Get Ready for the Growing Season

As the last blustery winds of winter fade and the days grow longer, it's time to prepare for those first warm days when you can roll up your sleeves and get back in the yard. While you are waiting, prepare your spring yard care checklist so you will be ready to get a head-start on the season.

Here is one to get you started:

• Inventory the items in your garage and garden shed. Check your tools and supplies and make a list of anything you need to add, replace or repair. Has a garden trowel or spade gone missing since last summer? Do you have an ample supply of work gloves? Are all garden hoses (and sprayer heads) accounted for and functional? Check to see if you have leftover fertilizer, count the flower pots and generally get organized so you can get a quick start when the growing season begins.
• If weather permits, take each piece of power equipment outside and check to see that it is operational. If you didn't tune-up your mower last fall, you still have time to do it before the lawn care season begins. Watch this tune-up video to learn how. Have the mower blade sharpened and any maintenance work done before the mower dealerships become backlogged with projects. It's best to discover any problems now rather than the day you count on using the equipment!
• If your yard is free of snow and not too soggy, you can begin your winter clean-up and landscape check-up. Walk your yard and inspect how your lawn and plants have weathered the winter. Take a notebook with you and mark down signs of damage from nibbling wildlife, areas of poor drainage, dead branches on trees, and anything else that catches your eye for the "to do" list. If the danger of frost has past, you can begin removing the protective mulch from your flowerbeds.
• If the soil in your lawn and garden is dry enough, take soils samples if you haven't done so in the past two or three years. Sample kits are available - with complete instructions - from your county agricultural extension office or garden supply store. By doing this now, you will have plenty of time to get the results back and provide the right amendments to your soil to help ensure a lush lawn or garden.
• If you haven't already sketched out your yard care improvements, take the time to do so. It is always wiser to go to a garden center with a plan in mind rather than making impulse purchases that may or may not work well in your yard. If you want to add a tree this year, do your homework on the type of tree that will thrive in your area and look good where you want to plant it. Do the same for bushes and any perennials you plan on adding. Careful planning will help ensure your happiness for many years to come.
• Have fun! Yard care enthusiasts enjoy nothing more than that first opportunity to get outside and get their hands dirty. Why not record your enjoyment this year in a yard care diary or scrapbook? Record dates when you establish new flowerbeds, what you planted and exactly when; note when you fertilized the lawn, what amendments you have made to the soil; jot down what your dream yard looks like, then track your progress to make it happen.

Let's make this the best year ever in our yards!