Prepping your garden in later Winter for big rewards in Spring and Summer

A Little Effort Now, Big Rewards Later

There are little things you can do in your garden now that will pay off soon.  Here are a few tips: 

• There are many flowering trees and shrubs that have buds that will soon burst into bloom
• Now is the time to cut several branches from these trees and shrubs, bring them indoors and place them in water
• The branches will bloom faster indoors since the temperature is warmer
• Here are some great tree & shrub branches to cut now:
• Forsythia
• Spiraea
• Fruiting Trees
• Saucer Magnolia & Star Magnolia
• Quince

Apply Pre-Emergent Now for A Weed-Free Lawn Later

• Apply a pre-emergent like Pike Crabgrass preventer now, before lawn weeds germinate
• This will prevent lawn weeds come spring
• However, if you plan on reseeding your lawn in March, don't apply a pre-emergent now 

Prep Your Beds Now for Healthy Gardens Later

• The best investment you can make in your garden is the soil
• Now is the time to get your garden beds ready for spring
• Our Georgia red clay is very dense, so it's hard for roots to grow and get the nutrients they need
• Amend your soil at a 50/50 ratio of the native soil to Pike Planting Mix
• If you are preparing a garden for vegetables, fruits or herbs, add in a rich compost
• Mix the native soil, Pike Planting Mix & Foothills Compost in equal thirds