Seasonal Gardening - Spring

Prepare vegetable and flower beds by loosening soil and incorporating compost or other organic matter where needed to improve soil structure, drainage, and moisture retention. For lawns, in early spring, aerating followed by a light topdressing of compost is beneficial.

Plant warm-season vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, corn, and okra according to local planting dates.

Mid-April is a good time to plant summer annuals such as angelonia, pentas, salvias, vinca, and purslane or portulaca in sunny beds, and spring is also a smart time to add native and well-adapted perennials suited to San Antonio’s alkaline soils and heat

Weed consistently and aggressively. Staying ahead of weeds in spring makes maintenance easier later and helps prevent seed production before summer.

Apply 2–3 inches of mulch in planting beds to help conserve soil moisture, moderate soil temperature, and suppress weeds, but keep mulch pulled back from stems and tree trunks.

Deadhead flowering plants such as roses, daylilies, and salvias to encourage repeat bloom and improve overall appearance through the season.

Begin mowing and edging lawns as warm-season turf resumes active growth, and consider leaving grass clippings in place to return organic matter to the lawn.

Plant or transplant trees and shrubs as needed, but choose the right plant for the right place, dig wide rather than deep planting holes, and monitor carefully for water stress as temperatures rise.

Water newly planted beds, annuals, trees, and shrubs by hand as they establish, and check irrigation systems in spring before hot weather arrives so water is applied efficiently rather than wasted.

Prune spring-flowering shrubs and small ornamental trees after they finish blooming, rather than before, so you do not remove this season’s flowers.

Monitor for insects and disease as new growth appears, but avoid unnecessary pesticide use when pollinators become active in spring.