Our Spring garden jobs.
Spring! The days are getting longer and there is promise of warmer days. Suddenly I am looking at the garden and becoming aware I am falling behind with jobs which need doing before the rapid growth begins.
Chickens
Not strictly a garden job, but they do live in our garden so I shall count them! Our chickens are almost one! They are providing us with ample eggs, Over the winter their pen had become very muddy, so last weekend we moved them into a new area of the garden. The old muddy patch we are trying to restore, and I’m hoping I have put down a good mix of seed to revive the area. Unfortunately we had to buy some new net for the pen, in order to abide by the DEFRA avian flu prevention measures. The net is not a green purchase. But it will last a long time and as we have upcycled most of the rest of the pen, I think there’s some balance. I do need to look into an alternative though!
Lawn care
In the summer months we spend hours each day in the garden. There’s something lovely about a well maintained lawn, and so taking the time to do some basic maintenance is essential before the first cut! We have sowed some rye-grass seed – this is a hardy grass which will cope with children running on it! This weekend, assuming it is dry we will edge the lawn along the drive. Beyond that it’ll just be a question of raking the lawn quickly before the first mow!
Planting
I’ll be planting up lots of containers this year, inspired by my Father who has an amazing garden full of colour. Until last year I never appreciated how clever he is with planting colourful containers. Many upcycled from old tins, bits of washing machines or the odd piece of dismantled car. While I’m not sure I could be as clever as upcycling as he is, I’ll certainly be attempting to create the same colourful display! So, I’ll be planting lots of summer flowering bulbs – once I have decided which ones to buy that is!
Tidy up..
The bulk of jobs in the garden are tidying up after winter. So, removing fallen leaves and sticks from flower beds. Fixing trellis and fences too. Our fences need quite a lot of repair, so this is something we need to start now in order that we don’t have to large a job on our hands! We also need to look at our compost bin, it has been rather neglected. While I am hoping to get a wormery, for now I need to maintain our compost bin!
