Personally, I cannot wait to see Spring. Perhaps it’s my age, but I find Winter a bit more challenging than I used to and I’m not sure I can blame climate change. Spring brings warmer days with longer daylight hours and those glorious green growths that appear everywhere and raise our spirits.
Springtime Tips
It is such a busy time in the garden and allotment that it pays to get as much done as early as possible; a good spell of weather in March can be a godsend but our wetter winters recently have hindered this.
It is always best to try to avoid cultivating the soil when cold and wet. It may be frustrating, but it is best to wait; sowing or planting into cold wet soil rarely produces good results. Don’t be pressured by the sowing dates on seed packets, they are often a bit optimistic and sowing or planting later when the soil is warm and moist will give those seedlings and plants the best chance to grow away. They often catch up with the early ones anyway.
The one time this does not apply is with bare root shrubs and trees where they are best planted in the winter, when they are dormant. This gives them time to establish their root systems and thrive as the weather warms. Of course, the weeds will thrive even more, after all they are the most successful plants, so they do need to be controlled.
I prefer not to use herbicides; I try to avoid digging as far as I can so I will be busy with hoe – it’s all part of the ‘green gym’. That’s my excuse for not going to the Gym.
The Lawn
“No Mow” May is coming. I tried it but I just couldn’t stand looking at the ragged lawn (which is just mown weeds in the main) but we see it all the time. I now restrict my formal neglect to the bits we can’t see easily! It may be good for nature to be a bit untidy but ground elder, bindweed and other rampant weeds in the ‘unmown’ bit do not necessarily gladden my heart but the wildlife benefits.
We do need to do what we can. Don’t make it complicated, just pick one thing you can do, see how it goes and maybe extend what you do later.
Happy Gardening!