Spring Gardening Archives - Churchill's Garden Center https://churchillsgardens.com/category/spring-gardening/ Watch Us Grow Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:22:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://churchillsgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-Churchills_SiteIdentity-32x32.png Spring Gardening Archives - Churchill's Garden Center https://churchillsgardens.com/category/spring-gardening/ 32 32 Preparing Your Yard for Spring: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Season https://churchillsgardens.com/preparing-your-yard-for-spring/ Tue, 28 Mar 2023 13:14:38 +0000 https://churchillsgardens.com/?p=2070 The post Preparing Your Yard for Spring: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Season appeared first on Churchill's Garden Center.

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As the weather slowly begins to warm up, it’s hard not to feel eager to get outside and start working in the yard. However, with winter still lingering, it’s important to approach yard work with a careful and patient hand.

We asked our landscape aficionado, Dwane Staples, to share some of his helpful tips for preparing your yard for the spring season. From cleaning up debris to pruning shrubs, this article will cover all the necessary steps to ensure your yard is ready for the warmer months ahead.

So let’s dive in and get your yard ready for spring!

First, pick up all sticks and debris from the winter.

It is a little too wet to start raking so we need to have the turf areas drier before we can do that. Start to clean those bed areas. It is a good time to start that as the bulbs and perennials maybe showing and while they are still low it will be easy to clean out your beds. If it is dry enough you can start mulching. This is also a good time to start this as the plants will be short and you won’t damage tender growth.

Resist the urge to fertilize your beds and turf area.

The ground temperatures are still too cold and the plants will not take up much of the fertilizer yet. It is still too early to apply pre-emergence crabgrass control. Watch for the forsythia to bloom as this will show the ground temperature is warm
enough for crabgrass seeds to start germinating.  Also, don’t put down any grub control chemicals yet. It is way too early to be treating for that.

Start to prune any broken shrubs from the winter and thin out non-evergreen shrubs.

Wait for cutting back hard on shrubs like panicle hydrangeas and roses. Wait until you see leaf buds emerging to see how far back you may want to prune these plants.

As the winter slowly fades away and the promise of spring grows stronger, it’s important to remember to approach yard work with care and patience. By following the tips outlined in this blog post, you can ensure that your yard is prepared for the warmer months ahead. From cleaning up debris to pruning shrubs, taking the time to properly prepare your yard will pay off in the long run. As always, if you have any questions you can contact the store, or better yet, come in with your questions! We are always happy to speak with you!

So get outside, enjoy the fresh air, and take pride in the beautiful yard you’ve created. Here’s to a speedy spring and a season filled with gorgeous blooms and lush greenery!

The post Preparing Your Yard for Spring: Tips and Tricks for a Successful Season appeared first on Churchill's Garden Center.

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Basic Seed Starting Instructions https://churchillsgardens.com/basic-seed-starting-instructions/ Fri, 13 Mar 2020 17:56:11 +0000 https://churchillsgardens.com/?p=1354 The post Basic Seed Starting Instructions appeared first on Churchill's Garden Center.

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We’ve been getting a lot of questions about seed starting, so we thought it would be helpful to put together a little cheat sheet for you. We’ll take you through the materials you will need, the steps you will take to plant your seedlings, and where to place your seed trays or pods once planted. As always, please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have. Our friendly and knowledgable associates will be more than happy to help get you on the right track!

Churchill's Garden Center - Seed Starting
Churchill's Garden Center - Seed Starting
Churchill's Garden Center - Seed Starting
Churchill's Garden Center - Seed Starting

What You’ll Need:

  • Seed Trays or Seed Pods
  • Seed Starter Soil
  • Seeds (Packed for 2020 will give you the best germination rate)
  • Labels to Label Your Seeds
  • Spray Bottle (Use for watering)

Location:

Germinate seeds in a bright warm location.

Steps:

  1. Loosely fill seed trays and/or pots with seed starter soil.
  2. Moisten soil by spraying with water bottle.
  3. Place seeds in seed cells or pots according to seed packet directions.
    Example: Seed packet will say plant one seed per cell 1/4” deep or sprinkle three Seeds on soil surface. Spacing doesn’t matter until you transplant.

Exeter Area last frost date is May 15th – This is when you can plan on putting your plants in the ground. Refer back to seed packet for plant spacing.

Read seed packet info:

The seed packet will tell you…

  • When to start inside
  • When to start outside
  • Seed Planting Depth
  • How many days to emerge
  • When to transplant

Some seeds want to be directly sewn in garden and others can be started indoors And transplanted to your garden or containers.

Germination:

Keep soil constantly moist while germinating.
Keep in a warm area.
A seed tray cover is a good idea to help keep the soil moist and warm.

Seedlings:

When seeds start to emerge you’ll want to keep the soil moist and remove the cover. Keep in bright sunny spot being careful not to burn seedlings or let them dry out too quickly. Be sure to rotate the trays! The plants will be reaching for the light as they grow.

Happy growing!

The post Basic Seed Starting Instructions appeared first on Churchill's Garden Center.

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