When we get a beautiful, sunny warm day in February (like today!), it's the perfect time to clean out the clutter that has collected in the garden since late fall.
Rake back old mulch and particularly be sure to clean out the piles of leaves that tend to accumulate around the base of your plants. This wet and slimy area is the perfect place for bugs to hide and disease to develop.
While the surface is bare, throw down some organic fertilizer or compost - working it into the soil a bit, if you have time. The torrents of rain we've had this winter have washed away a lot of plant nutrients and they are hungry! Your plants will reward you with abundant growth in March and April.
Don't forget to add fresh mulch (2-3 inches) to protect from the frost that we know will return -- likely a few more times before April 15. Then we should be safely out of the woods from freezing temperatures.
More on pruning next week - February 15 is my kick-off date for spring pruning.
Snip, snip!
Lyn
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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