What can a landowner do to attain a lush, green lawn and healthy garden beds this season? Experts from South Dakota State University have some answers — and it begins indoors.

“When we look ahead for vegetable gardens or planting annuals, the first step actually happens indoors,” says Kristine Lang, assistant professor and SDSU Extension specialist. “Many might have already purchased or ordered their seeds. But when it comes to seed starting, it’s important to plan ahead and recognize which plants may benefit from being started as transplants.”

Garden owners should take care to start these seedlings indoors, and ensure their survival by knowing the last frost time for their area. “It’s really important to know your frost-free date to prevent damage to tender, warm-season plants. And here in Brookings, we go by May 21 as our safe deadline,” Lang says.

Spring garden chores

Lang says a cleanup can still be done in gardens before that frost-free date. “If you have a lot of perennial gardens and didn’t trim back your plants in the fall, you may have plenty of grasses or plant debris to clean up” to the soil line in preparation for new growth, she says.

Another chore is planning out gardens for the season by selecting the right plants for your specific growing region. “Have the right plant in the right place. Whether vegetables or annual or perennial flowers or grasses, we want to make sure to purchase something that will grow well” in the climate and hardiness zone, Lang says. Find your hardiness zone from USDA.

Pest and disease control is also critical to achieving a healthy garden. “We address different pests with different management methods, and many pests can affect different crops from the same family, such as our peppers, tomatoes and eggplants,” Lang says. “We want to be vigilant as the weather warms up for when insects emerge from the soil, to have a preventive in mind to take care of these pests.”

Remembering problems that occurred last year can help prevent them from happening this season. “If you remember that you had an issue with powdery mildew, and noticed all this white powder on your foliage last year, chances are that you’ll have the same issue in the same area this year,” Lang says. “Make sure you’re removing any diseased plant material if you didn’t in the fall, and take care to have good air flow around plants, too.”

Test soil

Whether for your gardens or your lawns, soil testing ensures your land has exactly what it needs. “Especially following the drought that happened in some areas, we definitely want to get a good soil test,” says Brett Owens, a horticulture Extension instructor at SDSU. “The drought had varying affects from area to area, and before we can get to think about our normal spring routine, we really need to get a good picture of what’s going on underneath the ground.”

Lang echoes this advice for home gardens. “The spring is a great time to evaluate our soils,” and soil test results can offer fertilizer recommendations for a garden “whether you’re planning to grow flowers, tomatoes or another crop,” she says. Soil tests are available from various public and private soil labs around the Northern Plains.

Get a green lawn

“When we soil-test, we can get a total picture of what’s happening under the soil,” Owens says. “Turf is a horticultural crop, and many consumers don’t think about doing a full report, but we need to know what our pH is and what kind of condition our soil is in.”

For many areas affected by drought, Owens says the soil underneath is often dry and compacted. Following a soil test, Owens recommends aeration to all lawns. “The very first thing, even on a regular year, is going to be aerating the soil. That’s even more important coming out of a drought, so we can get the soil balanced,” he says.

Fertilizing and feedings can be done as soon as new growth is seen. “Once your grass starts to emerge, we want to consider the fertilization rates. People tend to think about nitrogen for the aboveground growth, but we want to actually focus on the potassium in the springtime and then work in the nitrogen later in the summer,” he explains. “We’ve learned over the years to focus on the phosphorus and potassium needs in the springtime, and add in the nitrogen while it’s stressed later in the season.”

The most important things for lawns or gardens? Make sure you know what is happening in your specific soil and what is needed for your region. “We really want to understand the ecology of what is going on,” Owens says. Because the lawn might have a mixture of species inherited from previous owners, “you’ll want to get in there and have someone give you an idea of what is needed and recommended,” he says.

To find out more information on cultivating a healthy lawn and garden this year, check out SDSU’s Horticulture resources.