This is a collaborative post with The Big Yellow Self Storage Company.
We’re all spending more time at home at the moment whether we want to or not. And while there’s no doubt it’s an unsettling and strange time, I’m sure that like me, you’re determined to make the most of it. I’ve seen the posts about learning a new skill, or a new language, but quite honestly, I’d be happy to ‘catch-up’ with everything I put on my to do list, take time to enjoy my home and garden and that would see me quite happy enough, bar seeing family and friends of course.
I feel fortunate to have a garden and it’s a great way to get some exercise in, while staying home at the same time. And while I miss my daily visits to Greenwich Park, for the time being I can forgo those, and just wished that more people would take the social distancing situation we find ourselves in, more seriously.
The start of spring always brings fresh impetus and spring cleaning indoors and it’s no different in the garden. Below I’m sharing some tips on how you can get your garden ready for spring, some of which will come in handy whatever size your garden, or even if you only have a balcony or a windowsill.
1. Make space
Whatever you’re doing, you’ll do it better and more efficiently if you have space to work. Tidy ups around the garden include sorting out the beds ready for planting, and taking care of garden tools and equipment.
Make room for the tools - power tools or otherwise - you’ll use over the summer by placing all your winter kit into self storage. All that winter sports gear such as sledges or skis, your snow shovels, and autumn leaf blowers and winter tyres for the car are now just taking up space you can put to better use.
Having plenty of space in your garage or shed for the tools and equipment in regular use makes it easier to get to them more quickly to complete the job. It also means you don’t have things on top of each other, causing potential danger if heavy things drop, or you trip over them. Which is always good news if you’re as clumsy as me!
If you use a self storage unit, you will become part of the seasonal storage movement. There’s a growing army of people who now use self storage for seasonal rotation of items they’re not using at home. They have more space in the house, but get to keep all the household items needed for a comfortable lifestyle whatever the season. If you’re in a flat with a balcony and tend to keep winter stuff out there, clear it out into a self storage unit and make room for a few extra pots and seating.
2 . Tidy up
Tackle flower beds and borders so they’re ready for planting. Cut back dead growth on herbaceous perennials, and remove dead leaves and general rubbish that may have collected over winter. You can put organic matter in your compost bin, but if you’re weeding, place those in your green bin for the council to collect otherwise you’ll end up with a compost bin full of healthy weeds. And there’s nothing that weeds like more than a nice warm compost bin.
3. Prepare your greenhouse, if you have one
Give greenhouses a good clean and clear out before starting the new season with fresh growth. This is something that I’ll be adding to my list, I also want to rearrange my staging so I have as much growing space as possible. When cleaning you may need to:
Remove algae or moss from the glass.
Disinfect surfaces to kill off any residual pests or disease.
Wash out pots and seed trays, also to prevent transferring old pests and diseases to new plants.
Sweep the floor and sluice down with garden disinfectant.
Repair any structural damage you may have noticed during cleaning.
Open the windows to let in plenty of ventilation and dry off all the surfaces.
It’s amazing how dirty greenhouses can get - I posted how much I was surprised by the difference a good clean makes a couple of years ago, and I still stand by that. Doing it, well that’s another matter!
4. Sow early seeds
Some plants like a long growing season, so it’s good to get them started as soon as possible. You’ll know your garden best but remember you can use a heated propagator to give them the best growing conditions, and you can use these anywhere indoors.
Plants to think about growing from seed include begonias and geraniums, antirrhinums (snap dragons or bunny rabbits) or if you’re into your edibles like me, then consider peppers, chillies, tomatoes and some herbs, the latter for more instant results. Check the backs of seed packets if you’re not sure what to sow, or when, they contain a wealth of information.
If you get all of these jobs done, you’ll be well on the way to a lush summer garden or balcony. And you’ll be able to sit back and reap the rewards, with perhaps making time to deadhead your plants to prolong their flowering, and eat sun-ripened tomatoes straight from the plant.
Let’s hope that this summer delivers, I think some warm sunny days are just what we can all do with (as long as we keep within whatever the rules are by then!)
* This is a collaborative post with The Big Yellow Storage Company, who remain open during our current lockdown, but like many companies have changed how they operate. They remain open as one of the listed businesses by the government, for further details please check on the Big Yellow website.