay to do so.
Apply mulch for healthier soil and plants not having to compete with unnecessary weeds.
Written with reference to “Spring Garden Preparation Checklist”.
So there you have it, hope you had fun reading this. If you want more information, you can check the links I’ve provided above and, other web resources and books for check-out on this link provided by the Deschutes Public Library.
Happy gardening!
written by Chrissie for Bend Rental Guide
