Get Your Lawn and Garden Ready for Spring: 12 Helpful Tips

Whether you faced a long, freezing winter or just had a mild cold spell—you’re probably looking forward to warmer weather and ways to get your lawn and garden ready for spring.

After the last bit of snow melts and the coldest months come to a close, you might find branches on the ground, bare patches in your yard, and your garden might seem a little under the weather. But just like you might need time to thaw out after a chilly winter, so does your lawn and garden.

With a little TLC (and these tips), your garden will bloom, your yard will be green and healthy, and you’ll be the talk of the neighborhood in no time. (Who knows, you might even win “best lawn and garden on the block.”)

Here is a summary of our top ways to get your lawn and garden ready for the new season:

Tips to prep your lawn for spring:

1. Goodbye gunky gutters
2. Take your shrubs and trees to the stylist
3. Get that rake ready
4. Your yard needs a little air
5. Let it grow!
6. Grab that patio furniture—because it’s grill time

Tips to prep your garden for spring:

1. Your tools might need a refresh
2. Composting is in
3. Show those weeds who’s boss
4. Don’t fall off the edge
5. Take care of your soil
6. Plant away

A Few Tips to Get Your Lawn Ready for Spring

It’s time to prepare your lawn for the upcoming season! Snow is melting, the weather is about to get warmer, and it’s time to give your yard a little love so it stays healthy all spring and summer.

1. Clean out your gutters

Gutters serve an important purpose in protecting your house. They help channel water away from the foundation and prevent leaking into your home. Because of this, it’s important to have your gutters cleaned more often than just in the fall. 

Cleaning gutters can be dangerous, so if you choose to climb onto the roof yourself, take proper precautions such as placing the ladder on solid ground, having a spotter, and wearing heavy-duty gloves. If you’re not comfortable doing it yourself, don’t worry. There are services that will clean your gutters.

After collecting leaves and other debris, your gutters need to be cleaned again to avoid overflowing when those April showers strike.

2. Take care of your trees

After winter is over, your trees or shrubs may have dead or damaged branches. Get your yard ready for spring by pruning and snipping any unhealthy branches and picking up stray sticks that may have fallen in your yard. You can also put mulch around your trees, shrubs and bulbs to give them a head start.

Pro tip: Don’t put away those pruning shears, you’ll need them for your perennials!

3. Get raking!

If your lawn has been covered by snow, dead leaves or thatch during the winter months, it’s time to rake again. So grab your rakes, gloves and trash bags—your yard needs to breathe! Dethatching a lawn can help new growth get through and increase water flow to the roots. It should be done using a special type of dethatching rake. Check with a local garden shop to determine the best time of year to dethatch in your climate.

4. Don’t forget to aerate your lawn

Aerating your lawn is very beneficial. Not only does it allow for water and nutrients to reach the grass much easier, it also makes your lawn less prone to diseases or weed growth.  

Pro tip: there are a variety of different ways to aerate your lawn—from DIY aerators to liquid aerators to even professional companies.

5. Reseed any bare grass patches

It’s a good idea to try and fix any bare spots in your yard early. Just loosen the dirt and apply grass seed and fertilizer. Then keep watering!

Pro tip: Grass seed mats (germination blankets) are easy to roll over bare spots and include the necessary fertilizer. You still need to water though.

6. Your patio is about to be the hot spot

As the weather gets warmer, everyone is going to want to sit outside and drink lemonade or iced tea. So, it’s time to clean off your patio furniture, maybe apply a new coat of paint, and hang some new patio lights.

Don’t forget to service your grill. Season the grill grate by coating it with high-heat oil, then turning the heat up till it starts to smoke, usually around 15 minutes. Also, check for propane leaks using soapy water on the joints and tubes, too (but not while it’s hot, of course).

Pro tip: Want a fresh start out back? Check out some patio furniture trends of 2022.

Get Your Garden Ready for Spring

You can’t just ignore the garden, it needs help too! With pesky weeds, dry soil and temperamental plants, your garden needs extra care before springtime. Check out some of our top tips to get your garden ready for spring:

1. Check out your tools

Set yourself (and your garden) up for success before the growing season starts! You’ll need garden tools before and during springtime, so you might as well check them now. If your tools are old or damaged, be sure to get them sharpened, fixed or replaced before you really need them.

Pro tip: This goes beyond just pruning shears and a garden shovel. Maybe you need a new lawnmower, edger or trimmer. Check out some of the top garden tools here.

2. Make your own compost pile

It’s easy to start your own compost bin, and it can be very beneficial to your lawn and garden. Use a 30-to-1 ratio of carbon-rich materials (a.k.a. “browns” such as dried leaves, straw) to nitrogen-rich materials (a.k.a. “greens” such as vegetable scraps and grass clippings).

