As the cold months fade and the days grow longer, it’s the perfect time to get your garden or urban vegetable patch ready for the most productive season of the year. Whether you’re growing flowers, herbs, or vegetables, preparing your garden in spring is the key to a vibrant and fruitful summer.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through all the essential spring gardening tasks to ensure a strong start, how to prepare your soil and plants for warmer weather, and what to do as summer arrives. Plus, we’ll share some top summer gardening tips to help you get the most out of your outdoor space.
Table of Contents
1. When to Start Preparing Your Garden for Summer
2. Step 1: Clean up and Assess
3. Step 2: Improve your Soil or Substrate
4. Step 3: Plan Your Summer Crops and Setup
5. Step 4: Feed Your Plants for a Strong Start
6. Step 5: Set Up Efficient Watering
7. Step 6: Support, Protect and Maintain
8. What is Considered Early Summer for Gardening?
9. Final Summer Gardening Tips for a Thriving Garden
10. Make This Summer Your Garden’s Best Season Yet
Why Spring is the Best Time to Start Preparing Your Garden
Spring is when everything begins to wake up — and your garden is no exception. As temperatures rise and daylight increases, plants naturally enter their active growth phase.
Preparing your garden now means setting strong foundations for healthy roots, lush foliage, and abundant blooms or harvests later on.
This period is ideal for:
• Assessing winter damage
• Improving soil structure and fertility
• Starting seeds or transplanting seedlings
• Setting up irrigation and support systems
• Planning your summer crop rotation
Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned grower, tackling these tasks early will save you time and energy in the long run.
Step 1: Clean Up and Assess
Start by clearing away any debris left behind from winter — dead leaves, fallen branches, and weeds. This not only makes your space more manageable but helps prevent pests and diseases from taking hold.
Check for:
• Signs of frost damage
• Compacted soil
• Overwintering pests or larvae
• Broken or clogged irrigation systems
If you’re growing in containers or raised beds, inspect the structure and drainage as well.
Step 2: Improve Your Soil
Healthy soil is the foundation of a thriving garden. After months of cold and rain, your soil may be compacted or lacking nutrients.
Loosen the top layer with a fork or hoe, then mix in organic matter or a substrate that suits your plants’ needs. Atami offers several growing substrates ideal for revitalizing your garden beds and pots:
• Kilomix: Rich, heavily fertilized substrate perfect for nutrient-demanding summer crops.
• Bi Grow Mix: A balanced mix of peat and coco fiber that retains moisture while improving aeration.
• Janeco-Light-Mix: Lightly fertilized, ideal for seedlings or sensitive plants needing a gentle start.
• Worm Delight: Worm castings is a powerful soil enhancer full of beneficial micro-organisms and nutrients.
Tip: If you’re unsure which substrate fits your garden best, consider the types of plants you’re growing and their nutritional demands.
Step 3: Plan Your Summer Crops and Setup
Early to mid-spring is the time to sow seeds indoors or outdoors, depending on your local climate. By early summer, your garden should be full of vigorous, established plants ready to bloom or bear fruit.
Good choices to start now include:
• Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and arugula
• Root vegetables like carrots and beets
• Tomatoes, peppers, and herbs like basil or parsley
• Pollinator-friendly flowers like calendula, cosmos, and sunflowers
If you’re planting in pots, make sure they have good drainage and are filled with a high-quality substrate like Atami’s Bi Grow Mix, ideal if you grow on warm climates, or Washed & Buffered Cocos for soilless growing.
Step 4: Feed Your Plants for a Strong Start
As your plants begin to grow, they’ll need the right nutrients to stay healthy and productive. Spring is the perfect time to enrich the soil with fertilizers that support root development, leaf growth, and early flowering.
Start with a balanced NPK fertilizer to promote overall plant health. As temperatures rise and plants mature, you can adjust to more targeted feeding.
Atami’s nutrients are a great fit for garden enthusiasts:
• ATA NRG Upgrade: Organic slow-release fertilizer ideal for soil-grown plants during the whole plant cycle. Granular and easy to use, sprinkled on the soil it nourishes your plants for 75-100 days.
• VGN VEGANIC Fertilisers: Great for organic cultivators, these promote vegetative growing, lush foliage and strong blooms. Complete range certified as Input for Organic Farming.
• ATA Rootfast or Root-C: Encourages vigorous root development, especially useful during the seedling stage and after transplanting.
Don’t forget to feed regularly but moderately — overfeeding can harm more than help. Always follow the manufacturer’s dosage instructions and adjust depending on your plant type and growth phase.
Step 5: Set Up Efficient Watering
As early summer approaches, temperatures increase, and plants will require more frequent watering.
Some summer gardening tips to manage watering effectively:
• Water early in the morning to reduce evaporation.
• Use mulch (like straw or bark chips) to retain moisture and reduce weed growth.
• Install drip irrigation or soaker hoses to save water and direct it right to the roots.
• Check containers daily, as they dry out faster than garden beds.
If you’re growing in coco or other soilless substrates, it’s especially important to keep a consistent watering schedule — they dry faster but offer great aeration and control.
Step 6: Support, Protect and Maintain
Once your plants are in the ground or pots and thriving, it’s time to think long-term care.
• Get tutors and tie tall or vining plants like tomatoes, beans, or dahlias.
• Regularly prune to promote airflow and remove weak or diseased growth.
• Watch for pests like aphids, snails, or caterpillars — and treat them early. This blog about pests will help you to keep their populations under control.
Healthy plants resist pests better, so feeding and proper irrigation are part of your defense strategy too.
What is Considered Early Summer for Gardening?
Early summer usually refers to late May through June, depending on your local climate. It’s when most plants are in full vegetative growth or starting to bloom.
By this time:
• You should reduce nitrogen-heavy feeds and start boosting potassium and phosphorus for flowering or fruiting.
• It’s also the last chance to plant fast-growing summer crops like beans or cucumbers.
• Continue deadheading flowers and harvesting herbs to encourage continuous growth.
Pro tip: Keep an eye on weather shifts — late spring heatwaves or cold snaps can stress your plants, so adapt your care as needed.
Final Summer Gardening Tips for a Thriving Garden
Let’s wrap up with some quick, essential reminders:
✅ Start with healthy soil and the right substrate
✅ Choose plants suited to your climate and space
✅ Feed regularly, but don’t overdo it
✅ Water smart — early and deeply
✅ Prevent problems instead of fixing them later
✅ Keep enjoying the process!
Make This Summer Your Garden’s Best Season Yet
With just a bit of planning and consistent care, your garden or urban grow space can become a lush, productive oasis all summer long. Whether you’re growing vegetables, herbs, or flowers, the key is to start strong and adapt as the season unfolds.
Want more growing tips or need help choosing the right products?
Explore our blog for more or talk to your local grow shop — they’ll help you find exactly what your garden needs.
