Preparing for the start of the spring season at the cottage: winter gardening tasks
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It is necessary to prepare for the season in advance, because almost immediately after the new year you can think about spring plans.
Depending on the type and enthusiasm of the owner of the garden, determines the moment of the beginning of active actions, to prepare for spring and the approach of summer. To reduce the number of last-minute or late-performing chores, it is helpful to read an overview of the work, depending on the type of garden.
Ending winter in the garden.
First, you can make a list of desired plantings and crops and try to draw a diagram of the garden that is being placed. As early as the end of January, you need to think about seeds and where to buy them.
It is helpful to quietly inspect tools and work equipment. Something may need to be repaired or even replaced. It is better to find this in the winter and not if it is needed for work.
Nevertheless, many fertilizers and preparations can be sold cheaper. So it makes sense to try them for a longer period of time, if possible. The fertilizer or, more importantly, the disease or pest control product will not run out at the most opportune moment, which can save the gardener a certain amount of nerve and effort.
If at all possible, it is always worthwhile to place the garden in the winter. It is useful to throw snow on both the beds of the open ground and on the beds of the greenhouse. This provides extra frost protection for the rest of the plants, and later watering will be required in the spring.
It is important to regularly check the condition of crops stored in the basement or basement. If spoiled fruit appears, the entire supply can die in a short time. If there are preparations, they also need to be checked from time to time, it is not very pleasant if the jar suddenly “explodes”.
To maintain the right temperature and humidity, it is useful to open vents when laying, and as frost intensifies, add or simply insulate.
February is the time to prepare for the first harvests. At the end of the month, celery, peppers, eggplant, various spicy herbs, perennial vegetables, as well as strawberries and strawberries are sown for germination. Therefore, at the beginning of the month they are already sorted, soaked or treated in other ways. In a word, they are being prepared for sowing.
The orchard will soon wake up.
At the end of winter, many fairs and exhibitions are usually garden-themed. It’s a good time to visit them and weigh your options for adding fruit and berry plants. If you come to the garden, you need to keep an eye out for matching weather and winter plant conditions; if you miscarry, you need to make changes promptly so that nothing is killed by frost or thaw. Fix bandages on tree trunks, shovel snow that has fallen around trees, and shake snow off especially thin branches.
If there is little snow and frost from free places, it is better to squeeze the snow into the root stock circles, this will protect the roots from freezing. If there is very little snow, you can insulate with peat, sawdust, spunbond. At the end of winter, it is not recommended to use straw and spruce branches. You can serve as a refuge for mice, which then only harm the garden.
If there is a desire to attract birds to the garden, it is better not to hang feeders on fruit trees, otherwise next year’s harvest will suffer from these birds. It is necessary to make sure that the food does not fall apart for birds, mice will come to the smell of fallen grains. It is better to lure tits on fruit trees, for them, raw, scraped meat or lard can be hung on wire hooks.
In February, after snowfalls, there are usually heavy frosts, so the frost is no longer terrible for the root system. However, during this period, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the bark, as frost rays may appear in the spring, the first thing to do is to cover them with garden varnish. After heavy snowfall, the snow around the logs should be shoveled out. In February, the likelihood of damage by the teeth of mice is especially high.
In late February, the sun starts to get hotter and the nights are just as cold – trees can get burned. The integrity of the whitewash on the trunks should be checked. If the bark is open, you can tie at least a thin cardboard. Protection from the sun is especially important for trees on the eastern and southeastern edges of the site.
An ornamental garden awaits its next spring
Planning is very important for an ornamental garden because the list of what to buy is more extensive than for a garden. Both annual flowers and perennials need to be thought of. Don’t forget about new decorations or even decorative buildings, which also require building materials.
How to prepare the garden in the spring?
For experienced mothers.
The birds are on their way to their native latitudes, the dachas are beginning to melt. On the calendar, spring is here, which means that soon it will be time for the first plantings. But until then, you need to get your garden in order and prepare the soil. This process is complex and may take you more than one day. Don’t despair! With our step-by-step guide to general cleaning before planting, you can be consistent and thoroughly prepare your growing space. Imagine how nice it is to work in a clean, well-maintained space where nothing gets in the way or distracts you from your most important plants! To do just that, follow our instructions.
A general garden plan
Check out your property
You should think about how your “green companions” have weathered the winter cold. Shrubs, trees, vines – for any of these plants, winter can easily pass or leave its mark. Your job is to find the possible effects of winterization and provide first aid to those affected as quickly as possible. Or rather, everything should be done intentionally as soon as the frost recedes. Perhaps some bushes need to be transplanted to a sunny spot or other care.
