Tips for Getting Your Garden Ready For Summer

With Spring literally right around the corner, I am on the hunt for some tips and inspiration to help me on my quest to create the most beautiful outdoor space for our new home. We bought a new home a little over one year ago in the Pocono Mountains, and for me curb appeal and a lush looking yard and garden is a must. How my home looks from the outside is as important to me as how it looks on the inside and it’s the reason that ensuring my garden is ready for the summer is so important to me. I also just love gardening and working in the yard as I used to do it all of the time to help my parents when I was growing up and I did everything….. mowing the grass, planting new flowers and plants each spring, and even planting a veggie garden in the back yard. I would then take care of the gardens throughout the seasons and enjoy the fruits of my labor by enjoying our beautiful looking yard every time I pulled up to the house and by enjoying lots of fresh fruits and veggies too which is an added bonus. Below I will discuss tips on getting your yard and garden ready for the Spring & Summer and beyond!

When Should You Start?

I start prepping my yard for the warmer months as soon as the weather breaks in my area BUT while I am waiting for the weather to break, I start making plans for what I want to do… as I get more accomplished that way when the weather breaks. A good example is if I am planning on needing any type of removal service, I can research the cost of removing garden waste so that I am ready to tackle that garden project from the start. This allows me to remove any garden waste, trees and shrubs effectively. Thinking about what you need to do in advance will allow you to tackle the job gradually, whenever you have a spare half hour or an hour. You can simply bang the job out in a fews days and make it a big project if you choose, but I find it to be therapeutic to do it a little at a time, whenever I have some extra time to spare.

There are lots of little things that you can do to get your garden ready for season and if your garden is looking a bit tired….. below are several easy ways to shake it up and add some much needed love to your gardening space no matter the theme you are striving for. Here’s how to get your garden ready for summer.

Make Sure You Have All Of The Tools

Before you get started… make sure you have all of the tools you will need to care for your yard and garden. Check out all of your equipment and perform any simple maintenance the tools may need. You use your tools mostly in the Spring & Summer months, so making sure your tools are up to task by cleaning them and also doing some simple maintenance will save you lots of time.

We always clean our yard and gardening tools at the beginning of the season. You can simply use a stiff brush to scrub everything down and then rinse with the hose. You will also want to check out your lawnmower and rinse the undercarriage of any old grass clippings plus check the blades to see if they need sharpening. This is where you want to check all of your tools, getting rid of any damaged equipment and replacing as necessary.

Tidy Up Your Garden Beds

This is the perfect time of year to clean out your garden beds. You can remove those weeds and old plants before they take a stronghold and while you are removing those weeds…. remove any old blooms on your plants, remove any dead leaves that are laying around and this is also the perfect time to prune any shrubs that may need it. Once you do all of this… you will see what you have to work with and if there are any gaps that you want filled with new plants.

Make sure to add some nutrients to the soil for the new year too. You can enrich your soil with compost or fertilizer and this will ensure that your garden will be off to a strong start. To start composting, you can gather organic materials such as fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, leaves, and even coffee grounds. You can then mix these materials together and place them in a compost bin or pile. Over time, the materials will decompose and turn into compost. One of the popular ways of composting is worm farming, also known as vermicomposting, which uses worms to break down organic matter and produce nutrient-rich compost. If you’re looking to take your composting game to the next level, read more about what a worm farm composter is to find the right resources and information and start worm farming today enjoying the many benefits it has to offer.

Add Mulch To Your Garden Beds

This year we will be adding mulch to our garden beds. Mulch not only makes your garden look amazingly beautiful but it also helps to retain moisture in the soil and helps to keep those pesky weeds from popping up throughout.

Add Solar Lights To Edge Your Driveway & Garden Beds

When the sun starts to set, solar lights will light up and add a magical touch to your yard and gardening space. I have placed really nice ones along the edges of my driveway and around the front of my new raised garden beds and it makes the yard magical at night and I love them.

Get Your Patio & Deck Space Ready

Getting your deck pace spruced up is as important as the yard, especially when it comes to entertaining in the spring and summer months. I sweep my deck and patio daily in the spring in summer because the dirt and debris accumulates constantly. Give the space a good sweep and then clean your deck with hot soapy water. If you have a pressure washer, you can use that to clean your patio surfaces too. Once you clean your deck and patio… make sure to rinse both really well, dry and set your space up with outdoor patio furniture, plants and more. If you want to add visual appeal and a sense of relaxation to your outdoor space, consider building an outdoor kitchen. For help, check over at RTA Outdoor Living, specializing in building outdoor kitchens.

Don’t forget that you can plant in containers too and this is the perfect option for your deck and patio spaces. You can fill them with plants and flowers which adds life and personality to your outdoor space and you can even grow a garden in them. I will be adding lot of planters & hanging baskets to my deck space this year as this will keep the plants protected from Deer. We have lots of Deer that roam our yard and they eat everything!

Clean out your Shed and Outdoor Storage Spaces

This is the perfect time to tidy your gardening shed and outdoor storage spaces. Literally take everything out and get rid of anything you no longer need and give the space a through clean.

This is also a good time to check out your shed to see if it needs any repairs or updates. Maybe your shed needs a new coat of paint, some new lights or maybe you want to hang some flower baskets…. anything you choose to spruce it up and make it look adorable. You might find that you need to replace the thing entirely and look for sheds for sale instead to upgrade it. It all adds to the finished look of your yard.

Spruce Up Your Lawn

After the long winter months….. your lawn will need some much deserved TLC. You can use an aerating tool to aerate the ground on your lawn. You can use a garden fork if you do not have an aerator. Simply use the fork to make holes in your lawn at regular intervals and this will aerate your lawn which allows air to get to the roots and it also avoids water logging and compaction.

You will also want to remove any dead thatch from your lawn. I have two kids of rakes…. one is perfect for thatching my lawn and gets all of the dead grass underneath which allows your lawn to breathe and allows the growth of new grass in your lawn. Once you have thatched your lawn, you can sprinkle fresh grass seed on any bar patches and then finish the process by feeding your lawn with a good organic fertilizer.

Clean Your Lawn Furniture

Every Spring I clean my outdoor furniture with hot soapy water and then a thorough rinse. I have Adirondack chairs around my fire pit, so them looking good makes my yard and garden space look good plus cleaning them will help them to last longer.

Fill Planters & Garden Beds With Colorful Flowers

Once you have done all of the steps above prepping your outdoor garden space for the Spring & Summer, it is time to fill those garden beds and any planters you have on your patio and deck space with beautiful colorful flowers. This is the final step and is like icing on the cake…. as it just finishes and perfects your outdoor garden space. Once you plant these beautiful flowers into your garden and planters…. water them well and then set up a regular watering schedule for your beds, planters, gardens and lawn.

So what do you think of these steps meant to inspire you and to ensure that your garden is ready for the spring and summer months? Are you like me and and cannot wait for the warmer weather so that you can get outdoors and get those hands dirty by planting? I seriously cannot wait… and am prepping my plans now as I want to enjoy my outdoor living space as soon as possible and all of these tips will ensure that you can do it too. Share any tips you have that I may have missed below as I am always learning. Simply share your tips with me in the comment section below and as always…. thank you for visiting Deliciously Savvy!