Spring is in full swing and if you’re like me, you have no shortage of chores in the yard and garden. It can be daunting to keep track of everything that needs doing for your garden, yard, or food forest. That’s why I’ve made this Spring Garden Checklist.
I wanted a list of everything to do in spring for a small urban garden and food forest. I say “everything,” but this list certainly isn’t exhaustive. (If you have additional ideas, please put them in the comments!). Some of the items on this list are important for every garden, others may not apply to you. It isn’t a prescriptive list. It’s for ideas and reminders to keep in mind as you’re planning and working on your dream urban plot.
Read the list here on the blog, or download the printable checklist by filling out the form below.
Get the Printable Spring Garden Checklist
Spring Garden Chores for the Urban Food Forest
I’ve divided this list of spring garden chores into four categories to organize it a little. The categories are Observe & Plan, Build, Maintain, and Plant & Grow. They are roughly (but not strictly) in chronological order that the tasks will generally be done.
Observe & Plan
First, take a look around the garden. How is it doing after winter? What’s growing? What needs repairs? Spend some time wandering the garden and observing what’s going on and what needs doing.
How is the garden soil doing? This is an excellent time to test your garden soil. Testing it now will help you know what amendments to add later this season. Check your local extension office for soil testing services. They might offer testing or can direct you to your closest resource.
Now dream a little. What projects might you want to take on this year? Spend some time outside looking around and thinking about how you’d like your space to evolve over the next few years, what you’d like to build and grow, and how you want to use the space. The rest of this list might give you some ideas.
If you’re a pencil and graph paper type, sketch out your yard and do some planning on paper (or the computer if that’s your thing). Take these ideas and think about them, discuss them with your household members, and make plans from there. But be careful not to take on too much (in other words, don’t be like me).
Observe & Plan Spring Garden Chores
- Take a look around the garden. How is it doing after winter?
- What’s Growing?
- What repairs are needed?
- Dream a little. What projects might you want to take on this year? (Don’t take on too much.)
- Test your garden soil
- Order bare-root fruit trees and seeds
Build
Early to mid-spring is one of the best times to work on garden infrastructure, the other best time being in fall. In spring the days are warm enough to be pleasant outside, and not too hot. Plus, it’s better to make larger changes and additions before adding new plants. New fences, sheds, berms, etc, make good edges to structure plantings around.
Likewise, it’s best to get irrigation systems set up, or at least thought through before planting to make sure your plants will have adequate water, especially in dry or hot climates.
Building Spring Garden Chores
- Earthworks: dig swales, build berms, install terraces, etc.
- Build garden structures: raised bed, compost bin, arbor, trellis, etc.
- Build other outdoor structures: garden shed, fence, pergola, chicken coop, fire pit, outdoor pizza oven, solar food dehydrator, etc.
- Install an irrigation system
- Install a rain barrel
- Create new garden beds
- Set up an outdoor potting bench
Maintain
It’s exciting to add new plants each year, but first, prioritize taking care of what’s already growing. A little focus on creating a healthy backyard ecosystem will nurture your existing plants and welcome newcomers to share the space.
Pruning perennials and fruit trees keeps them healthy and maintained
While you’re at it, keep plant propagation in mind. Many of those pruned branches will sprout roots if you stick them in a bucket of water, or even directly back into the soil. Some herbaceous plants, such as comfrey, propagate easily with divisions. Dig them up, separate, and replant the divisions where you want them in your yard.
Spring is a good time to dig and divide some plants, but avoid moving bulbs and anything that is actively flowering. For bulbs, wait for the bulbs to finish flowering and the leaves to die back sometime in mid-summer before moving.
If you live in a dry climate, woodchip mulch is invaluable for holding on to those early spring rains and developing a healthy soil profile, teaming with life. Spread out a thick layer of wood chips in your garden pathways and around plants.
In wetter climates, wood chips might not be a good idea because they hold on to moisture too well and can cause problems with rot. My experience is in dry climates, so I go a bit crazy with woodchips and it has served me well. In more humid climates, other types of mulch, such as living mulch, may serve your garden better. Find what works for your climate.
In any climate, you’ll likely need to add compost or other soil amendments to your garden beds. This is where testing your soil can be useful in knowing what your garden needs. When in doubt, add a thin layer of finished compost to top-dress your garden beds.
Maintenance Spring Garden Chores
- Order woodchips
- Add mulch to pathways & around shrubs & fruit trees as needed
- Plant fruit trees and perennials
- Turn compost
- Add compost and other soil amendments to existing garden beds
- Prune fruit trees and shrubs.
- Pull weeds
Plant & Grow
Finally, the spring garden chores we’re all looking forward to – growing things!
Early spring is the time to start seeds indoors. Some cool-season crops can be direct-sown outside, such as peas, spinach, and brassicas (broccoli, kale, etc.).
Annuals aren’t the only plants to start from seed this time of year. Most perennials can be started from seed as well, and it’s a much cheaper way to get a lot of plants to fill in your garden and perennial beds than a trip to the nursery. Starting from seed does mean some extra time though.
Spring is a great time to plant seedlings and saplings, although don’t discount fall planting later in the year. Some plants make more sense to get in pots or bare-root, particularly those perennial food plants, such as strawberry, asparagus, and rhubarb, simply because it takes an extra year to start getting a harvest when starting these from seed versus starting with a more mature plant. Strawberries, asparagus, and rhubarb aren’t the only edible perennial options either. See my article on unusual edible perennials for many more options.
Plant & Grow Spring Garden Chores
- Start annual and perennial seeds inside under lights
- Sow seeds outdoors
- Harden-off seedlings started indoors & plants that overwintered indoors
- Plant annual vegetable and flower seedlings
- Plant herbaceous perennials such as asparagus, rhubarb, & strawberries
- Dig and divide perennials
- Plant fruit trees and berry bushes
Conclusion
Spring is an exciting time in the garden and food forest as the weather warms up, plants awaken from their winter slumber, and new growth emerges.
This checklist covers many spring garden tasks. Some of them are universal, and others may not apply to you and your garden. Use this list as a prompt, to help you remember the important garden tasks and also for ideas to help you create your dream garden or food forest in the coming years. Remember to enjoy the process and take time to appreciate the beauty of the new growth that comes with the season. Happy gardening!
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