Getting Your Garden Ready for Spring

It may not be the prime growing season, but there are still plenty of jobs you can do in and around the garden now which will ensure it is in pristine condition come spring and summer.

As an experienced garden supplies company, based in Cambridge and supplying customers in Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk, Madingley Mulch has compiled these top tips on getting your garden ready for spring..

Keep It Clean

Keeping on top of all the messy jobs will save you time when you do start planting. Now is a good time to clean out your greenhouse and garden shed. Wash the floor and benches, clean out any seed trays, and get rid of any plant debris on the floor. Pests can also get into all sorts of nooks and crannies in greenhouse glass so this should be disinfected as well.

Poorly-maintained tools can also spread disease. Cleaning and sharpening bladed tools such as secateurs now will save you time when you need to do some serious pruning, while applying oil will help keep any rust at bay.

Beware of Weeds

Perennial weeds can still grow over the winter months. Forking these out by hand or removing them with a hoe will keep them under control. Laying down a quality mulch will help to combat weeds, while another option for some areas, particularly under gravels, is to use a weed suppressing membrane. We stock Groundtex, a heavy-duty membrane which is also resistant to any animal activity.

Prepare Your Soil

Before planting your spring plants and crops, it is a good idea to enrich the soil. Madingley Mulch’s exclusive product Denise’s Delight is a mixture of Black Fen soil, horse manure, wood shavings and humus which will add nutrients to your garden soil. We also stock other 

Prune Larger Plants

You can start pruning apple and pear trees early in the New Year to encourage better growth in the spring. If the weather is good enough, you can move some plants such as deciduous shrubs to a better spot, preserving as much of the original root as possible. 

Start Sowing Seeds

Some flowers and vegetables have a longer growing season so now is an ideal time to plant them. Geraniums, begonias, peppers and aubergines can all be started in heated propagators to ensure good growth. Fruit bushes such as redcurrants and blackcurrants can also be planted in February. You can also do some forward planning, working out where you are going to put plants and vegetables in the year ahead, and buying any packets of seeds.

Keep Everything Secure

The weather can be quite severe over the winter months, so it is worthwhile spending some time making sure your garden is as secure as possible. Make sure any fence panels are in good condition, and, if you have a dry day, give them a fresh coat of paint or preservative.

Consider covering any vulnerable plants with netting or mesh to protect them from the worst of the weather as well as from hungry birds and pests.

Madingley Mulch supplies a range of garden products, including mulches, turf, fencing panels and soil conditioners, to customers in Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Bedfordshire. Click on the link above to see our range.

We offer free delivery on all orders to addresses within 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge, and there is a standard £20 charge for all orders within 24.5 miles. Towns and villages we provide a regular delivery service to include St Neots, St Ives, Swavesey and Cambourne.

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