Getting The Gardening Season Off To A Good Start

If the sun is out, cleaning up the beds can be quite pleasant. But one of my favourite spring chores is checking on the compost. The worms and microorganisms have been busy while I've been hunched close to my electric fire over the winter; when I dig down, I'm rewarded with a layer of black gold ready to spread. Is there anything better than that rich, earthy smell?

I spade it out and spread it thickly onto as many of the beds as I can. It doesn't seem to matter how much I have; there's never enough. But every garden centre has manure this time of year, and after a quick trip, I'm ready to finish top-dressing the beds, spreading a thick layer of manure around all the plants. As it's generally too wet to dig, I don't dig it in yet; it will start working its magic and feed the soil just sitting there as top-dressing, until the ground dries out enough for me to start digging it in.

Lots of gardeners start their seeding programs about this time, too, rushing to fill seed starter trays to give their season's choices an early start. It's still a bit too early for that yet. It's hard to resist, but long, leggy seedlings that have been grown inside too long won't do well out in the yard anyhow.

Think of this season as the season of anticipation, as I do. Set the stage this month by weeding, cleaning up, and feeding your soil - and you'll be well on your way to the summer garden of your dreams.

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