The Complete Spring Garden Checklist

Clean Up and Assess

Spring begins with a walk and a rake. Before you plant a single seed, take stock of what winter left behind and clear the slate.

• Remove dead foliage, fallen branches, and last year's spent annuals.
• Pull early weeds while they're small and their roots are shallow.
• Check for frost heaving, gently press lifted perennials back into the soil.
• Inspect fences, trellises, and raised beds for winter damage and repair them now.

Take notes as you go. This is the moment to remember what thrived, what struggled, and what you want to change.

Prepare the Soil

Healthy soil is the whole game, and spring is when you rebuild it after a long winter. Wait until the soil is workable, if it clumps into a muddy ball, it's too wet to dig.

• Loosen compacted beds with a fork rather than tilling, which harms soil structure.
• Work in two to three inches of compost to feed microbes and improve drainage.
• Test your pH if plants underperformed last year, most vegetables like it near 6.5.
• Refresh mulch once beds warm, to lock in moisture and suppress weeds.

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Prune and Tidy

Late winter into early spring is the ideal window for much of your pruning, before new growth pours energy into the plant.

• Prune summer-flowering shrubs and roses while they're still dormant.
• Wait to prune spring bloomers like lilac until right after they flower.
• Cut ornamental grasses and dead perennial stems back to the ground.
• Remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches from fruit trees.

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Start Seeds and Plan Plantings

Spring rewards planning. Getting your timing right means a longer, more productive season.

• Start warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors six to eight weeks before your last frost.
• Direct-sow cold-tolerant crops like peas, spinach, lettuce, and radishes as soon as soil is workable.
• Harden off indoor seedlings gradually before transplanting to prevent shock.
• Map out your beds, keeping crop rotation in mind to reduce disease.

Label everything. Your future self in July will thank you.

Feed, Divide, and Refresh

As growth resumes, give your established plants what they need to surge.

• Divide overgrown perennials like daylilies and hostas to reinvigorate them.
• Apply a balanced organic fertilizer or compost tea as plants wake up.
• Plant new perennials, trees, and shrubs while the weather is cool and rain is plentiful.
• Set up supports and trellises before plants need them, not after.

Tune Up Your Tools and Systems

Finally, ready the infrastructure that carries you through the season.

• Sharpen and oil pruners, shears, and shovels.
• Check hoses and irrigation for cracks and clogs before you rely on them.
• Clean and disinfect pots and seed trays to prevent disease.
• Set out supports for pollinators, a shallow water dish and early blooms bring bees.

Do the unglamorous spring work well and the rest of the year gets easier. A clean, fed, well-planned garden practically grows itself, and you get to spend summer enjoying it rather than catching up.