Trees sometimes bend under the weight of snow. In this case, they may need a comfortable continuation of development and growth. Make a detailed list of chores and get to work on it when it gets warmer. This way your plants will get all the care they need.
Get rid of litter and pests
Debris accumulates in the garden in winter. It happens inevitably and even to the neatest of owners. Broken branches, wet old leaves, candy wrappers and bits of paper blown around by the wind are unwelcome guests in any garden. Throw out the trash; the rest can be useful in a compost pile, don’t rush to get rid of everything at once. If your garden does not have such a place, the corresponding item is further down the list.
The next step is to clear the area of pests. To do this, carefully inspect the plants and shrubs and remove old withered fruits and places of accumulation of pests. Now is the best time to do this, since the bugs are still asleep and can’t get away from their rigorous appearance.
Time for whitewashing
Fruit trees are sensitive to sudden changes in temperature. Small frosts after a long heat can deprive a significant part of the harvest or destroy the plant. To prevent this from happening, special care is needed. An important part of it is whitewashing the lower part of the shoot. This is done to protect the bark. After painting it will not so intensely absorb sunlight and, consequently, heat.
Unlike dark shades, white has reflective properties. When the bark heats up after a warm day and frost starts in the evening, it bursts and cracks form. It is better to whitewash in the fall, but if you for various reasons could not do it, the most inopportune time is the beginning of March. Another important reason is the fight against rodents, they do not like the white color.
Protect the garden from small animals
Hares, mice, rats and other animals like to attack poorly protected gardens that have not yet been washed out before hibernation. Check the stump* and update the grow room if necessary. A proverbial compress of cuttings around the base of the plants also helps. This little obstruction will fall from animals accidentally straying into the garden. If it gets warmer outside, you can use various traps and bollards in strategic places.
*Horticulturalists are usually referred to as trees.
Mulch
Late winter to early spring is a time when the weather is especially hard to predict. Bright sunshine and spring drizzle can easily be replaced by a snowstorm and snowfall. To ensure that such temperature changes do not threaten your plantings, you should be well insulated. An old friend of the gardener – mulch – can help you with this. Mulching helps crops retain heat, and when the snow melts and the time of active vegetation begins, weed growth will be limited.
The important point is, don’t try to overdo it. You don’t need to spend a lot of mulch, it won’t do any good, on the contrary. Also leave a gap of a few centimeters around the entire trunk, this measure will not limit the growth of your crop, but will prevent weeds from germinating.
Grafting
Early March is a good time to graft your fruit-bearing trees. It’s a good time to get cuttings, rootstocks from distant locations, and get to work on your plan! Grafting is usually done to propagate fruit plants and maintain better varieties. The base and roots are inventory, and the first variety is taken from the second bud or cuttings. With this manipulation, you get a new variety with the best features of the selected variety. Learn more about this process in the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNIWS4NJBEY.
“Green” purchases.
If you wanted to add new plants to the garden this year, it’s time for seedlings. It’s best to get them from special baby gardens – there they take good root in crops and are carefully prepared for planting. If you prefer to grow from bulbs and seeds, you should buy them at this time, too, so that you have plant material by the time you start gardening.
Check your inventory and fix what’s broken
Do a thorough inspection of your garden tools. Broken shovels, old, no longer working garden shears, a cleaver, a chopper – it’s time to put everything in order or throw it away! To get your growing season ready, you need to do it as early as possible. Good tools are the key to a successful season, remember and do not neglect this rule.
Repair any damage to the property
If your garden has broken sections of fence, crooked trellises and other damage, it’s time to tackle repairs! At the culmination of the growing season, it’s hard to find a spare minute to do it all, but now that there’s not much work to do, you have a chance to get the area in order.
Compost pile and water barrel
It rains a lot in the spring and the snow melts. This liquid is an elixir for plants, it is rich in useful trace elements and other substances. Therefore, it would be a good idea to install a barrel under the drainage pipe.
Dry branches, old leaves and mulch are all great material for compost. If you don’t have a compost pile on your property, now is the time to create a place for it. It’s best to do it in the next few days so you don’t miss the moment.
Fertilize and plan your plantings
With a planting plan, you’ll plant everything you’ve wanted for a long time, systematically and efficiently. Fertilizer is needed to renew the soil that drained over the winter. Active vegetation begins in March, plants need nutrients for rapid development, so it’s best to apply basic fertilizer shortly before the growing season begins.
