Spring is finally here, and with warmer temperatures hitting the UK it's the perfect time to start your gardening prep, from weeding borders to pruning rose bushes – and the earlier you begin, the better your results will be!
Green-fingered duo Ade & Sophie Sellars of Agents of Field are here to help, answering all your most common questions about spring gardening.
WATCH: 5 garden jobs for March - easy tutorial
What should I do to my garden in the spring?
Spring is the perfect time to get your garden ready for summer. Weeding your borders and pruning bushes should be high on your priority list. Now is the time to plan your vegetable garden; start planting seeds indoors to be moved outdoors when the weather turns warmer. Potatoes, fruit trees and herbs are perfect to plant outside in early March while leafy vegetables like kale and lettuce, and root veg like carrots and squash will fare better in late spring.
READ MORE: 9 new garden trends to enjoy your outdoor space in 2023
When should I start my garden in the spring?
Spring starts on Monday 20 March 2023 and lasts until Wednesday 21 June. That's three months of gardening opportunities - and the sooner you start, the better. Ade and Sophie reveal: "It's time to seize your trowel, grab your wellies and get out into your garden. By putting in a little effort now, you could be reaping the rewards of vibrant flowers and delicious vegetables by the summer, and who doesn't want that?"
Ade & Sophie Sellars of Agents of Field have shared their spring gardening tips
Read on for seven easy spring gardening jobs you can do this spring – and make sure to watch the video for in-depth tutorials!
How do I sow vegetables?
"You'll need seed compost, trays or pots, seeds, and labels. Sowing vegetables into modules means you can grow healthy plants in your greenhouse or conservatory then plant them out into their final growing positions once the ground has warmed up.
"To sow spring onions - fill a tray with compost, make a hole in each module and sprinkle in eight to ten seeds. Once they've germinated and are about three inches tall, plant the whole module outside into the ground. When you harvest them, you can lift them out as a bunch. Once watered, label your seeds and place them somewhere warm and sunny."
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How do I weed borders?
"Warmer weather would encourage your weeds as well as your plants to grow. So make sure you give your borders a good weeding before giving them a heavy mulch with compost, leaf mould, or well-rotted manure. This will feed them, protect them from cold nights, make your borders look tidy, and suppress those pesky weeds."
Start sowing veg like spring onions in spring
How do I prune rose bushes?
"It's not too late to prune your roses and get them spring ready. Remove any branches that are dead, damaged or diseased. Shrub roses can be reduced by up to 1/3 and climbing roses can be cut back by two-thirds, removing dead branches at the base. Ensure you make the cut just above a bud and on an angle, otherwise, moisture could sit on the open wound and encourage rot. Finally, finish with the mulch to protect and feed your rose."
What flowers can I plant in spring?
"Dahlias are one of the must-have plants for summer. So if you've been storing dahlia tubers over winter, it's time to get them out. Check them over and disregard any that are damaged Or have succumbed to the winter weather. Then using a large pot and multi-purpose compost pot them up.
"Put them somewhere warm and light greenhouse or conservatory is ideal Ensure you keep the soil moist and by late spring they'll be healthy bushy plants ready to be planted out into your garden."
Early March is the perfect time to start prepping your garden
How do I plant potatoes?
"If you've been chitting potatoes, they should now be ready for planting out. If you're planting them into a trench add a little compost to the bottom. Tubers should be placed to the depth of 12 centimetres and 30 centimetres apart. If you don't have space then consider growing potatoes in grow bags or large containers. Using soil or compost fill the base to the height of 10 centimetres.
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"Place no more than four seeded tubers on top of the soil then fill the bag a third of the way up covering the potatoes. Water in and place the grow bag in a sunny, frost-free sheltered spot. In the coming weeks water regularly and keep adding soil to cover emerging foliage. Once you've reached the top of the bag and potato flowers have withered, it's time to harvest."
Attend to garden furniture
"Remove your garden furniture from storage and use it to create a focal point. For those whose furniture has been out all winter, give it some much deserved TLC by cleaning it up and repainting if required. This one feature has the potential to make your entire garden much more inviting," says Anna Hampshire, Head of Marketing from Marshalls.
Clean your patio
"Spring cleaning shouldn’t stop at your garden. Start early by discarding unnecessary items from your garden. That means getting rid of weeds, rubbish, unused furniture, old bicycles and anything else that’s taking up precious space," Anna says. "There may be a build-up of organic growth such as algae which can be cleared up with a pressure washer on a low power setting."
Spring gardening essentials everyone needs
How pretty is this garden trowel set? The eye-catching floral kit comprises a hand trowel, cultivator and pruning shear, as well as gloves to protect your hands - perfect for wedding, pruning and shearing.
3 Piece Garden Tool Set, £20.99, Amazon
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This border spade slips easily through the soil, is resistant to rust and easy to clean. The handle is made from weatherproofed FSC-certified ash wood, sourced from sustainably managed forests. Plus, it was developed in conjunction with Kew Gardens's horticultural team and is used and recommended by staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Spade, £45.49, John Lewis
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Every aspiring gardener needs somewhere to store their seeds! We love this Seed Keeper diary, which comes with envelopes for two different sizes of packets, space to label the seeds and record important details, as well as handy planting and harvesting information.
Seed Keeper Journal, £24.58, Amazon
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RELATED: Winter gardening tips: 5 simple seasonal steps to prepare for spring
Check out Agents of Field's popular blog for more tips or give them a follow on Instagram and Twitter.
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