March brings a few welcome changes to the winter. The days are growing longer. The air gets a hint of the scent of new life. But unfortunately, it also comes with mud, debris, and the need for good cleaning both inside the house and outside. Hence, spring cleaning! Today we will venture into the garden edition of spring cleaning to give you some tips on how you can best clean your garden.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. We earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read our disclaimer for more details.
Get the large clutter out
If you are at all like me, it is easy to procrastinate with cleaning some of the residual debris from the fall garden. And when spring comes, a lot of that debris is still there! Whether it is the tangle of tomato vines. Or the decaying plant matter from the squashes. Maybe a stray pumpkin or two that never ripened before the frost. As gardeners, we need to find the balance of providing a clean environment for the new plants while encouraging a boost in organic matter from the year before.
There are certain crops that are good to deep clean after. Tomatoes are an especially important one with their soil-borne diseases that can run rampant from decaying plant matter. I also am wary of too much material that hasn’t fully broken down as these can sometimes harbour pests or their eggs from last year. And I am not sure about you, but I greatly desire to be rid of as many pests as possible!
Check the corners
Sometimes, the corners and edges can be the weak point of a garden. It is these exposed sides that can be overrun by weeds, making them a key place to spring clean. Or the garden overgrows its boundaries. Every spring, I like to reestablish these lines of the perimeter by removing all weeds that have encroached. This is also a great place to remove all of the plant debris to give a good vantage point of where to work next.
Clean off trellises
I love to use trellises to utilize vertical space in the gardens. But sometimes, it is hard to get to pulling the squash or cucumber vines off of the trellis before winter settles in. In fact, I just cleaned the last of the loofah off of one of the trellises this week! After pulling the old plant material off, I like to mist the surface of the trellis with either rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to kill any unwanted bacteria that may effect the growth of this year’s crops.
Soil Testing
By this time, the garden should look new! Most of the dead plant matter is out and the next stage has arrived to prepare your garden – soil testing. On the surface, the soil may look completely fine. But it takes a soil test to know for sure. And this is the perfect time to test before amending the soil for the spring crops. Here is a comprehensive list of where you can get your soil samples tested in your state. Without taking a soil sample, it is hard to know for certain what the soil needs to provide good nutrition to the garden. And this is a great first line of defense to help your garden succeed. For a healthy plant is much less likely to attract pests compared to an unhealthy plant.
Amending the garden
Now that you have your soil test, the garden is primed and ready for amending! It may not seem like spring cleaning the garden. But it will help keep your garden cleaner and healthier for the year ahead. I like to add organic matter each year to boost the garden followed by the specific nutrients the garden needs. One of my favorite places to get soil amendments is 7 Spring Farm. Whatever your nutritional needs are, they likely will have it.
Perennial care
Perennials are great to have in the garden. Whether it is flowers, fruits or vegetables, they provide a sense of permanence to the landscape. Many perennials will perform much better if pruned. There are specific procedures for different types of perennials for best success. But for a general rule of thumb, I like to make all cuts on an angle with the pruners. This helps shed moisture which can help reduce the chance of disease.
Certain herbs like mint and thyme can handle a pretty rigorous pruning and will jump back great as soon as temperatures warm up. And if you have an asparagus plot where grass has grown up, this is a perfect time to hit it with a weed eater.
Woodchips
If you like to use woodchips in the garden, I love to apply them in spring. It helps to keep the paths dryer and can greatly reduce the springtime weeds from overwhelming the garden. Plus, it makes the garden look so beautiful with the stark contrast of the soil in the garden beds and the woodchips! When the garden can merge productivity and esthetics together, such delight and joy can be harvested. You can also learn more about how to use woodchips and other mulches in our other blog post: Weed control with mulch.
Tools for spring cleaning
For spring cleaning the garden, there are some tools of which I have found very helpful. Some may be more familiar to others. But all are helpful to have within the spring deep cleaning season has arrived.
We hope these tips and tricks help you in your gardening success this growing season!