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Preparing your Veggie Garden for Spring
Spring is in the air! The days are getting longer and the weather is warming – it’s such a wonderful time of year to start getting back out into the garden. It’s been a wet winter and with all the rain we’ve had and now the warmer weather, the garden is starting to burst forth. It’s time to enrich the soil in your veggie garden and get ruthless to make some space ready for your spring crops.
It’s important that your soil is enriched before planting to allow the best conditions for your new crops to thrive. Start off by pulling out everything that has finished flowering or going to seed, to make some space! This is a good time to save some seeds from your finished crops for later in the season. Toss these spent plants into the compost bin or the chook run.
Remove any mulch and set aside, then dig the soil over well with a shovel or fork. Once the soil is well loosened, add a generous amount of blood and bone, plenty of compost and some well-aged manure and mix in well. If your soils are acidic, mix add a few handfuls of lime and incorporate well.
If you have multiple garden beds, it’s a good idea to rotate your crops every year. Be mindful that different crops have different feeding requirements, so a bit of planning helps when determining what crops to plant succeeding those before them.
If you’re in a cold climate, start with seeds rather than seedlings, in case there are any late frosts in the season that could damage young plants. Plan your garden and the crops that you will want to eat over Spring and Summer, and don’t forget to include some flowering plants for some height and colour.
When planting seedlings later in the season, water in well with a diluted seaweed solution that will act as a soil conditioner to give your seedlings the best start. Happy Gardening!