Attention gardeners, it’s time to get ready for spring! With just a week until the official start of the season, there are tasks to tackle. Here’s a checklist to guide you through: Soil: Begin by testing your soil’s pH level to ensure it falls within the optimal range for your plants. Amend the soil as needed with ground limestone or elemental sulfur. Test kits are affordable and easy to find. Trees: Fertilize trees with a slow-release product and prune deciduous trees before they break dormancy. Hold off on pruning spring bloomers until after their flowers fade. Consider relocating dormant trees and shrubs, making sure to transplant them carefully. Flowers: Clear beds for bare-root roses, asparagus crowns, and onions to plant them upon arrival. Replace mulch around roses if they were affected by disease last year. Divide fall-blooming perennials that are overcrowded. Early-season vegetables: Order seed potatoes and plant them before the last expected frost. Start peas, radish, lettuce, chard, and spinach once the soil temperature reaches 45 degrees. Protect cool-weather crops from hot temperatures with shade cloth if needed. Indoors, start seeds of annuals, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant following package instructions. Care for houseplants: Repot houseplants into slightly larger pots and fertilize them. Acclimate houseplants gradually if moving them outdoors for the summer. Practice patience: Hold off on mulching until it warms up to avoid trapping cold in the ground. Fill planters with pansies while you wait for warmer weather. For more gardening tips, sign up for Jessica Damiano’s Weekly Dirt Newsletter and visit https://apnews.com/hub/gardening for additional gardening stories from the AP.
