There is always work to be done outside once the weather starts warming up. Late winter and early spring are especially good for planting trees & shrubs, and dividing/moving perennials while they're still dormant.
So here are some things I need to tackle in the next few months:
1. Figure out the compost situation.
Yes, I have a situation.
So, the thing is, it's just really dry and nothing is composting down into lovely black dirt like it's supposed to. Compost should be kind of like a damp sponge--not sopping wet, but definitely not dry straw either. With my 2 drums out there, I think I just need to pull it all out (oh joy!), maybe re-layer and add more soil or kitchen greens to jumpstart it, and wet it down before I put it back in.
2. Scrub out the birdbath with bleach solution.
I still love my birdbath, but it could really use a good scrubbing.
I've read that a 1:10 bleach solution will help kill algae and any lingering parasites.
Then I just need to top it off as needed (it has rained so much that so far it has stayed full on its own.)
3. Plan out vegetable garden, add compost & rototill, plant spring veggies.
Yes, this is really 3 chores in one.
The planning is the first stage, because vegetables do best if you rotate them to a different spot in your garden each year. It cuts down on pest and disease problems. So that's first.
Then on to adding compost and rototilling: the hardest part will be finding a long enough dry spell to do it in, so I'm not just churning up the mud.
Then I can get those veggies in the ground!
The great thing about spring veggies is that they can take the frost. Woohoo! No worrying about covering them (at 11:00pm, by flashlight--wait, is that just me?). Peas, potatoes, beets, spinach, lettuces, carrots, onions...yum. Bring it on!
Last year I got my spring veggies planted about the 3rd week of April. I'm hoping to get it done at least 2 weeks earlier this year. It could even be done late March, weather permitting.
I just have to get my act together and get out there!
4. Replace rose in back flowerbed.
You can see the dead brown branches here from last fall.
Well, the rest of it bit the dust this spring.
There were two branches laying sideways on the ground, and when I tried to pick them up, they broke off at the base. B-bye rose. [Darn it!]
So now I need to figure out what to put in that space. Probably not another rose, since I'm not sure what attacked the last one, but I'm pretty sure it was disease-related.
Not that a trip to the nursery to peruse the shrubs will be a hardship...
5. Divide irises down front.
This really needed to be done last fall, but I put it off, and here we are.
I have several just like this, with a dead rhizome in the middle, surrounded by green, growing offshoots. Time to divide!
I'm already looking around for spots that could use a little height and color in late spring.
If I do it now (or soon), they will still bloom this year.
6. Cut back strawberry foliage.
It will be much easier to do now, before the new leaves get big!
7. Weeding, of course.
Always and forever.
And ever and ever, Amen.
[Though of all seasons, spring weeding is the best by a long shot. This post from my old gardening blog explains it all. With pictures.]
8. Add mulch to all flowerbeds.
This one can probably wait until late March/early April.
9. Aerate lawn, add compost, overseed.
Grass takes a lot of work!
Can't we just add in a few more flowerbeds? :)
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