It feels, finally, like it’s time to start gardening. One word of caution before you get geared up: It’s easy to injure your soil’s tilth and texture by walking on soil while it’s waterlogged, so try to wait for it to dry out before you do too much.

That’s tough for me, when the sun is out and the sky is blue. Plants get their oxygen from the soil, not the air. Walking on wet soil compacts it, squeezing out the air spaces. Compacting soil also makes it tougher for fine root hairs — the business end of roots — to extend out to new territory to gather minerals and water.

If you hear a squish or see footprints in the soil, stay off or wear your snowshoes! Alternatively, lay down 6-inch-wide walking boards to get into flower beds.

The town plow left big piles of road dirt on the lawn, so one of my first spring tasks was to shovel that sand-laden snow back on to the road before it all melted, which saved me a lot of raking. But there is still much raking to do. I find that lawn rakes with plastic tines are the gentlest on the lawn. That’s important now before the grass has completely woken up.

This is the time of year I generally start a new compost pile. First, I collect brush from pruning my fruit trees and from picking up the branches blown off by April’s strong winds. I use the sticks at the base of the pile, allowing air to get under the pile a little. That’s a good thing as beneficial microorganisms in the compost pile need air to grow and multiply. I also use fresh cut branches to help Daphne, our 10-month Corgi puppy, learn where she can romp and where she shouldn’t. I place branches to keep her out of the tulip beds, which may also help to protect the tulips from deer.

I am ordering bulbs now because I can see what I need and where to plant them. I’ve decided that we need lots more early crocus.

From the McClure and Zimmerman catalog (www.mzbulb.com) I am ordering the Crocus Chrysanthus Collection: two dozen bulbs of each of 10 varieties (240 bulbs for $45.95). The Chrysanthus crocus are supposed to bloom as soon as the snow melts; some come in tones of blue, others are yellow and a few are bi-colors. I’ll plant them in a swath along the wave of snowdrops that has been so wonderful this year, and will let them edge out into the lawn.

This is a good time to take photos of the bulb plants as they bloom. These pictures will help me next fall to know where I should plant new bulbs. I’ll put in a few plastic markers saying “Put crocus here” to help, too.

Weeding now is important because weeds generally start growing earlier in the season than our garden plants. Pulling them now, when the soil is soft and moist, is easier than later. And it helps to prevent the weeds from out-competing our garden plants that are just waking up.

I cleaned up all my raised vegetable beds last fall and added compost to them, so they are ready to plant as soon as the soil warms up. I covered them with chopped up leaves last fall, which I have raked into the walkways. This allows the soil to feel the sun directly, drying it out and warming it up. Weed seeds germinate within a few days of doing so, which is part of my strategy. I then burn the young weeds off with my flame weeder, or hoe them down with a stirrup hoe.

The flame weeder wand is a bit pricey for the average home gardener — $80 from Fedco Seeds (www.fedcoseeds.com) — but if you’re interested in one, you might share the cost with other gardeners, or get one for your garden club. It attaches to a propane tank like the one on your barbecue grill, and is capable of toasting most young weeds instantaneously. It won’t kill established perennials and grasses, as their roots will re-sprout after flaming.

The stirrup weeder, about $40 from Johnny’s Seeds (www.Johnnyseeds.com or 1-877-564-6697), is good because it doesn’t disturb the soil much, and you can slice off weeds both pushing and pulling. Once you get used to it, it will slice off the weeds just below the surface.

Last fall I made up a wood-sided raised bed, and recently covered it with clear plastic. I have the plastic fixed in place with some scraps of lath to keep it from blowing away. The sun’s rays penetrate the clear plastic, warming the soil, and the heat is contained. I often cover some of my raised beds that have no sides by weighting the plastic down with bricks and rocks, though the wind does get under the plastic, dissipating the heat a little. I’ll be able to plant cold-hardy veggies there soon.

Warm, sunny days with fluffy white clouds are sheer joy after raw rainy days and late snows. Spring rekindles my love of gardening – and my love of life itself. Each time I plant a seed I feel like I am starting a new life – and I am.

source : www.citizen.com