Work in the Spring Garden

Two weeks ago, I taught my ‘Work in the Spring Garden’ class, and thought I would share some of the concepts that I covered as we are preparing to get out into the gardens. Each one of these is a significant topic and I spend a lot of time educating people about these important ideas. To get the most out of your gardens, it takes additional knowledge and effort. I find people get really energized when they come to understand the finer details of gardening.

Soil And Soil Testing

• UMass Soil Lab provides soil tests to learn about pH, Macro/Micro nutrients, Cation Exchange and Organic Matter. Particle Size Analysis tests will tell you type of soil (Sand, Clay, or Silt)
• Need to know the nature and contents of your soil for healthy plants.
• Proper pH for plants to take up nutrients. Most important factor.
• If plants aren’t doing well, this is the first place to start.
• Test results will tell you what to do to provide best soil for the specific plants you are growing.

Fertilization

• See above regarding soil contents. More often than not, people have enough nutrients in their soil and waste money on fertilizer or add the wrong nutrients.
• Not all plants require or like fertilization. Get to know your plants and their needs. Provided you have a decent soil, native plants do not appreciate supplemental fertilizer.
• Espoma is the best producer of organic and mostly organic products.  Complete and single nutrients offerings.

Protecting Insects And Pollinators

• Encourage you to consider leaving plant material in gardens over winter. Leave 12-18″ stems for nesting insects.
• Leaves and plants provide environment for insects and animals to overwinter. Clean up in spring when temps have been over 50º for a week.
• Chop or shred leaves and cuttings and return to beds to provide important organic material at little cost.
• Xerces Society – Leave the Leaves
• Homegrown National Park
• Gegear Lab @ UMass

Editing Your Garden

• Division, transplanting and seeding are great ways to make significant edits to your garden at little cost beyond your own labor. 
• Plant division is so easy and with success can provide immense confidence for gardeners.
• Early Spring is best time for much of this work, but…KNOW YOUR PLANT.
• University of Minnesota perennial division fact sheet.  .pdf at bottom for details on individual plants.

Breaking The Weed Cycle

• Weeds, like other annual/perennial plants, flower and seed at different times of year.  Take care of early season weeds now before they seed and spread.
• Know difference between annual and perennial weeds. Just need to stop annual weeds from setting seed (Crabgrass, Chickweed, etc).  Need to pull out perennial weeds as they come back every year(Dandelion, Ground Ivy, etc.)
• UMass Understanding Weed Life Cycles Fact Sheet
• UMass Weed Herbarium

Mulch Is Worth It

• Organic matter in soil, required to grow all plants, is a zero sum game.  Need to add back what you take out.
• It saves moisture, moderates temperature swings in Summer and Winter, minimizes weeds, adds organic matter.
• Use only natural, non-dyed, bark mulch or leaf mold products, depending upon the use.  Hemlock, Spruce/Pine, Composted Mulch are common and the best.
• MadMics is my favorite for perennial and ornamental gardens. Composted ground leaf mold and Horse Bedding (hay, wood shavings, urine and minimal manure). Organic material and fertilizer all in one. Demand it from your contractor or look on their site for closest supplier.

These are all important concepts that need to be considered to get the most out of your gardens. I spend much of my time helping clients understand these in greater detail, so that they can make their gardens thrive.