Get Ready for Spring: 4 Simple Tips for Preparing Your Garden

February won’t be winning any month of the year awards anytime soon, but there is one positive to keep in mind: we're another step closer to spring!

We can start looking forward to sunnier spells, longer days and dare we say it…a few hours in the garden. But before you don your green fingers there’s a bit of work to be done. Take a look at our top tips for preparing your garden for spring planting.

Good old fashioned elbow grease

It might not be the most glamorous of jobs, but the hard work you put in now will pay dividends in the long-term. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re prepared for a bit of graft and don’t mind getting your hands dirty!

Use a hand fork or trowel to lever unwanted weeds (nettles and bindweed especially) and old shrubs (roots n’all) out of the ground. Laying the groundwork now will give you a relatively low-maintenance garden through the spring and summer months.

For those stubborn weeds, you might just have to ‘go nuclear’. Check out our range of weed killers to make sure they don’t come back!

Dig for victory

Cultivating your soil is important for healthy, growing plants.

Use the Rolson Heavy Duty Digging Spade to dig up and turn over soil. As long as the soil has been worked before, simply drop it back into the same hole. For more thorough preparation, dig out a trench the length of the area to be worked and transport the soil from one end of the trench to the other (you may need a wheelbarrow for this!)

B&M Top Tip: well tilled soil (that is, soil prepared in the methods described above) will drain better, meaning your plants can get the water they need.

Fuel your garden

There are tons of different types of compost you can get hold of and the right one for your garden depends on what you’re using your garden for.

But for the amateurs among us, you’re better off with a multipurpose compost that will enrich your plants with the nutrients they need to thrive.

B&M Top Tip: Complement compost with Miracle-Gro All Purpose Plant Food, or for Premier League quality lawns use a lawn feed (trust us, your very own mini-Messi will love you for it).

Planting starts indoors

Just because your garden isn’t ready, doesn’t mean you can’t get ahead of the game. Plants will appreciate some time in the nursery before heading out in to the big wide world of the garden, so start growing them indoors a few weeks before spring.

Eggshells, cube trays, egg cartons, paper cups…they all make great homes for seedlings. And when spring finally shows its face, you can simply transport them into larger planters outdoors.

B&M Top Tip: You’ll find planters of all shapes and sizes at your local B&M store, starting at just £1. From Bell Pot Planters in terracotta to rustic Burntwood troughs and barrels.

Got any greenfingered tips of your own? Share your garden and planting know-how with the B&M Community on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

*All prices correct as of 02/02/2018.