Caring For Your Garden Year Round
While the summer months are the most exciting time for gardeners to see all of the fantastic flowering blooms, and fruits of their gardens, gardening is oftentimes not simply relegated to the summer. The best gardeners know that taking care of their garden during the other seasons is crucial to the success and enjoyment of their garden during the flowering months. In this blog post we want to give you some gardening advice for each of the four seasons to help you have the best garden throughout the year, whether your plants are in bloom or not.
Spring Garden Care
The spring season is perhaps the most crucial to the success of your garden, this time of year is when the gardener must work hard to clean up from the winter months and set the stage for the summer season. So here is the list of tasks you should be ready to accomplish during the spring:
Pruning
After the winter some of your perennial plants may need a little help to clear the way for new growth.
Weeding
Weeds will likely have started to grow up by this time of the year. Go through the garden and pull up weeds to remove any impediments to the upcoming plants.
Prepare Your Tools
In all the excitement of being outside again, don’t forget to do some basic maintenance on any gardening tools or equipment.
Prepare the Soil
During the winter your soil will likely need to be refreshed. Use a shovel or till to turn over the soil and prepare it for growing.
Early Season Planting
Some of your plants may need to be in the ground during the cooler months. Your preparation during the spring lays the groundwork for the summer so don’t let some of the mundane tasks of the spring kill the excitement you have for the summer.
Summer Garden Care
Summertime is the fruit of all the labor the gardener does throughout the year, but don’t just sit back, help your garden to bloom throughout the summer:
Water the Garden
Simple yes, but it is critical that you do not over or under water your garden throughout the summer.
Deadhead & Prune
While this will not be as extensive as during the fall and spring, make sure that dead leaves and flowers are removed to allow for more healthy growth.
Keep an Eye Out
Watch for issues with your plants throughout the summer.
Though the gardener will likely spend more time in their garden during the summer than during the rest of the year, the work is relatively simple. Simply keep an eye on the garden and make sure your plants are healthy and well watered.
Fall Garden Care
The fall season is clean up after all the work of the summer. A well approached fall will only make your job easier in the spring, eliminating a build up of dead growth throughout the garden:
Clean Up
Remove dead foliage and fallen leaves from the garden.
Put Tools Away
Make sure that any extra gardening tools or structures that won’t do well outside during the winter are removed and put away until the spring.
Weeding
Remove weeds from the garden during the fall to reduce the number you will have to deal with in the spring.
Pruning
Most plants will need a serious pruning after the summer growing season, remove dead limbs and foliage to prepare your garden for warmer months.
Much like spring, the fall gardening season is all about preparation and the health of your plants. Don’t allow your garden to fall into complete disrepair after the work and excitement of the summer. Growth will be happening during the spring so make sure you have set yourself up for success.
Winter Garden Care
The winter months are certainly the quietest months for the gardener. Without the capacity for growth, there’s really nothing to clean up or prepare for and there’s certainly no maintenance to do in the garden. However, there are still ways you can keep the gardener’s spirit during the colder months.
Plan for Next Year
Winter is the time to plan for next year, you don’t want to get caught sleeping before you begin gardening again in the spring.
Learn Something New
The cold months allow for plenty of time to learn something new about gardening and up your gardening game.
Get a Terrarium
If you want to keep gardening throughout the winter, a terrarium is a great investment that lets you garden all year long.
While the growth during the winter certainly will not be the same as the summer growth, there’s always time to engage in your passion of gardening!