Spring Cleaning

Hi. My name is Mitch and I have a weed problem. At first I barely noticed it and didn't think it was a big deal. Nothing I couldn't handle. I could just grab a handful of it and pull it out and perform other garden duties without a problem. But, as time has gone on, the problem has gotten bigger and more widespread. Now it's not just isolated to a few spots in my garden. It has gotten into other parts of my yard. I used to have just grass. Now I have weeds taking over my grass. This particular strain of weed goes by the street name, Creeping Charlie (I think). It's easy enough to pull out when it's isolated. But as the problem grows, it forms a mat and takes over your whole life, I mean, lawn. Okay, both. 

Our community garden has/is battling bindweed as well. Might as well call that stuff Devil weed because I'm sure that is where it came from. It was born from some sort of evil. I'm sure of it. The good news is that (it sounds like) Creeping Charlie is a bit easier to eradicate than bindweed for which there is practically no cure. No seriously. Check this out. If you get bindweed in your garden or yard, you're not going to have a good time. That stuff takes years to get out of your soil.

Overall, the best advice I can give is to try not to get too overwhelmed and take weeding a section at a time. If you look at it as a whole, it will feel almost hopeless at times.

So with my complaining about my weed problems out of the way, let's talk about getting your garden ready for spring.

The first thing you are going to want is the motivation. Some days are easier than others. I recommend a sunny 60 something degree day. I do NOT recommend a day like today where the high isn't getting out of the 30's and snow showers may periodically interrupt your gardening and discourage you with a piercing reminder that winter was damn cold and only a few weeks removed.

Once you find that motivation, you are going to want to clear some of the debris off of your garden beds. You can save those leaves and such and reuse it as either a mulch for your plants or you can put it in a pile somewhere and let it break down throughout the year. You would then use that crumbly pile of dirt, known as leaf mould, on your garden beds. Let nature do the work for you.

Ok, so you have your beds cleaned and exposed. Now what? Well, pull any weeds that have already started to take over because fuck those guys. Also, if you are lucky, you might find little forgotten gems from last fall. Such as these carrots that I found in my garden bed.

Adorable

 It should also be said that you probably shouldn't clear your beds until you have some seeds and/or seedlings lined up to plant. This time of year, you are going to want to plant some of the cold weather crops listed in that embedded link. So far, I have planted seeds for carrots, peas, lettuce, onion seedlings and sets, potatoes, radishes, and spinach. I highly recommend that you get a good chunk of these cold weather crops into the ground before May. This allows for these crops to mature before the summer gets too hot where many of the aforementioned foods tend to wilt or bolt. Peas, lettuce, broccoli, radish, and spinach in-particular tend to have a short self life once the temperatures rise. Personally, I try to get those crops in the ground as soon as the soil is workable. If you pick up the dirt in your garden and squeeze it in your hand and it falls apart or crumbles, your soil is probably dry enough from the thaw to work. If it sticks together or stays in the shape of your fist, it's still too wet and you may have to wait a few days.

Above, I have included a picture of my newly planted onion seedlings and also my two pea/bean towers. My son, Jack, plays with his dump truck and garden tools in the dirt.

Pictured below is another section of my garden. I chose to take some pictures of my dad helping clear out woody vines from the back fence. I did this for two reasons. 1) To show how big of a help my dad has always been the past few years with developing the landscape for my gardens. He always helps weed, built the water catchment system at the community garden, and helped me redesign the garden in the back yard among other things. And 2) To show that it's always something. If it's not vining weeds, it's ACTUAL vines. Nature always finds a way...

There is more work to be done in the garden to complete all of the spring checklists. Second sowings of some aforementioned crops, weeding (always weeding), planting of flowers, etc. But, if you don't want to put in the work this probably isn't the hobby for you. And despite some of the complaints with all of the work that goes into the spring clean up, it feels good to get out in the sun and get your hands dirty. Besides, when you pull that first spring radish out of the ground or pluck that first spring pea and crunch on it, the work all becomes worth it. 

Except for weeds. We all have a free pass to hate on weeds.