Preparing Your Garden For Spring

Long before any flowers are cut or bouquets are made we are thinking of the garden and how to prepare it for our best season yet. There is lots of planning that goes into where things will be planted for best production. We think about everything from sunlight and water needs to crop rotation and fall frost (some areas of our garden are much more sheltered, and that means in fall those areas don't freeze as quickly). It's crucial to the success of your garden to do a little bit of planning. For example, for us one of the biggest struggles each season is that every year we have a row of trees which get larger and larger which not only sucks up the moisture from the surrounding area, but also provides much more shade. Each year the rows that we plant next to these trees has to be pushed further and further from the tree line and we lose a little garden space, and this changes our garden plan yearly. Just one more thing to think about.

It's incredibly important that you understand the areas of your garden. Knowing what areas (when the trees are full of leaves) get sun, or shade, and what kind of moisture levels your garden gets, and where your sprinkles hit (or don't... you'd be surprised how many people don't know if there is a section of their garden where the sprinklers don't reach) is necessary to plant things correctly come spring. Every plant has specific needs, so finding the right place to plant them is really important for the success of your garden. Some of this is going to be trial and error. Just because a plant fails in one part of your garden doesn't mean it won't thrive in another part!

Another important aspect of preparing your garden is the spring cleanup. Now for the important part; PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't do this too early!!! I know we all get excited when the weather starts to get warm and we just can't wait to work in the garden, but here in Manitoba where the spring can be unpredictable, it's important to keep the perennials covered until you're SURE that the temps are going to continue to be warm into summer. Doing a spring cleanup involves removing the dead stems, branches, leaves, and anything covering the garden which is important to do to allow for new growth but can leave the plants very susceptible to the cold temps and can easily kill them if done too early. This is especially important for any plants that are borderline hardy in our zone. If you're anything like us, then you're probably trying to push the limits of our zone. We are borderline zone 4, which means some winters those plants will survive but other winters they won't. Keeping them covered into spring gives them the best chance for survival. (We'll do another post about preparing your garden for winter later in the season, but lets not worry about that now)

Your soil is one of if not the most important aspect of your garden. If you have poor soil, your plants will never be able to reach their full potential. I say poor, but that is dependant on what you are growing... some plants prefer what we would typically call "poor" soil, others like dense rich soil... it's all contingent on what you are growing. Regardless of what you're growing, and especially if you're a first time gardener or just beginning to take it seriously, it's good to know what type of soil you have and what it may need. Having your soil tested will give you this information. Once you have your results you'll have a better idea of what nutrients you should add to your soil, or what will grow best in different areas. This allows you to go out and get manure or compost, sand or fertilizer or any other number of elements.

If soil is the most important element of a garden, moisture is second. Now that you have a good idea of what the makeup of your garden is like, you may want to invest in some sort of irrigation if you don't already have it. Irrigation isn't necessary if you have a small garden and can hand water using cans or a hose or a sprinkler set up to a hose, but it is generally something you will need if you plan on having a larger garden. It's not possible to rely on rain every few days. Last summer we received virtually no rainfall in July, and without our water source our garden would have dried up and died. Many flower farmers invest in a drip irrigation system, and while there are definitely pros to that, theres a few reasons why we didn't go that route. The first is that the Red River is our water source. If you know anything about the river, you probably know it's colour- red... or brown more accurately. This means theres a lot of sediment in the water which won't hurt your plants but will plug up your drip irrigation very quickly. The other is that using above ground sprinklers allows us to use them to protect the garden from mild frost. Turning on sprinklers just before the temps hit below zero on a cold night can quite literally save our garden. It's not uncommon to have one or two nights of frost in September, and often if we get past those nights there are a few more weeks of our season left!

We hope this helps you get prepared for your 2021 garden season. Remember to think of your garden as a whole, and don't give up if you have a bad year! Small changes can make a huge difference in your garden success.

-M