April 2, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 29 How to get a garden started off on the right foot As the cold weather departs, many gar- deners cannot wait to soak up the spring- time sun and get their hands dirty in the garden. Such excitement is not just good for gardeners, but can also benefit the garden in the months to come. Early spring is a great time to get a head start on the gardening season. Even if gar- dening season is still around the corner, completing the following projects can ensure your garden gets off on the right foot. Clear debris: One of the best things you can do for your garden is to clear it of debris. Winter can be especially harsh on a landscape, and gardens left to the elements are often filled with debris once spring arrives. Dead leaves, fallen branches, rocks that surfaced during the winter frost, and even garbage that might have blown about in winter winds can all pile up in a garden over a typical winter. Clearing such debris likely will not take long, but it is a great first step toward restoring the garden before the time comes to plant and grow the garden once again. Examine the soil: Soil plays a significant role in whether a garden thrives or strug- gles. Examining the soil before the season starts can help gardeners address any issues before they plant. Ignoring the soil until a problem arises can turn the upcoming gardening season into a lost opportunity, so test the soil to determine if it has any nutrient or mineral deficiencies. This may require the help of a professional, but if a problem arises, you might be able to adjust the acidity or alkalinity of the soil and still enjoy a successful season. Another way to examine the soil is less complex but can shed light on when would be a good time to get back to work. Reach into the soil and dig out a handful. If the soil quickly crumbles, you can start preparing for gardening seasoning. But if the soil is still clumped together, it needs more time to dry out before you can begin your prep work. Initiate edging: Edging is another task gardeners can begin as they get ready for A few fast facts about grass A lush, green lawn is coveted by many current and would-be homeowners. Not only can a beautiful landscape make a home feel more welcoming, but it also increases the resale value of a property. Frequent watering, proper fertiliza- tion, pest management, and mowing are all essential components of lawn mainte- nance. But there is more to those beautiful blades of grass than just aesthetic appeal. The following are some interesting facts about grass that even the most devoted lawn enthusiasts might be surprised to learn. Grass is defined as any plant of the family Gramineae, a group of vascular plants that grow across the globe. There are as many as 10,000 varieties of grass in the world. These range from grass to rice to wheat to bamboo. Many grasses are annual or perennial herbs with fibrous roots and rhizomes. Grass can withstand many different climates and has been discovered at the North Pole and at the equator. Twenty percent of Earth’s vegetation is comprised of some type of grass. Grasses have been transformed into paper and home décor items. Bamboo, which is a type of grass, is frequently used for flooring because it is durable and sus- tainable. Grass is mostly comprised of water, which makes up about 80 percent of grass and 90 percent of grass clippings. A typical lawn will have about six grass plants per square inch. Some lawns may have millions of grass plants. the season. Edge plant and flower beds, but be sure to use a spade with a flat blade or an edger designed to edge flower beds. Such tools will cut deep enough so grass roots that may eventually grow into the flower bed are severed. Depending on how large a garden is, edging can be a time-consum- ing task, so getting a head start allows hom- eowners to spend more time planting and tending to their gardens once the season hits full swing. Though gardeners might not be able to start planting their gardens in early spring, they can still get outside and take steps to ensure their gardens thrive once planting season begins.