Casino Connection Atlantic City

Dig into Spring

Time to dig up the old, plant the new

by Beth Joseph

Springtime is finally here, so clean off the patio furniture and grab your gardening tools. April is the ideal month to ready your garden and lawn for the season.

Follow the three Ps—pulling, preparing and planting—and you will have a blooming garden and luxurious lawn before you know it.

Pulling

Start by pulling all leftover plants and weeds. The winter weather causes plants to freeze and grass to dry out. However, as the temperature warms, weeds are quick to make an appearance anywhere.

The best time to weed is early in the morning when the soil is still damp or after a light rainfall. If Mother Nature doesn’t bring the wanted “April showers,” then a quick run of the sprinklers will do the trick. Always pull the weed straight up and out to avoid breaking the stem and leaving roots in the soil to re-grow.

Preparing

Once you have gotten rid of all the unwanted leaves, plants and weeds from your garden and lawn, it’s time for the preparations to begin. Like you would dress for the beach, your garden and lawn must be dressed for springtime.

Loosen or till the soil to prepare for the incoming seeds or plant. Frigid temperatures cause the soil to freeze and clump together, so use your hands, shovel or a gardening tool such as a hoe or roto-tiller to break up the soil. Be sure to loosen the soil about six inches deep to ensure ideal planting conditions and healthier, more enriched soil.

Raking is always the first big step toward a plush lawn. Raking removes the dead blades of grass, and also allows you to survey the lawn for any bare patches that may need to be seeded.

Next, fertilize the grass. The method and brand are up to you. Most experts recommend a fertilizer with crab grass preventative. Fertilizer is available in both liquid and granular form.

Liquid fertilizer is applied by a garden hose attachment. It is quickly absorbed into the ground, and is thus faster-acting, but it requires reapplication every two to three weeks.

Granular fertilizers are applied using a spreader, and must be watered. Many gardeners prefer a granular application because it is easier to see where and how much is being dispersed onto the lawn.

Planting

When choosing the flowers and shrubbery to make your garden the envy of the block, you must take into account the location of your garden.

Be sure your plants will receive ample amounts of sunlight, shade and water. Placing plants in constant sunlight will cause them to need more water, while a darker spot may not provide enough nutrients and light for your flowers to truly blossom.

When choosing plants, take into account the colors and similar maintenance between flowers. Impatiens, marigolds and petunias are popular annuals that can be planted in early spring directly into the ground. Perennials such as bleeding heart, chrysanthemum and fuchsia can also be planted this time of the year, although their ideal planting season is in the fall. April is also the time to plant vegetable favorites such as peppers, tomatoes, corn and melons.

Your lawn may need some planting too. Take a little time to plant or scatter grass seeds in light or empty areas of your lawn. Be sure to match the seeds with a grass type similar to your existing lawn. This will fill in bare areas and thicken existing grass, giving you a perfectly manicured lawn.

While daily watering may not be necessary until the temperatures heat up, be sure that both your lawn and garden stay moisturized.

Remember, a garden needs TLC, so treat it like your own baby by providing routine food, water and care.