How to Prepare your Lawn and Garden for Spring: A Complete Homeowner's Guide
Our favorite tips about everything you need to get ready for spring including trusted products and honest advice.
As winter fades away and temperatures start to rise, it’s time to get your lawn and garden ready for spring. A little preparation now will ensure lush green grass, vibrant flowers, and a thriving vegetable garden throughout the season. This guide will walk you through everything you need to do, from cleaning up winter debris to fertilizing and planting. Follow our step-by-step checklist to make sure your yard is spring-ready!
Spring Lawn and Garden Preparation Checklist
✅ Remove debris (leaves, twigs, and dead plants) ✅ Rake and dethatch the lawn ✅ Aerate compacted soil ✅ Test and amend soil pH ✅ Apply pre-emergent weed control ✅ Fertilize the lawn and garden ✅ Reseed bare patches of grass ✅ Prune trees, shrubs, and perennials ✅ Mulch flower beds and garden areas ✅ Start planting early spring flowers and vegetables
Step 1: Cleaning Up Your Yard
Winter can leave behind a mess of fallen branches, dead leaves, and compacted soil. Begin your spring preparation by:
Raking up leaves and thatch to allow air and sunlight to reach the soil.
Removing any dead plants and trimming back overgrown perennials.
Checking for mold or fungus on grass and plants and treating accordingly.
Recommended Products:
Fiskars Leaf Rake
Black+Decker Electric Leaf Blower
Step 2: Aerate and Dethatch Your Lawn
If your soil feels compacted or your lawn has thick thatch buildup, aeration is essential. Aeration creates small holes in the soil to allow water, oxygen, and nutrients to penetrate the roots.
Use a manual or mechanical aerator for large lawns. These can be purchased, rented or contact your local lawn maintenance and landscape company to schedule.
Dethatch your lawn using a dethatching rake or machine to remove dead grass buildup.
Recommended Products:
Yard Butler Lawn Coring Aerator
Greenworks Dethatcher
Step 3: Test and Amend Soil
Healthy plants start with healthy soil. Testing your soil will help determine pH levels and nutrient deficiencies. While you can certainly skip this step, it helps to know the quality of your soil before spending money on beautiful plants.
Use a soil test kit to check for acidity and necessary nutrients. Many hardware stores, like Home Depot, also carry these.
Add lime to raise pH if soil is too acidic or sulfur to lower pH if too alkaline. Be sure to carefully read the instructions on the package to avoid adding too much or too little.
Incorporate organic compost for a nutrient boost. For a cost efficient method, you can make your own compost!
Recommended Products:
Luster Leaf Soil Test Kit
Jobe’s Organic Compost Starter
Step 4: Control Weeds Before They Start
Spring is the best time to apply pre-emergent weed control to prevent weeds from taking over.
Apply a pre-emergent herbicide to stop crabgrass and other common weeds.
Use a post-emergent herbicide for any visible weeds that survived the winter.
Hand-pull weeds in garden beds before they spread.
Recommended Products:
Scotts Halts Crabgrass & Grassy Weed Preventer
Preen Garden Weed Preventer
Step 5: Fertilize Your Lawn and Garden
Spring fertilization provides essential nutrients to jumpstart healthy growth. Choose the right fertilizer based on your lawn and garden needs.
Use a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer for steady grass growth.
Opt for organic fertilizers to feed plants without harmful chemicals.
Apply compost to garden beds for a natural nutrient boost.
Recommended Products:
Scotts Turf Builder Lawn Food
Espoma Organic Garden-Tone Fertilizer
Step 6: Reseed Bare Patches
If winter has left your lawn with bare spots, reseeding is a must.
Choose the right grass seed for your climate.
Loosen the soil before spreading seed.
Keep seeds moist by watering lightly every day until they germinate.
Recommended Products:
Pennington Smart Seed
Scotts EZ Seed Patch & Repair
Step 7: Prune Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials
Pruning in early spring encourages new growth and prevents disease.
Trim dead or damaged branches from trees and shrubs.
Cut back perennials to encourage fuller growth.
Prune flowering shrubs after blooming if they bloom early.
Recommended Products:
Fiskars Pruning Shears
Corona Bypass Lopper
Step 8: Mulch Flower Beds and Garden Areas
Mulch helps retain moisture, regulate soil temperature, and suppress weeds.
Apply 2-3 inches of mulch around trees, shrubs, and flower beds.
Use organic mulch like shredded bark or compost for added nutrients.
Avoid piling mulch against tree trunks to prevent rot.
Recommended Products:
EZ Straw Mulch
Cedar Mulch Chips
Step 9: Start Planting Early Spring Flowers and Vegetables
Once the risk of frost has passed, start planting! Check the planting zone for your area. You can use Almanac.com and plug in your zip code for your specific zone as well as a planting calendar! Some seeds may need to be started indoors several weeks before the last frost to maximize the growing season. Once your plants are big enough and the weather is right, they can be hardened and transplanted outdoors.
Choose cold-hardy flowers like pansies, tulips, and daffodils.
Start vegetables like lettuce, spinach, and carrots.
Use raised beds or containers for better drainage.
Recommended Products:
Burpee Organic Vegetable Seeds
Flower Garden Starter Kit
Final Tips for a Thriving Spring Lawn and Garden
🌱 Water wisely – Deep, infrequent watering is best. 🌱 Keep an eye on pests – Check for early signs of insects and use natural deterrents. 🌱 Maintain a mowing schedule – Start mowing when the grass reaches about 3 inches high. 🌱 Rotate crops in the garden – Helps prevent soil depletion and disease.
By following these tips and using our checklist, you’ll have a beautiful, healthy yard ready for spring. Happy gardening!
Are you preparing your lawn and garden for spring? Let us know in the comments below what challenges you face or share your favorite spring gardening tip!