UPCOMING GARDEN TO DO’s
Frigid temperatures are upon us here in Pittsburgh so that only means one thing: dreaming about the upcoming growing season. I have a few outdoor chores that I’d like to get done before planting begins in April/May.
Mulch all garden beds. I buy bagged mulch and I can only fit so many bags in my car at a time so it just takes forever (read: all season long) to get the entire garden done. This miiiight be the first thing I start to outsource, depending on cost. I’ll keep you posted and will let you know if it’s worth not doing it myself! Just a note: I like mulching everything before planting annuals so I don’t have to be too precise when placing the mulch.
Edge the backyard garden beds. We have some large trees in our yard/neighbor’s yard (which both coincidentally were cut down in 2021) whose large roots made it difficult to dig in many areas. It was very hard to edge any new garden beds I’ve created over the last few years because of this, but I’m determined to give it another go. I’ll probably just start with a more defined edge between the mulch and the lawn, but something more permanent might be needed down the line since we deal with many creeping strawberries that want to travel from the lawn and into the beds.
Clean out last year’s planters. Oops on this one. This was just pure laziness and, hey, they look nicer than having nothing out on the patio all winter! However, for the safety of the pots during the winter, they should be cleaned out and put away in the garage ASAP.
The usual spring cleanup & fertilization. My spring-pruned plants (some hydrangea and butterfly bushes, mostly) will get their usual haircut in March or so. I’ll also do my annual perennial/shrub fertilization with Plant-Tone and Soil Acidifier in March or April as well, just as things are waking up.
Weed the vegetable garden path. We made the mistake of not putting down landscape fabric beneath our stone and gravel pathway in the vegetable garden. The weeds on that side of the house will take years to tame (if they can be tamed at all) but I need to start off the growing season with a weed-free pathway. They vine, climb, and pop up out of nowhere, so wish me luck!
The sleepy winter garden. Always grateful for these evergreens this time of year!
Dried hydrangea blooms providing a bit of winter interest