The best way to reap the benefits of seeds sown in the garden is to start planning early! While you may still be looking out the window at a blanket of snow, the sunlight is beginning to peek out a little earlier and stick around a little later in the day, which means now is the perfect time to start planning your spring garden.
There are plenty of steps you can take to prepare your spring garden, which will help you hit the ground running come the end of March. The amount of information available online can be a little overwhelming, though, which is why we decided to put together this simple guide to help you plan the perfect spring garden design in North Dakota.
Get Your Tools In Order
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be limited to inside your household. Before you can actually get your hands dirty in your spring garden, you’re going to want to make sure you have all of the right tools and that they are in good condition. Figuring out that your shovel is dull and worn right as you go to excitedly cut your first border can be a pain, but if you take steps to make sure everything is in good condition ahead of the gardening season, you’ll be miles ahead once you dig in. Pull everything you have out of storage, give it all a good clean, sharpen tools that need sharpening, and oil them to help prevent rust.
Taking some time to prepare and plan your spring garden design will make things much easier once it comes time to plant.
Select A Location
When planning a spring garden, one of the first steps to take is deciding where you would like it to go! If you are planning a vegetable garden, choose a location with full sun. If you are planning a flower garden that will border your house, consider the amount of light that the flowers will get once planted and how well-draining the area is. Remember that bare winter branches will eventually fill in and provide a fair bit of shade. Once you have selected your location, you’ll have a better idea of what kind of plants to choose for your spring garden.
Order Your Seeds
If you are hoping to start your plant babies from seed, you’ll want to order them early! As far as we can tell, they’re already a pretty hot ticket item in 2021, so make sure you don’t miss the boat. This means that you will also want to put some thought into what you are going to plant. If you are planting a veggie garden, start dreaming about what vegetables you think you’ll eat the most come harvest season. If you are planning a flower garden, look back at that location selection to determine whether you should order seeds that will flourish in full sun, or perhaps look for bulbs that are shade tolerant if you have picked a shadier location. The other fun part of planning a spring garden is considering a color palette! What kind of colors do you want in your spring garden? White gardens, for example, have emerged as a 2021 gardening trend.
Prepare Your Soil
If your ground is rock hard right now, this is one step you will have to hold off on for a few weeks, but it is definitely one you won’t want to miss. It’s a great way to get ready for spring, so once the winter frost has lifted, consider spending a weekend preparing your garden beds so they are ready to give your plants all the nutrients they need.
You will want to till or turn compacted soil, working it to a depth of anywhere from 6 to 12 inches. Consider testing your soil’s nutrient and pH levels using a soil test purchased at your local hardware store or garden center. This will help you determine what you might need to add to your soil based on its nutrient levels. If you have highly acidic soil, for example, you’ll want to purchase and add some lime. Compost is also one of the greatest ways to boost the nutrients in your soil, so if you happened to start a compost pile in the fall, now is the time that you will want to add that organic matter into your soil. If you don’t have your own compost, you can buy it or even try to find it free in a local community group.
Consider Container Gardening
By the time spring starts to show its first signs of life here in North Dakota, most of us gardeners are just itching to get out there and plant. With that said, there is nothing quite as disappointing as putting your beautiful plant babies in the ground and then losing them to an unexpected late frost. But, this is where container gardening comes in handy! If you’re dying to get some beautiful color out in your garden, start with some hanging baskets and planters on casters that can be moved into a shed or garage easily enough if need be.
Daffodils, grape hyacinth, crocus, pansies, and English ivy are just a few of the beautiful options to choose from for a spring container garden, which can generally handle the cooler temperatures. Just remember to cover or bring them indoors if there’s any chance of frost!
Include Trees and Shrubs on Your Shopping List
While you may be thinking primarily about all of the beautiful, flashy colors you will introduce to your spring garden—trees and shrubs are not to be forgotten! While they may not necessarily be the stars of the spring garden show, they help provide the structure needed for a well laid out garden design. A well-balanced garden is always sure to be a beautiful one.
There are plenty of beautiful spring-flowering shrubs to choose from, like lilac or rhododendron, for example. The unmistakable, sweet-smelling fragrance of lilacs is kind of like a spring staple. The rhododendron is another beautiful choice with spectacular blooms that come in a wide range of colors. Azaleas, forsythia, and witch hazel are all beautiful spring flowering shrubs to choose from; just remember to keep space and lighting conditions in mind when deciding where you will plant them.
Taking some time to prepare and plan your spring garden design will make things much easier once it comes time to plant. Weighing in with fellow gardeners or experts can also really help to inspire your plans. Stop by the garden center to talk all things spring!