A profound quote from Canadian poet and novelist, Margaret
Atwood expresses, "In the spring, at the end of the day, you
should smell like dirt." Celebrated American author and poet,
Henry David Thoreau – when penning his wonders of spring – eloquently affirmed,
“So
mild the air a pleasure 'twas to breathe, for what seems heaven above was earth
beneath.”
For those who have young children or grandchildren in this i-Laden modern era, it can often be
difficult to coax them away from their video games and multitude of other
technological devices which are so adept at keeping a child’s posterior planted
to the sofa.
Perhaps one of the few times kids cannot download an app for that, is when you take (or drag) them outside
to work in the yard and garden with you. So don’t go it alone! Make them ditch
their devices, untether their tushes, and share in these five fun spring yard
and garden prep tasks!
Start A Compost Pile
No matter the current
condition of your planting soil, the inclusion of organic compost can convert it into a
healthy growing medium for your plants. Compost also increases airflow and
water retention, stabilizes pH levels, and enhances the structure and texture
of the soil. Organic materials like leaves, plants, newspaper, straw, grass
clippings, manure, and kitchen scraps (no animal products) make great compost. Research
and purchase or build the setup that works best for you. Turn the compost
frequently to add aeration and speed the decomposition process.
Make it Fun: Let each child take a
turn at turning the compost while singing 15 seconds of their favorite
children’s song. Time them and keep the garden fork passing around the circle.
Remove Debris & Send to Compost
Winter’s furry
unleashed on your trees and shrubs inevitably leaves a mess. Collect the fallen
and broken branches and sticks. Pull the dead plants from your flower and
vegetable gardens. Removing debris also removes potential breeding and hiding
places for problem pests and disease. Add the favorable debris to your compost
pile. Do not try to compost the weeds however. That will come back to haunt
you. They are weeds!
Make it Fun: Use a stop watch (yes,
there is an app for that) to time the kids pushing or pulling the garden cart
to the compost pile, emptying, and returning. Reward the winner with tasty
treats or a prize (no participation trophies for all please).
Rake Dead Leaves
If you didn’t follow
the fall cleanup tips to a ‘T’, don’t worry. Last year’s downed leaves make
great compost. It’s also important to remove them from the grass so that they
don’t block the sunlight and affect growth. Additionally, fallen leaves encourage
the growth of mold and fungus which are not friendly to the health of your grass.
Rake them up and add them to your compost pile.
Make it Fun: Nothing’s better for a
kid than jumping into a big pile of leaves. Granted, it’s a lot more fun in the
fall when the leaves aren’t so gnarly. That’s what showers are for.
Prune & Trim
Early spring is a good time to do some pruning. However, you should
avoid top pruning. Plants like
forsythia, lilacs, honeysuckle and others form flower buds on growth produced
from the previous season. Top pruning these will result in loss of flowers.
Thin overgrown shrubs by removing approximately one-third of the canes all the
way to the ground. Thin small trees, targeting dead and diseased branches. Early
spring is not the time to prune summer flowering shrubs like hybrid tea roses.
Pruning too early may cause growth to resume from the plant's base.
Keep it Safe! You are working with
sharp tools, falling branches, and dozens of things that could poke an eye out.
Exercise the proper precautions for yourself including safety equipment. Use
this time to give the kids a break and send them away to play yard games, throw
a ball, ride their bikes, and be kids. But keep it kinetic! Note that none of
those toys are iToys.
Plan Your Vegetable Garden
Placing your planting plans on paper is paramount to a successful
season and harvest. Use graph paper and draw beds to scale. If you are just
beginning as a gardener, start small! A common mistake is planting too much too
soon and way more than anybody could eat or want. Be sure to plant in a sunny
location and in good soil. Adequately space your crops and plant only
high-quality seeds. Follow recommended planting dates and garden layout for the
vegetables that your family likes best (and there probably is an app for that as well).
Make it Fun: Use Crayons to draw your
plans and let the kids color code the different plant types. Then have them
create colorful markers for each plant on Popsicle sticks to place in the soil when
planting. Encourage young children to plant plastic Easter eggs and water them
regularly. In a few weeks, surprise them with fun toys and that ‘grew’ in their
place!
At the end of the day you will have spent quality time together
and hopefully launched a lot of laughs that can never be replaced, relived or
forgotten. You will share in a soulful treasure that can never be downloaded,
installed, or updated. You will be weary and share a satisfaction of accomplishment.
Your lungs will be filled with the mild and pleasant air that only spring can
bring. And, yes… you will all smell like
dirt.