Albuquerque Spring Garden To-Do-List 2020 – Part Two
Spring will not have sprung in Albuquerque, NM until March 19, 2020. That being the case, it gives everyone plenty of time to get your garden ready for spring. Here is an action item to-do-list you can follow to help you prepare your garden for this spring.
Thinning Dead Foliage
It can be very difficult to thin out your ferns and ornamental grasses if you wait until new growth appears, and it could even damage your plants. If you didn’t get around to clearing your beds out during the fall months, don’t worry. There will be plenty of new growth to replace the fallout. Go ahead and pull the old plant skeletons to make room for new life. The leftovers can be utilized in the compost if you are certain that the plant is not hosting any disease.
Weeding and Mulching Bare Spots
If you encounter any weeds coming up in your garden beds, it is best to pull them before the roots have a chance to become stable. To minimize the growth of new weeds, you can add extra mulch to bare areas, or use some form of ground cover. If you choose to use mulch, a layer three to four inches deep should do the trick. Another great option is to use black plastic sheeting to cover your beds, which will suffocate the weeds. If you turn over the sheet weekly, it is highly probable that you will find slugs who have made the garden bed their home. This is an easy way to handle preventative pest control.
When adding mulch, there are a couple of do-not’s that you should be aware of. Do not crowd tree trunks and the stems of plants. Keeping the mulch a few inches away from these areas will prevent rot on the stems of maturing plants and help protect the bark of young fruit trees.
Time to “Top Dress” your beds
You can dress your garden beds with either well-seasoned manure or compost to prepare for planting. It is not advised to dig up the bed, however, as established beds already have their own ecosystem, which is better left undisturbed. Adding nutrients to the top of your bed allows them to work their way down without disrupting its current state.
All things considered, if you follow these “to-do-list” suggestions here, you are bound to have an amazing garden in Spring 2020, So, just do get it done and you’ll be so glad you did.