He shared what you can do now to make your garden gorgeous by summer (Stock Image) (Image: Getty)
The weather is slowly but surely starting to warm up, and you may have even turned off your heating schedule in your home, meaning that spring is certainly on the way. However, have you thought about sorting things out in your garden yet?
If you haven’t, it might be time to think about getting your gardening gloves on if you want the best results come summer, when you’ll be spending a lot of time in your green space, making the most of what you’ve got.
Ish, who posts on TikTok as @gardening.with.ish, shared that during the early spring, you’ll start to notice things grow. Whether you’ve got daffodils in your garden, or other flowers starting to bloom, the first signs of life are certainly here.
However, that also means that weeds are going to be prolific, because where there are pretty flowers growing, of course, there is some less-than-ideal growth to contend with as well.
In the caption of his video, he explained: “Now is the perfect time to tackle those garden weeds.
“They’re at a vulnerable point of their growth, so get them gone. They’re also jam-packed full of nutrients, so don’t let them go to waste; take that foliage and turn it into liquid feed. It’s amazing what a simple gardening tip can show you to help your garden flourish!”
He noted you don’t need “any specific weed killer or chemicals,” you just need a small spade to start digging them up.
Ish said: “Just take a few fingers and pinch around it, and simply pull out around the roots, and as you can see here, you’ve got a tiny little plant. And because I’ve got no broken roots as well, it means I’ve not left any traces of that weed in my pot in the soil.”
If you get rid of your weeds, it also means you don’t have to worry about it “stealing any of the nutrients from the soil”.
But if you want to do the most, he suggested you pinch away “all of the foliage” from the weed, fill a pot full of water, shove all the weeds in and “let it break down over the next few weeks”.
“What will happen is it will release all of the nitrogen from the soil and put it into the water, which you can turn into a liquid feed,” he gushed, saying “young weeds are more practical” than you could ever imagine.
What are other jobs to do during March to make your garden summer ready?
1. Preparing the soil: This involves clearing away any remaining dead plant material from winter, removing weeds, and digging over beds to loosen the soil. Adding compost or well-rotted manure at this stage will enrich the soil and improve its structure, giving your plants the best possible start.
2. Sowing seeds for hardy annuals and vegetables: Outdoors, you can sow crops such as broad beans, peas, carrots, parsnips, and spinach directly into the ground, provided the soil is not too wet or cold. Indoors or in a greenhouse, you can start off more tender crops like tomatoes, chillies, and aubergines in seed trays or pots. Pricking out seedlings as they develop and potting them on will help them grow strong before they are planted outside later in the spring.
3. Pruning: Many deciduous shrubs, such as roses and buddleia, benefit from a hard prune in March to encourage vigorous new growth and better flowering later in the year. Early-flowering shrubs, however, should be pruned after they have finished blooming. You can also cut back ornamental grasses and tidy up herbaceous perennials by removing old stems and leaves.
4. Lawn care: Rake up any debris, moss, or thatch, and give the lawn its first light cut if conditions are dry enough. You can also edge the lawn to create neat borders and apply a spring lawn feed to promote healthy growth.
5. Check for signs of disease or pests: If you have fruit trees or bushes, check them out properly and apply any necessary treatments. Mulching around the base of fruit trees and bushes with compost or well-rotted manure will help retain moisture and suppress weeds. It’s also a good time to plant new fruit trees and bushes while they are still dormant.
6. Replanting overcrowded clumps of perennials: This not only rejuvenates the plants but also gives you more to fill gaps elsewhere in the garden. Keep an eye on emerging shoots and protect them from late frosts with cloches or fleece if necessary. With all these jobs, you’ll be setting the stage for a productive and beautiful garden in the months ahead.