Early Spring Garden Chores and Memories of Mother

By Bill Primavera

The Home Guru

Ah, that first breath of spring after a nasty winter really revives the spirit, doesn’t it?  I’m not sure I understand the feeling of near euphoria year after year as I anticipate my first days in the garden, but I know it’s always there to greet me.

And, whenever I get down on my knees for the first time to accomplish some garden chore, I am thinking about the growth and color I’ll enjoy in just a short time. But invariably I also think of my mother.

Frequently my mother gave me advice without telling me any good reason for complying, and one of those advisories was to avoid kneeling, but rather to bend over, for garden chores that required closer proximity to the ground. Why, I don’t know.  I do know that my mother was very pleased with her agility into later life and wanted to demonstrate that ability in all her activities.  Or maybe she had heard of “gardener’s knee.”

In recent years since my mother has passed on, I have became aware that my back seems to go awry more often than my knees.  So, with no small amount of guilt, I do kneel to plant those first seedlings that I buy from my local supplier.  But I protect myself with either a garden kneeler or knee pads which I don’t remember being around when I was a child. 

Of course, squatting is a good in-between measure, but I find that more taxing than either bending or kneeling.

Because I don’t have the time I used to when I was younger to plan and plant my garden, every step I take is orchestrated to reduce labor and maximize enjoyment of color and greenery from early spring to late fall. 

For instance, while I envy those people who can build outdoor frames for planting seeds early or do it inside, I rely on one of the garden centers for my annual seedlings that are all ready for popping in the ground. Vicariously I can enjoy the planting from seed activity by watching my young grandson proudly nurture his own vegetable garden.

Here’s my earliest spring garden routine:

I first clean up all that nasty debris that I left last fall that kept the ground from heaving and, at the same time, fed the birds, but now lies in a state of rot in my annual and perennial beds. 

Then, if I’m quick about it, I can still prune my apple and cherry trees before they develop buds (and I must scurry to do this because I didn’t have time last fall).

I am no longer into vegetable gardening, but if you still are, you can put lettuce seeds in the ground right now, and every couple of weeks, start a new row to get results throughout the summer. And if you’re into planting onions and other hardy vegetables, now is the time to do it.

I redefine my beds with a slight new edging around all of them. Lately my wonderful lawn care people have been doing it for me without my asking, and it’s like a gift. Love those guys.

Light thinning can be done in April to any shrub or tree except lilacs. The latter should have been done after blooming last year, because if you do it now, there will be no bloom this year.

Prepare your flower beds by adding compost or fertilizer right now. I have a natural compost pile that I’ve been cultivating for a long time, and each year, I rob this black gold to enrich the soil, depleted from last year’s growth.

Mulch now for a weed-resistent summer. I’ve already called my trusty tree man to drop off a load of finely chopped chips. One load which I hide behind my garage does my entire property for a season.

As you are preparing for planting your annual and perennial beds, the earliest spring bulbs will be blooming. Afterwards, be sure to deadhead them (remove the remains of the blossoms) but don’t remove the leaves. Let them die back naturally so that they can feed the bulbs for next year.

Also, remember to schedule the time needed to trim spring-flowering shrubs, everything from forsythia to azalea, right after blooming, for thicker growth and more blooms next year.

And, for anyone who gardens like I do, kneeling rather than bending, remember to protect your knees with those knee pads or kneelers. Sorry, Mom.

Bill Primavera is a licensed Realtor® (www.PrimaveraHomes.com), affiliated with Coldwell Banker, and a marketing practitioner (www.PrimaveraPR.com). For questions or comments about the housing market, or selling or buying a home, he can be reached directly at 914-522-2076.