Spring gardening tasks

When it comes to spring, it’s not just seedlings and plants that spring into action – gardeners should too! Here’s a list of jobs you can get started on, to make the most of this year’s growing season and to ensure you have a steady supply of vegetables and herbs throughout this year.

Get started on your garden maintenance

If you haven’t already done so, make sure to clear dead leaves and debris away from your drains and ditches. You need to ensure your beds have the best drainage available – and this can’t happen if they’re bunged up with junk.

To prepare for the onset of growing, you need to fix trellises and fencing now. Not only does this give your plants the support they need, it also helps to protect your growing space, as the last thing you want to be doing is moving healthy plants, in order to carry out repairs.

If you mulched your growing areas, you can now start to remove the mulch from your flower and vegetable beds, but do so gradually over the space of week. This helps the beds to acclimatise. Whilst moving the mulch, make sure you keep it a few inches away from young seeds, to prevent them from rotting – and don’t be tempted to dig the mulch into the beds, as the nutrients from the soil will gradually work their own way down into the soil.

Now’s the time to get your greenhouse ready for the growing season, by having a massive cleaning session. Look to wash and disinfect it, sweep out old debris and replace any broken panes of glass. I’d also take the opportunity to wash your plants and seed trays now too. Make sure you leave the greenhouse well ventilated for the next few days, to make sure it’s dry, prior to use.

Start planting seeds

Early spring vegetables, such as peas, lettuce and leeks need to be sown, as soon as the soil is workable. Crops that have a long growing season, such as Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, celeriac and broccoli can be sown now too, but it’s best to do them under cover. Basil can be sown, but keep indoors at the moment.

Finally, you’ll want to ensure your fruit trees have been pruned and you’ve cut back the dead growth on deciduous grasses and herbaceous perennials too.