Nice Curb Appeal For Your Home With Some Early Spring Gardening

March may find you sighing with impatience as you watch yet another snowfall cover your barren container boxes, but it's one of the most important months for gardeners.

Tool cleanup
If you didn't do so in the fall, it's time to give your lawn mower and other tools some tough love.
Get ahead of the spring crowds by dropping off your lawn mower now to have the oil changed, bolts tightened and blades sharpened.  Remove soil from your tools' metal parts using sandpaper or a hose.

Lawn doctoring
The green, green grass of home doesn't get that way by accident, and March is a perfect time to assess your lawn's health.  Pluck a 4- to 5-inch square from your yard to see what's going on down there.  Fertilize your lawn now or start a new lawn using seeds or sod.

Weeding
There's always the battle of the weeds. The only way to win that fight is to keep at it. Nip weeds at the bud — literally, for if they're allowed to flower and go to seed, you could be looking at several years' worth of uninvited guests: Some weeds shed 10,000 seeds at a pop. 

Preparing soil
Once your soil has had a chance to thaw and lose some of its winter moisture, you'll want to prep it for planting.  Remove mulch over the course of several days, exposing the soil gradually.  Till or spade soil six to 12 inches deep.  Mix in compost, peat moss and fertilizer for plants or vegetables. For vegetable gardens, include processed or well-rotted manure in the mix (using fresh manure in the spring may burn or damage your plants).  Rake the soil level to smooth out low spots; pockets of water can make the soil cool, which slows plant growth.

Vegetables
Start planning your vegetable garden, keeping in mind the following guidelines.  Choose neighboring vegetables carefully and you may as much as double your vegetable harvest. Onions, for example, are no friend to peas and beans but make good bedmates for tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce and beets.  Later in the month (in most zones) you can seed or set out hardier vegetables, such as chard and Brussels sprouts.

Slug control

As tender shoots start to poke up in the spring, they make a beggar's banquet for slugs. Plan your counterattack before young plants become young nubs.  As with much garden damage control, natural methods are growing in popularity. One simple approach is to sprinkle slugs with salt, which causes them to dry up.  Slugs are attracted to stale beer, which you can leave in a shallow dish or bowl; slugs will enter and drown.  If you use a commercial slug bait, read the label carefully to be sure it won't endanger children, pets or birds.

Fun for kids
Kids love to help with simple growing projects or to have plants of their own to watch and care for, especially if growth is rapid (remember those pint-size attention spans).  Kids love watching plants grow from seeds. Beans, peas and parsley all grow quickly in pots, and seeds can be set in fun shapes or kids' initials.

For the birds
Find out who's likely to fly over for a visit in the next month or two, and target bird treats and feeder types for their individual tastes.  Most bird species will go for either oil-type sunflower seeds or white millet (offered separately), but sunflower-seed munchers tend to prefer elevated feeders with perches, while millet lovers usually prefer ground or large platform feeders.

Increasing your homes value by having a green thumb

Today it's gonna hit close to 70 degrees here in Denver and tonight it's gonna snow!!!!!!! I absolutely love living in a place where the weather changes day to day or even hour to hour. I grew up in southern California where there are no seasons and the same rang true in Hawaii. The tricky part about this weather is when to put winter stuff away (ie shovels, jackets, snow tires) and when to bring out the gardening supplies kiddie pools and fishing poles (although I did ice fish this year but that'll be in another blog). Gardening is one of my favorite spring time activities because there is nothing like planting fruits, vegetables, and herbs to eat throughout spring. Not everyone realizes this but that bountiful garden, flowers, and bushes you maintain year to year bring what we call "curb appeal" to your home So now you ask yourself what is "curb appeal"? Well "curb appeal" is what's gonna make a buyer choose your house to that one down the street that needs a new lawn and has no landscaping. One of the first things a buyer will see is the outside appearance of a home and a well-maintained landscape and manicured lawn is a great first impression. It is much easier said then done maintaining your yard takes a lot of hard work and time but it is very rewarding if done right. Make sure to talk to your local nursery about planting times and plants which are native for your region. Do research on when vegetables need to be planted and harvested for a bountiful harvest. I promise if you put in the time and research it takes to give your home "curb appeal" it'll payoff in the end