As winter (and the inevitable snow it brings) melts away, it’s time to start thinking about preparing our yard for the growing season here in Colorado. While we’re not out of the clear just yet, there are several yard maintenance tasks you can tackle as we get closer to that last frost date.
From preparing your soil for planting to keeping your lawn looking lush and green, there’s plenty to do to get your yard ready for the warmer months ahead. We’re exploring some of the essential spring maintenance steps, along with some insightful tips, to ensure your yard is healthy, vibrant, and ready to thrive this spring and summer!
Clean Up Debris
During the fall and winter, debris of all kinds is likely to accumulate in your yard — on your deck, your garden beds, on your lawn, and even up on the roof and gutters. Take some time to gather all the debris, including fallen branches and twigs, crunchy dead leaves, and pine cones or needles. This will help ensure that your yard is ready for new growth and water and sunlight can go where it needs to go — not to mention, it will look much cleaner and well-kept. Once you’ve gathered it all, don’t throw it away! Save all of this material to be used as kindling for your next bonfire or for your composting bin (more on that later).
Fertilize Your Lawn
Spring — more specifically, May — is the ideal time to fertilize your lawn in Colorado. This process adds even more nutrients to the soil, so it can thrive during the spring and summer. It is best to use a slow-release fertilizer, which gradually releases nutrients over time. And nitrogen-rich fertilizers are often best, unless you’re dealing with a yellowing grass, which would require a fertilizer with iron. Keep the nutrients coming by fertilizing your lawn again in August or September, and then once more in either October or November.
Rake the Lawn
Our lawns can look a little rough after the harsh Colorado winter. Bring your lawn back to life by giving it a good comb with a rake. This will help remove any dead grass, leaves, and other “winter litter” that may be hiding underneath the surface. It’s also a good idea to loosen up thatch. This layer of living and dead organic matter between the grass and soil can help retain moisture, but can block water, nutrients and oxygen if it is more than a half inch thick. Raking helps prevent too much thatch from building up, letting the roots of your grass get the nutrients it needs to survive.
Aerate Your Lawn
Aerating your lawn is an important step in preparing it for spring. This process involves creating small holes in your lawn to allow oxygen, water, and nutrients to penetrate the soil more easily. This will help to promote healthy root growth and improve overall lawn health. The best time to aerate is either in the fall or spring — essentially, when it is not too cold. You can either rent or buy an aerator or simply hire a professional to get the job done. Some aerators have spikes that poke small holes in the lawn, while others remove large plugs. If you use the plug aerator, be sure to water your lawn before use, so the plugs pulled out are moist and remain intact instead of breaking off because they are too dry.
Prune Trees + Shrubs
Spring is the perfect time to prune any trees or shrubs in your yard that have not produced any leaves yet. Pruning will help to remove dead or damaged branches, promote healthy growth, and improve the overall appearance, as you can shape them how you want before they get too unruly. On dormant perennials, pull off any dead branches or leaves to encourage new growth for this season.
Plan Out Your Garden
While it may not be time to plant anything just yet, you can be proactive by deciding what you want to grow this year, either in your vegetable garden or in your flower beds. It’s a good idea to mix some perennials with annuals, so you can add instant color to your landscape. But make sure you wait until the last frost, which can be as late as May 4 in Northern Colorado, according to Dave’s Garden. So it’s safe to say, you can go all out once Mother’s Day hits! In the meantime, gather up the seeds you know you want to sow and make a list of the starters and plants you want to pick up from your favorite local nursery or garden center.
Not sure what to plant this year? The City of Fort Collins created a Recommended Plant List, which includes species native to Northern Colorado. These plants are beneficial for local wildlife and pollinators, and are easier to maintain, as they are water-wise and more likely to survive in our unique climate.
Prepare Planting Beds + Add Mulch
If you have raised beds or garden beds throughout your yard, take some time to prepare the soil by pulling weeds and clearing out any debris. And once the ground thaws, you can loosen the soil with a tiller or sharp blade. Next, add any necessary amendments to promote a healthy environment, including fertilizer or compost. If you’re unsure about the health of your soil, you can test it with a soil test kit, which is available at most home improvement stores. Once you’ve remedied the soil, add a fresh layer of mulch to retain moisture, regulate temperature, and suppress weeds. Plus, it just gives your garden a fresh look!
Start Composting
If you are hoping to add some of that nutrient-rich compost into your soil next year, you can start the composting process this year! This is also an excellent way to cut back on food and yard waste, including the debris we talked about earlier.
If you are up for the challenge (and you have the space!), create your very own composting system in your yard using these resources from the City of Fort Collins. But if you want someone else to handle the hassle, leave it up to Compost Queen! This composting service offers no-mess, no-fuss composting for Larimer County residents. You will simply put your food scraps in a green bucket, and the Compost Queen team will stop by and empty it for you all year long — and they will return compost to you in the spring and collect bagged leaves and pumpkins in the fall. You can choose to have your food scraps picked up either biweekly or weekly, or choose to drop it off yourself (and get a fresh liner) at any of the drop sites at The Human Bean locations in Loveland, Wellington, Windsor, and North Fort Collins.
Clean + Sharpen Tools
Start the gardening season on the right foot by cleaning out your shed, taking inventory of your supplies and tools. Reorganize them so they are easy to find and access when you need them throughout the season. But before you put them back, take some time to clean and sharpen your tools, including pruners, clippers, shovels and hoes. It’s amazing the difference a sharpened blade makes!
Get Your Lawn Mower Ready
Pretty soon, you’ll be getting good use out of your lawn mower, so you want to make sure it’s functioning properly before you’re out there for the first cut of the season. Before that day, go through this lawn mower maintenance checklist, which includes sharpening the blade, reconnecting the spark plug wire, and filling it with fresh fuel.
Happy Spring!
Once the frost has subsided, you’ll be able to start planting, watering and maintaining all your beautiful plants and flowers. And then comes the best part: admiring all your hard work!
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