Spring into the garden and reap the rewards

It happens every year. One day it’s blustery, bleak, and cold, and the next it’s warm and sunny. You want to begin Spring gardening, but you didn’t prepare like you should have. What do you do? It’s easy.

Spring gardening can be a fun and relaxing activity, especially if it’s done correctly. By following these simple tips, you will make the most out of Spring gardening.

The fist step to Spring gardening is sharpening your tools. Go early and have all your tools, such as shovels, hoes, and pruning shears sharpened to a fine edge.

You may even want to splurge on buying a second, well-sharpened blade for your lawnmower. That way you will have a spare if the one currently on your lawnmower needs to be taken to be sharpened. A sharp mower blade is very important if you want to have a beautiful lawn. Dull blades can injure your grass and allow disease to creep in, which can be costly in the long run to correct.

If you plan to put in a new lawn or plant garden beds, or if you had problems getting things to grow properly last year, you may want to call for soil testing. A soil test will tell you exactly what type of fertilizers and/or soil conditioners are needed to assure your yard looks the best it can.

A very helpful tip for Spring gardening, especially if you need a little help getting your yard into shape, is contacting landscaping professionals early. The later in the season you call, the better your chances are of having to be put on a waiting list! You may also want to make arrangements early to buy turf or to order a turf delivery if you plan to put in a new lawn. You should choose only moist rolls. Any that have dry roots or yellowed turf are no good.

Keeping a journal is a great way to keep track of plants during Spring gardening. You can write down what was a success last year, what was a failure, and what plants should be moved with the change of seasons. It will not only prove useful this year, but also next year when you may not remember all of the small details.

A definie must is throwing away any out of date chemicals. Pesticides and herbicides can be disposed of at any of the EPA organised free household chemical drop off days held across NSW each year. The next drop off day for Newcastle Council residents is Saturday 21 November 2015.

For Lake Macquarie residents Council holds free Chemical CleanOut Days throughout the year so residents can drop off and dispose of hazardous waste. The next CleanOut is on the 12th of September at Glendale TAFE car park Frederick Street, Glendale. Don’t forget to check that the garden chemicals you are keeping are stored where children and pets cannot get to them.

When should you begin planting? Weather, soil conditions, and what you are going to plant will make this variable – so check the packets of seeds and the labels of seedlings to find outthe best month to plant.

Finally, while engaging in Spring gardening you have to remember to prune.For some plants, the flwers that will come up next year have set within 10 days of the end of a bloom, so timing is very important.

So get outdoors, suck in your fist breath of fragrant Spring air and enjoy yourself! In the days to come you can sit back and take pride in the garden you've created, by doing all the hard work now.