5 Things to Do Now for the Best Spring Garden 🌱

The days are getting longer, the garden is waking up — and before you know it, you'll be surrounded by seedlings, seed packets and plants you couldn't resist buying!

But before you fill every available grow bag, pot, and sunny corner, there are a few jobs worth doing now that will make your Spring and Summer garden much easier.

Here are 5 things I'd do before planting gets into full swing.

1. Work out where the sun will be

Before you decide what to grow, look at where the sunlight falls now - and where it will fall as Spring turns into Summer.

A spot that received beautiful winter sunshine can become surprisingly shady once the sun moves higher. Conversely, a shady winter corner can become a hot, exposed position in January.

💡 Small-space tip: One of the great things about growing in Root Pouch grow bags is that you can move your plants as the seasons change.

Spring doesn't arrive at the same time everywhere in Australia

Too often, you will see posts or magazines talking about the seasonal plants available; however, the decision about which plants and when to sow seeds is best made when you know what grows well in your area. So read the Know Your Small Space Garden Grow Zone and plan your seed-raising, seedling, or plant purchases, knowing what will grow well.

2. Know what you're planting - and where it wants to live

☀️ Sun: tomatoes and capsicums need plenty; leafy greens can tolerate less.

💧 Water: know which plants will need consistent moisture as the weather warms.

🌿 Space: think vertically, use trellises and choose compact varieties where space is limited.

🌱 Grow Bag selection tip: That tiny tomato seedling won't stay tiny! Before planting, check the mature height and spread of your plants and allow enough room for them to grow. In a small garden, choosing compact or dwarf varieties can make all the difference.

If you're not sure what to plant when, the Gardenate app is a useful starting point, particularly because Australian planting times vary considerably between climates.

Some other suggested planning considerations include - 

🌼Create a sun/shade map for your yard – figure out where you get the most sun and shade so you can place plants where they will thrive!

🥕Plan to use companion planting in your garden – which plants get along and help each other grow better? Herbs, vegetables and flowers can help to fight pests and grow healthier harvests if you plant the right combinations.

🐝Don't forget the pollinators! Add a few flowering plants to your edible garden to attract bees and other beneficial insects.

3. Give your pots and grow bags a Spring clean

Before you plant your spring garden, give last season's containers a clean.

Remove old roots, spent growing media and any algae or mineral deposits. Clean containers can help reduce the carry-over of pests and diseases between plantings.

Root Pouch grow bags can be cleaned and reused, making them a particularly practical option for gardeners who rotate their crops from season to season.

Check out the Root Pouch cleaning tips video.

If being moved from the last season's container or bed, Olla Waterpots can be lightly scrubbed and reused in your Spring garden.

💧 Watering tip: Don't wait until your plants are wilting before thinking about watering! As temperatures rise, plants can move from needing very little water to needing surprisingly consistent moisture. Waterpot Ollas help deliver water directly into the growing zone, making them especially useful for thirsty summer crops.

Check out  the Waterpot Olla cleaning tips video

4. Don't plant Spring into tired potting mix

Growing in Root Pouch? This is the perfect time to empty, refresh and replant your bag for the new season.

If you've grown in the same container all winter, don't simply pull out the old plant and drop a new one in.

Potting mix can become depleted and compacted over time, so Spring is a good opportunity to refresh it.

For new gardeners, a good-quality commercial potting mix is the easiest option.

More experienced gardeners can refresh existing mix with appropriate compost and amendments — but don't assume that every plant wants the same thing.

And check the pH requirements of what you're growing. Blueberries, for example, need an acidic growing medium and won't be happy in ordinary vegetable potting mix.

Check out the Make Potting Mix Recipe card on our website for the how-tos of making your no-waste mix and saving heaps of money!

5. Feed your plants — but don't overfeed them

Spring is the time when many plants begin putting on significant new growth, so it's worth checking whether your established plants need feeding.

The important thing is to feed according to the plant's needs, rather than assuming every plant needs the same fertiliser.

If you're growing in containers, nutrients can be depleted faster than they are in the garden because the plant has a limited volume of growing medium.

We recommend a fertiliser made from recycled food waste rather than a chemically based fertiliser.

🪴Using Waterpot Ollas? Keep fertiliser out of the Olla itself. Apply soluble fertiliser according to the product directions and water it into the growing medium rather than putting it into the terracotta reservoir.

Every two weeks or so, when there has not been rain, give your potted plant with an olla a solid drenching to flush out any salts and toxin build-up and make any fertiliser in the potting mix available. Again, know your plants' nutrient requirements and speak with your nursery horticulturalists about the best preparations available in-store.

 

🌱 Your Spring Garden Starter List

Before you start planting, make sure you have:

☐ Quality potting mix
☐ Seeds or seedlings suited to your climate
☐ Root Pouch grow bags or suitable containers
☐ Waterpot Ollas for consistent root-zone watering
☐ Fertiliser suited to your plants
☐ Mulch
☐ A good pair of secateurs
☐ Your favourite gardening gloves!

Ready to get growing?
If you're gardening on a balcony, courtyard, patio or other small space, our Root Pouch grow bags and Waterpot Ollas make it easier to grow more in the space you have - without needing a traditional garden.