When the snow is falling in the wintertime, heaters are on full blast, and young children frolic in the snowmaking snow angels; what better time is there than now to plan to make your garden from springtime? The answer is yes; you will arrange for the future like little chipmunks storing up food for the wintertime. You have the whole season to pick your vegetables, build or mend raised beds, clean your tools, and make a map of your garden.  

Tidy the vegetable Garden Beds  

By the end of the year, often, the vegetable garden is a complete disaster. Please make use of your time and break up jobs working to clean one vegetable bed or section at a time until they are all cleaned up and ready for winter. You can do this by removing all dead vegetation. Often, diseases, including light blight and pests, can stay on foliage and fruit left in the garden. Be sure to take out all dead plants and any rotted fruit or vegetables left in the garden. Add plants to the compost pile that isn’t affected by the disease. Unfortunately, most compost piles do not get hot enough to kill off disease or fungus. If your foliage were unhealthy with the disease, remove the vegetation in the household trash or burn it to keep it from seeping into the compost pile.  

Add a Layer of Compost and Mulch

Move aside any mulch, pull weeds, and add a 1-2 inch layer of compost.  Cover the beds with the old mulch to keep weeds from growing and protect the soil. Many diseases and pests die off when the soil freezes in the wintertime. If you mulch the beds too thickly, it could prevent the ground from freezing completely. When the ground freezes, add another layer of mulch to perennial herbs and flowers. It is also an excellent time to do a soil test to tell if your soil will benefit from additions to add nutrients and alter the pH level. Soil test results will indicate the Soil pH, potassium levels, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. It also will tell you the level of organic matter and lead content in your soil.  

Fertilizing and Tilling

Nicely grown vegetables get the nutrients they need for a full life from both fertilizer and organic matter. Work aged compost into the vegetable beds before you plant will make the soil structure better and provide the plants with much-needed nutrition. Most vegetable beds will benefit from an additional 2-inch layer of compost while adding a more profound layer will improve the quality of moisture retention in sandier soils. Amending the soil at too early of a date in spring can result in large clumps of compacting. Till the ground only when appropriate by waiting until it has dried enough to work adequately. When the soil is ready for tilling, use any fertilizer amendments over the beds and dig into the top 8 inches to a foot of soil.  Tear up any large clumps, and throw away any large roots you find while tilling.  

Enjoy your Vegetable Beds

Enjoy your gardening and what your garden yields each year. For more information and details on your lawn and gardening, visit Rhode Island lawns for the most up to date information.  

Lawns of the New England states are affected by the regional characteristics that are specific to the climate and geography of the area. These characteristics influence all aspects of lawn care from fertilization needs to disease and pest control. Keeping New England turfs healthy requires not only an understanding of the region’s natural environmental specificities but also consideration of the health needs of the various types of turf grasses that are commonly found among the area’s landscapes.

Species Of Lawn Turfs

As true with any region of the country, certain grass species grow better in New England than others do, making turf selection critical to a healthy and successful landscape. Typically, grasses can be divided into cool season and warm season categories. In New England, cool-season grasses should be considered in accordance with the climate that is indicative of the region. Grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass, for instance,  thrive in the cool temperatures and provide a range of mixtures suitable for sunny or shady lawns.

Fertilization Considerations

Any turf grass requires regular fertilization in order to thrive. A healthy, dense lawn is less susceptible to problems such as fungal diseases and weed invasions. In New England, grass should be fertilized once in the spring and then again in the fall, preferably in the months of May and September. The weather patterns of the region indicate that fertilizing lawns earlier than April and later than October will decrease their ability to utilize the nutrients effectively, creating growth problems and diseased turfs.

Hydration

Even the hardiest of turfs require proper hydration in order to be healthy and grow as intended. New England turf needs only an inch of water per week, which is critical to keeping them hydrated at their optimum levels. Setting sprinklers to run in accordance with this measurement will keep the roots from dying due to overwatering or extreme drought. If watered incorrectly, fungus and other diseases can take hold and become difficult to remedy, costing the health of the landscape and loss of turf.

Professional Care

Due to the specific needs of turfgrasses, healthy lawns can be both time consuming and expensive to maintain on your own. Warding off pests, disease, and environmental threats can spin into an overwhelming cycle of upkeep and replacement of landscape. At RI Lawns, we are experienced in caring for and managing New England lawns and landscapes. We take pride in providing the highest quality of lawn care through services designed to meet your needs. Call RI Lawns today and let us take care of your lawn care needs.