The “farm to table” movement has been growing by leaps and bounds. Around the Los Angeles area, there are farmer’s markets every Sunday and scattered throughout the week. All of that means fresh produce is readily available but image if you could go outside and pick your own salad right from the backyard. That can happen if you fire up your garden. Here’s how to get your garden ready for spring.
Survey the Area
The recent cold snap has kept most Los Angelinos inside but warm weather won’t be far off. When it does get warmer, you’ll want to go outside and survey your space. If you have raised garden beds, then you’ll want to check the sides to make sure they aren’t bowing. There might be a lot of winter weeds that need to be plucked out. Any fences, stakes or trellises in need of repair should be tended to.
Inspect Your Soil
After months of inactivity and bouts of rain then dry spells, your soil could have become severely compacted. You need to start working it. A good test is to pick up a ball of soil. If it stays compacted, it is too early to work. If it breaks apart easily, then its time to work it over. You’ll also benefit from a soil testing kick to make sure you’ve got the right measure of nutrients.
Clean Up Perennials
Your perennials will be the first flowers to make their appearance. You need to do some pruning and clearing of dead scrub in order for the rest to flourish. Once they have been cleaned up, you’ll get a better sense of any gaps that need to be filled in.
Map Out the Patch
With regard to your vegetable patch, you’ll want to map out exactly where you’re going to grow what particular plant. This map will come in handy later on if you’ve forgotten what you planted.
Overall, you want to have any and all yard debris cleared from your backyard. That debris can also come in the form of man-made items like rusty furniture, birdbaths, lawnmowers and grills that you want to replace. Getting rid of all of that is easy with a call to Junk King Los Angeles. Hauling old furniture and appliances are their specialty but they can also do amazing things with yard clean up. You point and it’s gone. Your garden won’t be totally ready until Junk King Los Angeles has worked through.