Spring Gardening

You wouldn't know it from the rain today but spring is here! March 20th marks the first day of spring and it's time for plants to come into full bloom. The orchards are showing their flowers and soon the garden around your house will be in its prime. Spring is the most beautiful time of the year for plants, and with a little work and know how your garden will no doubt be a sight to see!

Who doesn’t enjoy coming home and seeing a garden full of colorful plants and flowers? Having a beautiful garden should be always be something you are proud of. But it takes work to keep your garden in its finest state. Maintaining a garden requires many tools, items, and labor. But it can all be worth it if you come home every day and see a beautiful garden that you call yours.

You certainly don’t want to end up with a garden that only has a few plants and leaves much of the soil exposed. Or one filled with unhealthy food items that are moldy or half eaten by pests. You want one that is filled with a range of bright colors. Even if you have a small yard you can make something just as beautiful as the gardens at Hampton Court or Blenheim Palace.

We at the Little Red Hen are happy to lend you a wing in making your ideal garden. Our nursery on East 8^th Street in Chico offers much that can help you in garden-related tasks. You might need to get new equipment for your gardens like clippers, gloves, shovels and other garden tools. Like your equipment, your soil also needs to be maintained as well.

Another item for your garden shopping list could be potted for your plants. Some plants might look good if they are stored in a decorative pot on your patio or porch rather than in the ground. We have an assortment of diverse pottery at our nursery so your plants can decorate more than just your garden beds. You can also find a few other things, including gardening books, yard art, veggies, shrubs, and even children garden items so the little ones can join in and cultivate their own green thumb.

Whether you are just moving into your home or have lived there a long time if you need garden supplies our nursery is a great place to go! Gardening can be a great way to occupy your time in the Spring. According to Proven Winners, there are ten essential tasks a person should perform when gardening.

1. Inspect your yard. Take a look around for anything that looks like it needs to be addressed; damage to the plants from cold during winter, garden beds that need cleaning, landscaping elements like fences or sheds that have been bent out of place or otherwise damaged, and new animal burrows that could be pests.
2. Tune up your tools. Your tools may need to be cleaned or replaced. You can’t be working with bad tools, can you?
3. Do a thorough spring cleanup. Get rid of plant debris, old branches, leaves, and anything else in your yard, garden beds, or swimming pool.
4. Test your garden soil. With time the soil can acquire too much of some organic materials and not have enough of others. That could affect the quality and/or quantity of crops or plants you grow in the soil. Have it your soil tested at a farm lab to check the ph and nutrient levels. Adding compost, humus or manure in spring can help out with this. Detailed instructions on how to collect and submit your soil sample are available on your state’s Extension Service website.   
5. Feed your soil. Once your test tells you what your garden soil needs, speak with someone at our plant nursery about what kind of soil you should get. Also, put some compost, humus or manure on top.
6. Get out a sharp pair of pruners. During the heavy winds of winter, plants may have broken or been damaged somehow. Disease may also be present on shrubs or other plants. Cut off any broken or diseased limbs to keep your plants healthy.
7. Divide perennials and transplant shrubs that have outgrown their space or become large enough to split up.
8. Put out any necessary supports like trellises and stakes. If you grow any perennials that require support, set them out now or get them ready to go.
9. Plant your spring containers and borders. Some cool weather loving plants like pansies, nemesia, and osteospermum won’t mind if you plant them early. Fill your spring containers with plants like sweet alyssum, lobelia, and supertunia petunias.
10. Be ready to cover plants if freezing temperatures are in the forecast.

Gardening can be a relaxing and enjoyable way to enjoy the outdoors as the weather warms and the reward for your labor and time will be vibrant colors and delicious homegrown fruits and vegetables. Happy Planting!