Keeping out of garden best thing for now

By: 
Rob Zimmer
Columnist

With temperatures rising and gardeners becoming anxious to get outside and work, it’s time for my annual reminder to keep out of your garden, at least for the time being. I know it is difficult, but I say this for many reasons. Believe me, I know the temptation of wanting to get out and work the soil and rake and clean up from fall and winter, but these are some of the worst things we could be doing right now in our lawns and gardens.

The more time we spend walking about in our yards and gardens right now, the worse conditions will be later in summer. Most people will not recognize the connection.

Right now, our lawns and landscape are still not completely ready for human traffic. Walking and trampling all over our lawns and gardens now will compact the soil into a hard-packed, almost concrete-like substance. This will cause problems later in summer when weeds begin to show up and we have standing water.

Many of our worst backyard weeds — such as dandelions, plantain, creeping Charlie and crabgrass — love hard, compacted soil. There is a massive seedbed of these weeds waiting to germinate and emerge. By walking all over your lawn now, or by raking, you are giving these weeds everything they need to explode in number, quietly and unseen until later in summer.

Walking on the lawn now, when the soil is still cold and very wet from recent rainfall and snowfall, creates the compacted soil they love. Forcing out air pockets that plants need and creating a solid barrier of dense, compacted soil that only creates problems later on.

Raking at this time, which is way too early, rips out dormant grasses that help a shade out the weeds. Plus, raking opens up the seed bed to the bright spring sun. These conditions are perfect for an infiltration of weeds that you may not even notice until late June or July.

Compacted soils also create areas of standing water later in the summer, as well as brown patches in the lawn, due to the compacted conditions and lack of drainage. Again, this will happen later in summer; you won’t even notice, until then, the damage you created by walking all over your lawn in April.

Another reason to avoid doing too much yardwork and clean up this time of year is because many of our native pollinators — bees, butterflies and other creatures — are still overwintering in the stems of garden plants, as well as in and among leaves. Many of our native bees overwinter in the hollow stems of grasses and other plants. Many butterfly chrysalises are formed on the stems of garden plants and grasses and even on the forest floor or in the garden bed beneath leaves and debris.

Beloved favorites like Luna moths form their cocoons right on the ground among the leaves and, by raking them away, we rake away these beloved creatures.

It’s best to avoid doing heavy cleanup in the garden until at least the middle or end of April.

It is best to avoid walking on the lawn and heavy raking until fresh green growth appears, emerging from dormancy and forming a cushiony layer that protects the moist, damp soil from compaction.

I know this is not what most people want to hear. I realize that most people want to get outside on that first 70-degree day and work like crazy to clean up and rake. However, please remember: This is usually the worst thing that you can do this time of year.

Enjoy the beautiful weather doing other outdoor activities. Plant potted containers and sow some seeds in pots, or go for a hike in an area nature center or wildlife area. Save the heavy yardwork until the lawn is truly dried up and our amazing insect and pollinators have had a chance to wake up and move out of their winter quarters.


Rob Zimmer is a nature and garden author, public speaker and radio show host on WHBY. Readers can find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RobZimmerOutdoors.