Now That Summer’s On The Way, What Should You Tackle In The Garden First?

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The sun is out, the sky is blue, and the weather is getting warm – that can only mean one thing: summer is well on its way! That means it’s time to get out into the garden and transform it into the summertime paradise you always like it to be when the summer fun looks to be on the horizon. 

However, if you’ve been having a rushed and busy spring this year, there’s a chance your gardening efforts have been put on hold. This happens to households all over the world, and it’s really not a problem at all. 

You just need to approach the gardening in a strategic way that ensures you’ve got everything essential in place to enjoy the summer sun. And with that in mind, here are the gardening tasks you should tackle over the next three to four weeks to ensure you’re ready for those rays to really hit! 

Hose Down the Yard

The yard can get pretty grimey over the course of the winter. A lot of dirt can collect, a lot of unintended, intrusive plantlife can take root, and debris is likely to be piled up in a few corners as well. No one is going to want to use the yard when it’s in that state!

So make sure your first task is to hose down the whole area. Get rid of the waste, whether you need to recycle it or take it to the dump, and then get your hands on either a hose or a proper power washer. 

Plug it in, switch it on, and pump off anything you can’t either rake or scrape away on your own. Once you’re done, you’ll notice that the yard looks a lot lighter and brighter, and you might not have even noticed it getting darker and duller over the past few months! 

Get the Mulch Down (or take it up!)

If you’ve left it until now, the next few weeks might be your last chance to put down some mulch before the summer with its heat and humidity sets in. 

Water in the soil is likely to evaporate out faster in these conditions, but putting a layer of mulch down ensures the moisture builds up and there’s more of a store for the soil to make use of. It also prevents the water from drying out too quickly as the air becomes slowly warmer. 

Get the mulch down now, if you haven’t got it spread out already. Alternatively, if you’ve had a mulch layer down for the past four to six months or so, now’s the time to take it up. It’s done its job and you’ve got big upcoming plans for the soil below! 

Do a Final Trim of the Bigger Plants

If there are hedgerows and trees out in your back garden, one of the most annoying prep jobs you’ll need to face is up next! You should do a final pre summer trim of these bigger plants within the next two weeks, as this will ensure there’s enough room for them to grow back bigger and better once the warm weather is firmly in place. 

This can also ensure the plants don’t have too many dead or useless branches sucking up water and nutrients during particularly dry periods. If there’s going to be a drought this year, a smaller, well trimmed plant is much more likely to survive until it rains again or the rules on water consumption are lifted. 

Mow the Lawn Every Two Weeks

Now the summer is only a few weeks away, you’re going to need to break out that lawn mower a little more often. The grass has probably already got to quite the long length at this point, and you may be a bit late in cutting it back already. If that’s the case, be sure to get your extension cord out or check the batteries are properly charged and get to mowing! 

Once you’re done, you can rake up the grass cuttings for the compost heap or the organic waste disposal, but don’t stuff the mower back in the shed quite yet. While the sun is out, whether it’s been a dry season or not, it’s best to keep mowing every two weeks until the autumn hits. 

This pace will ensure the lawn is kept at a reasonable length for daily use, whether the kids are running around on it, you’re eating picnics out there a few times a week, or you’re hosting garden parties with friends. 

Check on Your Seeds and Saplings

You’ve probably started the planting process for any new flowers and plants you want to get growing this year. They may have been potted in the shed or sown into your raised beds and covered for the time being, to ensure no spring time critters can get to them, nor that the fluctuating temperatures make them suffer. 

Conduct plenty of checks over the next six weeks. You’re going to want to evaluate how well your seeds and saplings are doing at least once a week, but we’d recommend checking them twice every seven days. If they start growing quite rapidly, you’ll need to get them somewhere bigger ASAP. Or on the other hand, if they’re not making much movement, something may be going wrong. 

Let’s Get Your Garden Ready for Summer

The summer garden is one of the most picturesque things in the whole world. Green grass, outdoor dinners, plenty of BBQs and summer tunes in the air – there’s a lot going on when it’s sunny out and you’ve got a garden to spend time in. 

So let’s make sure you’ve got everything ready for the bloom of the summer ahead. Take care of the mulch, make sure the yard is clean, trim back the bigger plants, keep the lawn just as trim, and double check your seeds and saplings are coming on properly. Once all that work is out of the way, you can kick back and enjoy!