Pro tip: if you make your own compost pile, add it to your garden in the fall. But if you’re using store-bought, bagged compost, apply it to your garden in early spring.

3. Pull those weeds

Pulling weeds isn’t the most exciting part of gardening, but it definitely contributes to the health of your garden! So, put in some extra effort to weed your garden as soon as the soil is soft enough to work with. Also, it’s a great idea to use a pre-emergent herbicide to help prevent weeds.

Pro tip: weeding isn’t a one-time thing, it’s an ongoing process! So be sure to set time aside every few weeks to tackle those weeds.

4. Edge your garden

Go the extra mile and edge your garden before spring starts. This will make your garden look clean and well-groomed, and it will also keep your mulch or soil in place.

Pro tip: check out some of these top edgers.

5. Take care of the soil

It’s true. Before you start planting all kinds of new plants, bulbs and flowers, make sure you check out the soil. There are kits available, as well as easy DIY ways to test the pH in your soil, to help you determine whether it’s too acidic or alkaline, or just right. Knowing where you stand can help you determine what needs to be added to create ideal growing conditions, or what will grow best in the soil you have.    

6. Start planting

The moment you’ve been waiting for—when you can stop prepping and finally fill your garden with beautiful plants, flowers and more!

Whether you want to see every color of the rainbow, or use complementary colors so your favorites stand out, there are endless opportunities when it comes to laying out colors in your garden. Consider warm and cool shades, colors of both blooms and foliage, and if you want to make a big impact—use large masses of color.

You’ll also want to think about height while organizing your garden. One of the most common ways to arrange plants is from short to tall. Place your tallest plants in the back, then medium height plants and the shortest in the front. For example, from back to front, plant your Ornamental millet, followed by your Zinnia and finally Impatiens. Also, remember to keep your plants in scale with their surroundings.  

Bonus Tip: Self-Storage

Getting ready for spring only means one thing—it’s time for seasonal storage with Store Space. Instead of trying to fit your snowblower and lawnmower in the garage, or your shovels and gardening tools in the shed—put your winter gear in self-storage and get more space.

Many of our facilities also offer amenities like climate-control and drive-up access for added convenience. Don’t wait to secure a storage unit until it’s too late!

FAQs: Get Your Lawn and Garden Ready for Spring

Q: When should I get my garden ready for spring?

A: Make sure all your tools are ready to go before spring, including shears, loppers, your lawnmower and more. Take out any weeds as soon as they show up and prep your soil a few weeks before you start planting! 

Q: How do I prepare my garden for planting?

A: Make sure you check your soil pH and nutrients, add soil and water. Doing these things will give your garden a good head start before planting in the spring!

Q: Is it too late to plant spring bulbs?

A: No, it’s not! The ideal time to plant spring bulbs is late autumn, but you can plant later spring blooms in January if you can dig a deep enough hole.

Q: How do I prepare my garden bed for spring?

A: You can find a lot of tips in this blog! Make sure you clean your garden (and prune), plan for summer-blooming plants, clean/check out your tools and have patience.

Q: When should I start preparing my lawn for spring?

A: When you should start preparing your lawn for spring depends on the climate and where you are! You probably will want to start getting your lawn ready after the snow season is over, or when forsythia plants stop blooming.

Q: Is it better to fertilize or seed first?

A: If you are seeding a new lawn, it is better to fertilize the soil first. But, if you’re planning on reseeding an existing lawn, whether to seed or fertilize first depends on the type of grass. (Cool-season grasses do well when you seed first, and warm-season grass will benefit from applying fertilizer before reseeding.)

Q: What month should I fertilize my lawn?

A: When you should fertilize your lawn depends on where you’re located. But in general, it’s a good idea to apply lawn fertilizer between February and April (after the grass starts to green). Be sure you test your soil and lawn to get the right fertilizer.

Wrapping Up: Get Your Lawn and Garden Ready for Spring!

Whether you have the greenest thumb around and you just can’t wait for the days to get warmer, or you wish winter would stay just a little longer—spring is just around the corner. If you follow our tips to get ready for spring, you’re sure to enjoy every second of this lively season! Looking for a backyard makeover in the spring? Check out our backyard makeovers on a budget.

Here is a summary of ways to get your lawn and garden ready for spring:

1.  Clean out your gutters
2. Take care of your trees
3. Get raking
4. Don’t forget to aerate your lawn
5. Reseed any bare grass patches
6. Get your patio ready
7. Check out your tools
8. Make your own compost pile
9. Pull those weeds
10. Edge your garden
11. Take care of the soil
12. Start Planting

As always, if you need more space while you’re getting ready for spring, check out Store Space! We can handle all your winter gear while you embrace the new season. Just find your nearest location with our storage finder.