Prepping Your Garden For Spring

Prepping Your Garden For Spring

Author: Golden Acre Home and Garden April 2, 2023 Duration: 47:05

How do you like to be woken up? If you're like us, you like to be woken gently with soft sounds like chimes and soft gradual light from the sun. Doesn't that sound nice? We can apply this same thought process to your garden! There are things you can be doing in your garden right now to prepare it for the growing season ahead. Spoiler: None of these tips involve planting even a single plant! Colin and Brandi discuss how to prep you garden in today's episode >>>

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In this weeks episode....

  • 00:00 | Introduction
  • 02:20 | Where to begin?
  • 04:15 | Trees & Shrubs check up     
  • 05:00 | Dormant Spray Kit 
  • 08:00 | Wake up your garden gently   
  • 19:56 | Question: What to do with leaves on your lawn
  • 11:30 | Leave some debris, save of a bug friend!
  • 15:26 | Pace yourself
  • 17:50 | Amending Soil 
  • 19:53 | Compost Tea
  • 24:00 | When happens when you leave debris on garden beds?
  • 25:40 | Mulch Tips 
  • 29:00 | Weeding & Dandelion Love
  • 31:30 | Colin Transplanted a Dandelion....
  • 33:40 | Raking 
  • 38:05 | Using chemical straps in flower beds 
  • 40:00 | Checking your garden tools and what to buy  
  • 48:00 | Wrap up
  • 36:40 | Question of the Week
  • 40:15 | Next Week....  

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LINKS

Colin's favourite amendment: Coconut Coir

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK 

We had a few questions this week from excited gardeners on Instagram! See below...

  • @Alex.paints.stuff |
    • "Left leaves on my lawn in the fall. When should you rake them up and can I mulch them with a lawn mower?"
    • A: 
  • @Jennatabata"When should we be planting seeds?"
    • A: You can plant now depending on the seed! If you're in Alberta, see our free seed starting chart. If not, check you regional garden centres for resources, so following each individual seed packet information to determine if seeds need to be started indoors or direct sowed outside toward the end of May.  
  • @miss_melly1 | "New to gardening and don't know where to start!"
    • A: You came to the right place! Keep an ear on our podcast, attend our free webinars, or come into your local greenhouse for specialized advice :)
  • Holly Marisco | "How do you amend soil in raised planters and is this needed annually?"
    • A: Yes! This should be done annually because plants aren't getting regular nutrients from the Earth. Ideally, you want something lighter so the roots have room to grow. Use things like peatmoss, worm castings, etc. 

Do you have a question or a comment for the Helpful Gardeners?

  • Send us an anonymous voice note HERE
  • send us an email social@goldenacre.ca
  • or find our question of the week every Tuesday on our Instagram

 

NEXT WEEK 

It's the "SODCAST". We've been sitting on this pun for a while now... we're so excited to be joined by a representative of Scotts Canada, Shelly Vance, who is a lawncare expert! Send us your questions so we can ensure you get the most out of your lawn this season.

Turn in Sunday's 8AM MST for more fun with the helpful gardeners!


Ever find yourself staring at a wilting houseplant or a patch of backyard dirt, unsure where to even begin? That's the exact spot where The Helpful Gardeners finds its footing. This isn't a lecture from a distant expert; it's a conversation between two people who genuinely love turning spaces into places. Colin brings his certification and decades of hands-in-the-dirt knowledge from working in all sorts of climates, while Brandi comes at it with a beginner's curiosity and the willingness to ask the questions you might be thinking yourself. Each episode of this podcast from Golden Acre Home and Garden feels like pulling up a chair in a friendly, sunlit shed. You'll hear practical, real-world advice on everything from landscaping fundamentals and seasonal garden tasks to keeping your indoor jungle thriving. They tackle specific problems, share successes and failures, and break down complex topics into manageable steps. Released three times a week, this regular dose of guidance aims to build your confidence, whether you're cultivating a windowsill herb garden or planning a major backyard overhaul. Tune in for the kind of relatable, grounded chat that makes the whole process feel less like a chore and more like a rewarding discovery.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 189

The Helpful Gardeners
Podcast Episodes
When Your Seeds Ghost You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Unlock Your Seed's Germination Code [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We’ve all been there: you buy the cute seed packets, you find the perfect pots, you water them with love... and then, nothing. Total radio silence. It’s important to realize that seeds are hard-wired to stay asleep until…
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Is your garden basically an all-you-can-eat buffet for thrips and aphids? 😫 We’re diving into some wild new tech from Japan that uses colored nets—not chemicals—to keep the pests away. Forget everything you saw on that v…
Stop and Smell the Tulips in 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:29
Grab your sun hat and your besties, because tulip season is coming! From the mountain-backed fields of the Fraser Valley to the historic gardens of Ottawa and the chic pick-your-own vibes in Montreal, we’re breaking down…
Ghosting Plastic Plant Pots for Organic Packaging [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:02
Have you ever felt guilty looking at the pile of plastic containers after potting up all your annuals every spring? Do you often keep all those packages, trying to find alternative uses to give them a second life? While…
BONUS: The Calgary Home & Garden Show [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Need inspiration and expert advice? We're on the road this week to the Calgary Home & Garden Show! If you've never been to an event like this, it's like Costco. Google Maps, and Pinterest all under one roof. You do the w…
Timing Your Raised Planters Ahead of Spring [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:34
The second the sun stays out past 5:00 PM, the "garden itch" hits hard. We start dreaming of heirloom tomatoes and crisp lettuce, and suddenly, we’re staring at our empty raised beds like they’re a blank canvas. But if y…
Is Your Garden Too Bright?  [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:27
Have you ever seen a Firefly? Colin has! They're rare but love specific conditions to thrive...one of them being a dark habitat at night. This is becoming rare with urban development and light pollutions impacts not only…