Rejoice! You can now search “local landscaping companies near me” with a full and happy heart knowing it’s spring and your gardening work can commence! If you have a large property in the Walpole area and need some extra hands, Acres of Green supports you in all of your yard endeavors, including lawn care services and garden design.
Professional Lawn Care
& Landscaping in Walpole, MA
Awaken Your Garden, It’s Spring!
SPRING CLEAN YOUR BEDS
Whether you have raised garden beds or in-ground beds, a little spring cleaning will do wonders for the upcoming planting season. Clearing the beds of weeds not only makes it more aesthetically pleasing but also create room for new plants to root and flourish. If you’d rather have a landscaping company do this, give us a call!
RECONNECT WITH THE SOIL
A flourishing garden, whether it be brimming with native botanicals or sun-kissed vegetables, begins with healthy soil. If you haven’t already, work your soil to move it and break it from its winter hibernation. After the soil has been moved, add a fresh layer of compost to boost the nutrients and give it a kick start. Then you can begin to work in the compost and remove any rocks and roots that can inhibit growth. Adding an organic fertilizer to the soil bed – keeping in mind the needs of what you’ll be planting – will further enrich the soil and anything that is planted there.
PLAN AND DESIGN YOUR GARDEN
If you’re planning on growing a vegetable garden, you will have a new planting project every year, because most vegetable varieties are annuals. Planning a vegetable garden is purposeful and a little thought needs to go into the design. If you need a hand in garden design, Acres of Green is here to offer information about where to plant specific vegetables and the best crops for our area in Walpole.
The best guidance is knowing what vegetables grow well together and those to avoid. Some plants need plenty of room, and planting them with certain competing species can stunt their growth. It’s also important to change things around each growing season. Vegetables in the same family draw in bugs and pests, so they’ll need to be planted in a different location.
Below are a couple of variables to consider when designing your garden:
Water access – Most plants need plenty of water, so having it near a water source or water that is easily accessible is important. If you are using land that is further from a water source, you may want to install sprinklers or a drip water system.
Sun – Vegetables worship the sun and most varieties grow best in six to eight hours of direct sunlight, so position your vegetables to get the light they need. Greens are the exception, as most do fine in a shaded, cooler spot.
Soil – We’ve touched on soil, but it’s one of the most – if not the most – important variable when growing vegetables. Once you’ve conditioned the soil by breaking it up, removing weeds, and adding compost, you can have the a local landscaping company test the pH. If it needs to be adjusted, they can help you reach the ideal pH for your area. Also, make sure your garden has the ability to drain properly. If your vegetables sit in wet soil, chances are your yield will decrease dramatically.
Creature-proof – One of the most heartbreaking and frustrating things of having a garden is working tirelessly to create the right environment for things to grow, only to have the local creatures come in to nibble on your hard work and wreck your entire garden in one fell swoop. Though it’s not always aesthetically pleasing, creating a fence that encompasses your beds will save you stress, time, and money. The easiest, most cost-effective fence is chicken wire. If you have raised beds, you can even create a cover that goes on top of the bed, covering the plants.
