Late Spring - Expert Tips for Gardening Success
Late spring is a season of growth and preparation. Here are expert tips to ensure gardening success during this time:
- Weeding and Mulching: As temperatures rise, weeds start to proliferate. Regularly weed your garden and apply a layer of mulch to suppress weed growth and retain soil moisture.
- Planting: It’s a great time to plant summer-blooming perennials and annuals. Make sure to water new plants thoroughly and regularly.
- Pest Control: Be vigilant for pests as they become more active with the warming weather. Natural predators, beneficial insects, or organic insecticides can help maintain a healthy balance.
- Pruning Spring Bloomers: Prune spring-flowering shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons after their flowers fade, to promote healthy growth next season.
- Fertilizing: Feed your plants with a balanced fertilizer to encourage strong growth and abundant blooms. Don’t forget to feed your lawn too!
- Watering: As temperatures rise, so do the water requirements of your plants. Water deeply and less frequently to encourage roots to grow down, making plants more drought-tolerant.
- Starting a Compost Pile: Composting kitchen scraps and garden waste creates rich soil conditioner, promoting plant health and reducing landfill waste.
- Hardening Off Seedlings: If you’ve started seeds indoors, gradually expose them to outdoor conditions over a week or two before planting out to prevent shock.
- Harvesting: Harvest spring crops like lettuce and radishes frequently to encourage more production.
Remember, every garden and gardener is unique. Learn from your successes and failures, and most importantly, enjoy the process!
