Get Your Garden Ready for the Spring Season in Loveland, CO

When the sun starts to shine a little brighter in March and April, it’s only natural to get the urge to start gardening. While you don’t want to begin planting warm season plants until May or June, there is still plenty of garden prep to be done in advance to ensure your garden will bloom to its full potential once the spring season is in full swing.

Here are five of our best garden prep tips to help you get ready for planting season:

• Clear drainage ditches: In order to ensure that spring rains or snows will have adequate runoff to your garden, it is first necessary to rid your drainage areas of leaves and other debris that have built up over the winter. Spring seedlings have the best chance of growth in soil that drains well, and because vegetative growth is low in early spring, this is the best time of year to clean out drainage ditches for compost material.
• Repair any raised beds: Heavy winter soil puts tremendous strain on raised beds – bowed sides and stakes will often start to give away over time. Now is the perfect time to repair anything that might be damaged.
• Weed young spring weeds: Pulling early forming weeds sooner rather than later is always the best option, as roots will be more shallow and easier to remove. After removing excess weeds, it can also be helpful to fill those spots with mulch. This will minimize the chance for future weed growth.
• The Secret Ingredient- Lime: Soils with a pH below 6.2 will benefit greatly with the early addition of lime. We recommend the use of Dolomite, which is the finest grind. Ideally, it should be added several weeks before planting in order for it to be effective. If you are unsure what the pH level of your soil is, it’s easy to check using a pH test kit!
• Take care of the surrounding area: Did you know that the success of your garden can also be dependent on the health of your nearby lawn? Removing dead growth and winter debris will help bring light and air to the garden’s soil, and will encourage growth. This is also the time for pre-emergent herbicides such as corn gluten.

One of the best features of The Lakes at Centerra is that residents have nature in their own backyard. If you have a “green thumb” and are exploring Ft. Collins real estate ornew homes for sale in Loveland, be sure to tour Loveland’s newest residential community that embraces everything you love – including nurturing a little oasis in the backyard of your new dream home at The Lakes.