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This video explains how to prepare your garden properly before the main growing season begins.
The guide covers clearing beds, improving soil, adding compost, checking structures, organising tools and planning crops. It also explains how early preparation improves plant establishment and increases overall productivity.
If you want a strong start to the growing season, these simple practical tips will help you prepare your garden successfully.
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0:00
Spring clean up. Welcome to Gardening
0:02
with Ben, everybody. It's Yes, it's
0:04
still winter. It's not spring yet, but
0:06
we do call it a spring clean up and
0:08
getting ready for spring down here at
0:10
the a lotment. And this is a vital time
0:12
to start getting your plot clean and
0:15
tidied ready for the year ahead. Yes, it
0:17
has been snowy. Yes, it is raining a lot
0:20
at the moment. But we have had a pretty
0:22
mild winter up to now. It's not been too
0:25
bad and it's meant to be pretty warmer
0:27
at the moment and getting better in the
0:30
weather. So hopefully you'll be able to
0:32
get out in your gardens. I used to shut
0:34
down during the winter months. I I used
0:36
to stop coming down in September and
0:38
then I used to come back in January,
0:41
February time and I'd be rushing around
0:43
trying to get everything sorted down at
0:45
the plot. So use every dry day as an
0:49
opportunity to get out in the garden and
0:51
get things done. And obviously if you've
0:53
got trees nearby and there's loads of
0:55
leaves on your plot and stuff like that,
0:57
get them swept up, get them tidied up,
0:59
get them into your compost heap and they
1:02
will be great for leaf mulch and adding
1:04
to the soil to add extra nutrition.
1:07
Leaves are free. Compost and manure cost
1:10
money, but leaves are free. So if you
1:13
see loads of leaves on your plot, get
1:15
them scooped up, get them in your
1:16
compost he and get them rotten down for
1:20
mulching on your plot.
1:24
Now, I use this time as a great time for
1:27
improving my plot as well. Have a look
1:30
at your plot. See if something didn't
1:32
work or if you raised beds are coming
1:35
apart or your paths are untied or
1:38
unckempt. And have a look online as well
1:41
cuz there's a website, I can't remember
1:43
what it's called, where you can get free
1:45
wood chip delivered to your area. Now
1:48
you just mark it as a drop off point and
1:51
local tree surgeons and stuff like that
1:54
will come and drop off chip uh wood chip
1:57
down where you want it. Obviously if
1:59
it's a lot a lotment you may struggle
2:01
but have a look online or post on free
2:04
ad sites and get in touch with local
2:06
tree surgeons to see if you can get free
2:09
wood chip. It saves them pain to get rid
2:10
of it and they'll more often than not
2:13
drop it off and use it on your paths.
2:16
It'll last a couple of years. uh it'll
2:18
rot down all the time, but get it down
2:20
on your paths and it will keep the weeds
2:23
down and it's easier to walk on as well.
2:25
It stops you from getting muddy down at
2:27
the plot. Obviously, with issues like
2:30
having
2:32
wood chip though, it does bring like
2:34
slugs and wood lice and stuff like that.
2:36
So, be careful of that. It can encourage
2:38
more pests down at the plot. So, have a
2:41
look around at doing that. I was tempted
2:43
to have wood chip down in my poly
2:45
tunnel, but thinking about it, it will
2:47
encourage more slugs and more wood lice
2:50
and insects as it's a great hibernation
2:54
for me. It'll keep them warm. It'll keep
2:56
them they'll enjoy it. So, I'm not going
2:58
to put it down in my poly tool. So, have
3:00
a think before you do put wood chip down
3:02
as well as obviously will encourage more
3:04
pests down at the plot.
3:07
So yeah, use it as a great time to make
3:10
improvements to your plot. I've done so
3:12
much on my a lotment this winter period.
3:14
I I've transformed it and next year's
3:17
project will be on my main gardening
3:20
area. Like this year I'm spending time
3:23
improving my poly tunnel in the inside.
3:25
I'm going to make it um all year round
3:27
growing area. And yes, it's going to
3:30
cost quite a bit of money, but once it's
3:31
done, it's done. And hopefully we'll get
3:33
some great produce in it because the
3:35
skin's not going to last forever. Uh,
3:37
and once it's gone, I'll probably just
3:40
net it over and use it as a growing
3:42
space rather than as poly cuz you can
3:44
get tomatoes what can grow outdoors now.
3:46
And I grew my cucumbers outdoors the
3:49
other year and I got better cucumbers
3:51
outdoors than I did in my poly tunnel.
3:53
So, uh, eventually the skin will go and
3:56
we'll net it over, but then I'll have
3:58
raised beds in here where I can grow
4:00
produce and it'll be a great growing
4:02
area. So, yeah, I've been investing in
4:06
the poly tunnel at the moment. And
4:07
obviously, I'm invested in all the
4:09
millions of arches that I've got growing
4:11
and I'm tying up all my fruit uh fruit
4:14
at the moment, all my Logan berries, my
4:16
blackberries, my grape vine. And yeah,
4:19
I'm putting a bit of investment into the
4:21
plot. I don't have a garden at home, so
4:23
this is my area that I love to spend.
4:26
And yeah, I want to make it my own home
4:29
down here. If I could live here, I would
4:31
do. But yeah, use it as a time of
4:33
preparation, getting things tidy,
4:35
getting things ready, and come March
4:37
time, you will be inundated with sewing
4:40
all your seeds, doing all your
4:41
transplanting, keeping them watered. You
4:43
won't have time to do other bits and
4:45
jobs on your a lotment. So use this time
4:47
as a time to get things ready and
4:49
improved ready for the year ahead. So I
4:52
hope you found this video useful. As
4:54
always everybody do drop it a like, do
4:56
drop a comment in it. Let me know what
4:58
jobs you're doing down at your a
4:59
lotment. It's great to hear from you all
5:01
always. And as always, remember, keep
5:04
smiling, keep shining, and keep
5:05
gardening with Ben, everyone.
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