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Friday Favorite: Spring Cleanup

March 18th, 2011

There’s something especially exhilarating about spring cleanup in the garden. I think it has something to do with us Northerners being cooped up in our houses for the long dark months of winter. When we have a few nice warm sunny days, spring cleanup begins in the garden. I always wait until I know really hard freezes are over, as I’d hate to uncover my perennials only to have them freeze again on a cold night.

Yesterday was perfect, sun, blue skies, high around 60 – simply perfect. I spent the morning inside working and then made my way outside around 1 when it had warmed up and the sun was high in the sky. It sure was nice to feel the sun on my back as I cleared the leaves out of the flowerbeds, unwrapped the hydrangeas and weeded the raised beds.

I especially love peeling back the leaves that mulched the beds throughout the winter and seeing the soil teeming with life. I saw tons of spiders, worms, beetles, wooly bears, caterpillars, grubs and all sorts of creepy crawlies. I’m happy to see each and every one of them, including those giant wolf spiders, because I know each and every one of them, whether good or bad, plays an important role in my garden.

What’s your favorite garden chore in the spring?

6 Comments to “Friday Favorite: Spring Cleanup”
  1. Brittany P. on March 18, 2011 at 8:38 am

    We uncovered our beds a few weeks ago and it was much the same underneath that precious mulch, teeming with life. I guess my favorite spring garden chore is the planting, I love planting new plants that will soon grow to be food for our bellies or pretty flowers to enjoy.

    About those wolf spiders..we have had one living on our wooden gate and we have not wanted to bother it b/c it does not bother us and to us he is pretty. We like spiders. Well, the other day I was going out the gate and reached for the handle and felt something VERY soft under my hand, I knew this was not what the metal handle should feel like so I jurked my hand away and saw that I had caressed that wolf spider. It went and hid in the little space under the handle and is still there but my word, I touched a wolf spider! I will never forget how SOFT he was. Glad to report that it is still living on the gate and catching buggies for us. :)

    Have a blessed day.

    Reply to Brittany P.'s comment

  2. Daedre Craig on March 18, 2011 at 10:43 am

    I don’t know if this counts as a spring chore, but I like starting seeds. Depending on what I have to sow that day, it can take hours!

    Reply to Daedre Craig's comment

  3. Morgan G on March 18, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    How fun! Like unwrapping presents! Spring time is the end of California native planting season, so our recent chores have be clearing out the original nonnative landscape to make way for more climate appropriate species. Two lilacs will go in today!

    Reply to Morgan G's comment

  4. Nebraska Dave on March 18, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    My favorite spring time chore is cleaning up the flower beds and raking off the winter debris from the yard. I expect the lawn and flower beds liken it to taking shower after a yucky job. Every thing looks so clean and fresh as the grass starts to green and the flowers begin to poke their little buds up through the dirt.

    I actually got to spend some time doing my favorite spring time chore today as the sun shined and the temperature climbed toward the glorious 60 mark.

    Have a great favorite garden chore day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  5. Chicago Mike on March 19, 2011 at 1:33 am

    Turning the soil, showing my 4 yr old whats inside the living soil.

    Reply to Chicago Mike's comment

  6. Debra on October 12, 2011 at 6:35 pm

    We are now in the fall garden cleaning up whats left over from our veggie gardens. All this mess turns into an awesome compost for spring!

    Reply to Debra's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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