15 Early Spring Gardening Tasks

It’s spring! How do you get the outdoor garden ready? We’re going to gently get started, being careful not to wake up those overwintering beneficial insects if it’s still too cool or wet. Here are my early spring gardening tasks and tips.

I spent the end of February in the Texas Hill Country, where the gardens are at least three months ahead of mine in New Hampshire. The redbuds, irises, and poppies were in bloom, and the famous bluebonnets were popping up here and there.

redbud_002_full_width.jpg
A Redbud in full bloom with yellow irises. The grass even needs mowing!

Tender vegetable plants were available at the garden centers and grocery stores.

Read Next

arnoskys_019_full_width.jpg
Arnosky’s Blue Barn in Blanco is a favorite place with the locals for plants and cut flowers.

Gardening in Texas is quite a different experience from gardening in New England. While gardeners in Texas can grow cold-hardy crops all winter long, they need to get the warm-weather plants up and growing before the deadly hot weather sets in. While most of the country loves summer, they worry about long heat waves and drought.

texas_community_garden_008_full_width.jpg
Hardy crops like lettuce, kale, beets, and carrots have been growing over the winter in the San Marcos Community Garden.

After wearing T-shirts and flip-flops in Texas, I came home to patches of snow.

spring_cleanup_010_full_width.jpg
Stones act as a heat sink, warming the soil around the daffodils.

Needless to say, it was hard to come home to a frozen garden. I had to stop myself from jumping in to clean up too early.

spring_cleanup_014_full_width.jpg
Valiant daffodils are determined to come up.

Early Spring Gardening Chores

If you live in an area of the country that is closer to New Hampshire than it is to Texas, here are some early spring chores you may need to start working on:

  1. Don’t be too eager! If your garden is like a soupy mud pie, let it dry out some more before you even think about stepping foot in it. Soggy soil is easily compacted. If you absolutely must get in there, use stepping stones or put down boards to walk on. See when the soil is ready for planting.
  2. Gently press frost-heaved plants back into the ground.
  3. Delay clean up until overwintering beneficial insects wake up. Wait until you’ve had several days of 50 degree or higher temperatures to give them a chance of survival.
  4. The first thing I do is pick up sticks. There are always loads of sticks and branches that have fallen over the winter. It is a good first step before raking and gives you a chance to assess how things have overwintered while you walk around gathering fallen branches.
  5. Gently rake the early bloomers first so they can poke up out of the soil without having to lift leaves and debris too.
  6. Clip off old, tattered leaves of hellebores and epimediums, perennials that bloom with the first breath of spring.
  7. Give ornamental grasses their annual haircut before new growth begins. Leave 8-12 inches of old stubble standing above the crown to keep spring rains from flattening soft new growth and to preserve this year’s growing tips.
  8. Wait until after spring-blooming shrubs blossom to prune them. Instead, finish up pruning broken branches. See the Almanac’s When to Prune What Guide.
  9. This is a good time to remove dead rose canes.
  10. Rake, rake, rake, especially where bulbs, daylilies, and peonies are planted to avoid snapping off brittle new shoots.
    spring_cleanup_004_0_full_width.jpg
    Peony tips are very brittle when they first emerge. Take care when cleaning up around them.
  11. Before the buds open up and leaves emerge, dig up and move or divide overgrown perennials. It will be less stressful for them.
  12. Take time to remove any weeds as they pop up. They are much easier to deal with now.
    spring_cleanup_008_0_full_width.jpg
    Violets may be pretty in bloom, but they are a terrible weed in my garden. It’s easy to pull them out now, and very difficult to wait until later.
  13. If you haven’t tested your soil in a while, now is a good time to take a sample and send it off to be tested. You will receive guidelines for the proper amendments to add. See my tips on how to take a soil test.
  14. Ready to plant vegetables? Before planting, check the soil temperature. Peas need at least 45 degree soil to germinate. Or look to nature and wait until the forsythia blooms to plant them. Other vegetables that can be planted early include beets, carrots, radishes, spinach, lettuce, and chard. See the Almanac’s best planting dates by zip code.
  15. Pot up begonia tubers and other summer flowering bulbs to give them a head start.

If the kids are home, enlist their aid in the garden. It will give them some fresh air and exercise and can serve as an outdoor classroom. I’ll have more on gardening with children in a future post.

For more gardening chores, see the Almanac’s “Gardening Tips & Tasks by Month” for five different regions.

spring_cleanup_001_full_width.jpg
Snowdrops are a welcome first sign of spring.

See more about spring-cleaning the garden, especially if your zone is further along!

Related Posts

Attractıve appearance of plants wıth attractıve colors

Blue and whıte leaves Houseplants Artıfıcıal Faux Hangıng Flowers Plants for Sprıng Summer Pınk Bougaınvıllea Vıne Rudbeckıa Cherry Brandy Echınacea Butterfly Kısses Red veıns Syngonıum Pınk Hypoestes ROSE Dark green #Blue Pampas grass Pelargonıum …

The Top 10 Must-See Wildflowers in Full Bloom – Flowers Lovers

Texas Iпdiaп Paiпtbгush (Castilleja iпdivisa) The Texas Iпdiaп Paiпtbгush is a captivatiпg wildfloweг kпowп foг its stгikiпg гed bгacts that gгace the Texas laпdscape each spгiпg. These blooms ofteп appeaг aloпgside blueboппets, cгeatiпg a stuппiпg coloг …

Beautıful flowers that you wıll surely fall ın love wıth at fırst sıght

🌿 Curly Lace Orchıd 🤩🤩🤩 Exquısıte blooms ın deep pınk, whıte, and black, creatıng an exotıc look! 🌹 Pınk Rose (Rosa) 🌹🌸🌸🤍🤍 Elegant blooms ın vıbrant pınk, perfect for addıng a touch of romance to any garden! 🌿 Fıre and Ice Dahlıa …

12 Climbing Plants & Flowering Vines That Thrive In Shady Spots

Facebook Create extravagantly lush shady spaces with climbing plants and flowering vines. It is the season for lounging in the shade! Increase your relief by growing shade-loving climbers and blooming vines. The breeze through the leaves, the fragrance …

Top Flowers for Stunning Container Gardens – Flowers Lovers

Aпgeloпias: Bloomiпg iп shades of blue, puгple, piпk, aпd white, aпgeloпias pгoduce deпse floweг spikes that pгovide vibгaпt coloг thгoughout the summeг. They typically гeach heights of 18 to 24 iпches aпd thгive iп full suп to light shade. Begoпias: …

12 Reasons Why Your Hydrangea Isn’t Blooming & How To Fix It

Facebook One of the most widely grown ornamental flowers around the globe, gardeners are understandably obsessed with the Hydrangea. The massive clusters that pop up around summertime are cherished both indoors and out, ensuring there is something to …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *