Getting your garden ready for spring

As the nights get slightly shorter, the days get slightly warmer, blossom starts to appear on the trees and the general smell of spring is in the air, now is the perfect time to get out there and start preparing your garden for the warmer months. It can sometimes feel like there's a lot to do in the garden and, if you're not naturally green fingered, it can feel a bit overwhelming. So, where to start? 

We've shared some basic tips on where to start to get your garden looking that little bit more inviting and make you feel more organised and on top of things.

 Weeding

Weeding is normally one of the first jobs we do in the garden, in a bid to get it looking neater and tidier. However, if you are happier with a more wild, natural look, over weeding is not necessarily a good idea. Weeds can provide an important source early sustenance for pollinators as they emerge from their hives. If you can resist, leave some of the weeds for our bee friends just in case they need it.

Read more on making your garden friendly for pollinators.

Planting

For some plants that require an early start, you can plant seeds indoors in pots for now.

You'll then want to prepare your garden beds for planting once the soil has warmed up sufficiently.

To prepare your beds for planting, check your local garden centre for an organic fertiliser. The package instructions will tell you how much to use, but the staff at your local garden centre will also be able to advise on what fertilisers are kindest to the planet and aren't going to harm local wildlife.

If you're considering or already have garden storage/furniture with a green roof, take a look at what plants work well in a shallow planting area to get an idea of the range of luscious vegetation you can take advantage of.

Mulching

Once you move on to planting, apply a layer of mulch around your plants to help retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature. Organic mulches such as wood chips, straw, or shredded leaves also add nutrients to the soil as they break down. This way, you are also putting to good use some of the mess you've swept up in the garden and saving room in your green waste bin!

Organising

Now that you've sorted your vegetation out, you'll want to make sure your garden, front or back, is nice and tidy, organised and ready to enjoy in the warmer months. It's very easy for sheds and garages to get filled up with all sorts of stuff, and when a hot day comes around you'll wish you'd sorted it out sooner to have easy access to bikes and the barbeque so you can fully enjoy the weather.  

Purpose built storage for bulky items such as bins, bikes, logs and tools can really make your life a whole lot easier and can completely transform the look of your garden/outdoor space.

Take a look at Bluum's range of garden storage featuring sustainable timber and green roofs to get inspired on how to transform your garden.

So there you are, with a few simple steps and a bit of forward planning, you can get your garden to a point where it's ready to use and ,when that first bit of sunshine descends, you can make full use of your outdoor space.