Bed Preparation for Spring Planting

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Jennifer Manning

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Photo Credit: Jennifer Manning

A beautiful blooming flower bed can be yours with a few easy steps.

We’ve all seen gorgeous flower beds bursting with colorful blooms and thought, “I wish my flowers looked like that!” You really can have these pretty bloomers, too. All it takes is some simple steps when you prepare your beds for spring planting.

Soil pH, Nutrient Levels & Preparation

It all starts with soil. What kind do you have? The best way to determine your soil needs is to take soil samples and send them to your local Cooperative Extension Service for analysis. But if you don’t have time for that, a quick soil test that you can pick up at your local garden center can provide you with general guidelines for what you need to add to your soil to make it a great environment for your spring and summer flowers. Normally these do-it-yourself soil tests will reveal your soil pH, as well as the levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash. The ideal soil pH for bedding plants is 6.5-7. If your soil is outside that range, you can add amendments to adjust the pH.

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Photo Credit: Jennifer Manning

A simple do-it-yourself soil test will help determine your soil’s pH and levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash.

After you’ve determined the state of your soil, there are some basic practices that will continually improve the quality of it and are bound to make your new plants happy. (And happy plants make happy flowers!)

Adding decomposed organic material such as leaves, coffee grounds and eggshells to the top 6-10 inches of soil is an easy strategy. Organic material adds air space to soil and improves drainage. If your soil pH is low, you can also add lime to increase it. Just remember that a few plants, including azaleas and blueberries, like acidic (low pH) soils.

Warnings

All organic material needs to be decomposed before it’s incorporated into the soil. Otherwise, it’ll take much-needed nitrogen out of the soil and away from the plants.

Facts

As organic matter breaks down it creates air space – an important feature for good drainage and healthy roots.

Tips

The best time of day to water is in early morning. Mildew diseases develop when plants are watered late in the day and the moisture sits on the plants overnight. When done early in the morning, the moisture evaporates during the day to reduce the development of diseases.
Perennials need space to allow for growth and development in the first few years. You can fill in any empty spaces with some pretty annuals until the perennials reach maturity. (And even after the perennials are developed, there’s always room for some nice annuals to add season-long color to the bed!)

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