spring – Lubbocks Home and Family Magazine

Prep Tips for the Perfect Garden

Courtney Dietz — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Prep Tips for the Perfect Garden

Kristin Rodin

Sunshine and warmer weather make spring the perfect time to break out your green thumb. Whether you’re looking to spruce up your flower beds or plant vegetables and herbs, prepping your garden is a must. Check out these tips to ensure you have a successful garden!

Fertilizers for soil types

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service reports Lubbock county is made up of silty loam and silty clay loam soils. What does that mean for your garden? You’re in luck! Loam soil, made up of silt, sand and clay, is ideal for most garden plants, as it’s well-draining and holds nutrients well.

Still, your garden bed may need some help to keep your plants thriving. Fertilizer can help provide beneficial nutrients for your plants. Use a slow-release in early spring for flowers, and a liquid fertilizer for produce gardens. Adding a layer of compost and mulch can help protect the top soil and plant roots from extreme temperature changes and helps with water retention.

Best plants for spring time

Planting is the fun part! Starting in March, you can begin planting carrots, chives, parsley, and spinach seeds outside. This is also a good month to add compost, if you’re using it. Come April, you’ll be ready to plant beans, cucumber, tomatoes, and ornamental grasses. Sweet potatoes and annual flowers should be planted after the last freeze. For all your beautiful ornamental flowers, such as marigolds, petunias, daisies and dahlias, May is the perfect month to plant.

Prepare for weather changes

There are few things as unpredictable as weather in West Texas. While warmer weather is sure to come, the average last freeze in spring is around April, according to the Lubbock Master Gardeners Association. Before a cold snap, deeply water your plants’ roots, cover with wood or hay mulch, and cover your garden beds with sheets or blankets, then a tarp, for insulation. Remove them first thing in the morning to prevent condensation, and you’ll be ready for brighter – and warmer – days.

While April showers bring May flowers, prepping your garden for the spring planting season doesn’t hurt, too. With these tips, your garden will look better than ever!

Take the Stress out of Spring Cleaning!

Courtney Dietz — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Take the Stress out of Spring Cleaning!

Coco Dietz

Spring is fast approaching as the winter months settle in. That means that Spring Cleaning is right around the corner. This year let’s show Spring Cleaning how to go about everything in an efficient way so that it does not become something that is overwhelming and slowly overtakes your life, but instead something that is beneficial to you!

Step One

Knowing where to start while trying to begin your Spring Cleaning journey is nearly half the battle. When looking at a mountain in front of you it can seem like an impossible task and one that you will not be able to overcome. But how do you start a long journey? One step at a time. Start by collecting everything that is not worth saving and place those into their prospective piles: trash, to donate, and to wash.

Step Two

Once everything is separated into piles, take it one at a time. If all your trash is collected, start to get it out so it does not distract you from the next steps. It is easy to let the things you need to do pile up, but your future self will thank you for getting things that could be done right now out of the way.

Step Three

After everything is out of the way, find everything that already has a home or a place within your house. If you know where it goes, take it back to its place. If it does not have a place to go ask yourself, does this need a home or can I live without it? Decluttering is just as important as cleaning because you can hide the clutter but it always finds ways to creep back out and make a mess again.

Step Four

Once all the clutter is out of the way, go through one room at a time and give your house a good deep clean. Having one room completely done and then moving onto the next can help the motivation that can be damaged by seemingly impossible tasks. If you can have one room done then you can go back to that room to gather the inspiration to complete the next room until you are done with the whole house.

Step Five

The last step is to make sure to give yourself grace and do not try to push yourself so hard that this becomes too much of a chore, otherwise it will not seem worth it. Take your time and take it one step at a time until you are done and get to relax in your nice clean house!