I think we are all ready for spring to arrive. But are you ready for all the things you will need to do to get ready for gardening?
These tasks may vary.
The wheelbarrow had a flat tire last fall. You put it away for the season and you figured you would get the tire fixed in the spring. Why not take the tire off the wheelbarrow now and get it repaired, so you will be ready to use it as soon as spring arrives?
The fertilizer spreader was put away late in the fall. Did you clean it up? Leaving fertilizer residue in the spreader will cause it to malfunction in the spring if the fertilizer causes rust. Get the spreader out now, clean it up and apply oil to the metal parts.
How many times have you gone to start the lawn mower or gas-powered weed trimmer and it won't start? Now would be a good time to get those pieces of equipment into the servicing dealer for maintenance so they will start on the first attempt this spring.
How much mulch did you use last year and what type?
You probably have a receipt somewhere that will tell you what you purchased. Put it into a file where you can find it when it comes time to order the mulch. If you can't remember, or if you can't find the receipt, now would be a good time to measure the length and width of the areas that need to be mulched.
You should also know the depth of mulch you will need. You want to have three inches of mulch covering each area. The combination of these measurements will allow you to purchase the correct amount you will need in the spring.
Do you know how big your lawn is? You need to know the square footage if you are going to purchase the right amount of lime and fertilizer.
Since we have no snow on the lawn, it will be easy to measure. The length of the lawn times the width of the lawn, in feet, will give you the right square footage. If you know this measurement, you won't be buying too much — or too little — fertilizer or lime this spring.
Preparation is half the battle in getting started on gardening. With our mild winter so far, you can do some cleanup and pruning outside now.
You probably will need to replace the soil in the window boxes. Dump out that old soil and clean up those window boxes now.
As you can see, there are a lot of things you can do now to get ready for spring. Take advantage of our snow-free winter to get some of the work done. It is a lot more fun to start the season planting pansies rather than raking the lawn.
Well, that's all for this week. I'll talk to you again next week.
• • •
Tim Lamprey is the owner of Harbor Garden Center on Route 1 in Salisbury. His website is www.Harborgardens.com. Do you have questions for Tim? Send them to ndn@newburyportnews.com, and he will answer them in upcoming columns.
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