Spring Season Fundamentals in Your Garden
Spring is the season where plants and animals start making their way out of dormancy. The energy/juices in roots start moving up out of the earth and into the trunks, branches, and budding.
Here are my suggested projects, along with some basic context for each section.
Weeding and Garden Bed Cleanup
Now that the soil is moist and easy to work from the rains, this makes it a good time to root out weeds as they are coming up. This weather is also ideal for digging out tough tree, shrub, ivy, crab grass, and blackberry roots. Doing this type of deep root weeding is especially important in preparing the soil for areas you are going to plant.
Pruning
This is one of the best seasons to prune your shrubs and trees thoroughly. The more thorough pruning projects are generally best done in the early spring, late fall, and winter.
Planting
Shrubs, berries, and trees are well planted this time of year. Fall is better for trees and shrubs, and as long as you have a plan/system for watering when it's not raining spring works too. You just won't get a long solid stretch for 6 months of cool/wet weather to support rooting you get when you plant in the fall.
Soil Amending and Fertilizing
After you've deeply weeded your garden beds and done your pruning, the next step is adding fertilizer to areas that need it. This needs to be chosen specific to the plants growing there or going there. After this, you can then lock in and activate those mycorrhizae by layering on a top dressing of soil amendment (again specific to the plants), and your bed is good to go.
Remember: good dirt and soil amendments are the meat/foundation of your garden beds, and fertilizers are the medicine/booster shots.
Mulching
Get that mulch laid in the beds you aren't using to grow food, or that you want that bark mulch look, and less weeding. Bark mulches are great for these purposes, and also for walking pathways, and areas you want to cut down on mud. My favorite one that helps cut down on weeds (due to its higher acid content) with a dank-ass organic smell, is Hilton's fine sliver-less dark hemlock bark mulch - for you barefoot walkers and people with kids/pets in Southern Oregon.
Here's my most recent review:
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Ashland, OR
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