Winter is over, the days are heating up and for anyone with a back yard and a knack for DIY, this brings one thing to mind – the garden. Or more accurately, the garden you plan on having when summer comes around.
Whether you're passionate about hammering nails and installing drywall or see DIY as the cheapest way to make those home improvements a reality, with a little preparation and the right tools, anyone can achieve a garden worth Instagramming.
Plan
One trick any tradie knows is a few minutes spent planning can save a few hours when it comes to creating. So spend some time in your yard measuring and sketching out what will work best when it comes to the placement, potting or size of your plants and outdoor furniture.
Don't forget to consider what species will thrive in your location's particular climate and whether you can make the most of smaller spaces by planting trees and shrubs of various heights.
Now is also the perfect time to do a little inventory on the tools you already have, and the equipment you need to purchase. Head online to Snappy.co.nz and make the most of their garden sale section to purchase that new grass trimmer, pick up some extra wired garden edging or treat yourself to those electric shears you've been eyeing up, all without leaving your desktop.
Prep
Armed with your fancy new tools, it's time to brush the rust and dust off your old ones and make sure they're ready for the work ahead. Get those mower blades sharpened, drain and replace fuel from gas-powered gear and sand off steel implements.
Now the prepping and pruning…If you've a garden already, pull out weeds that have gone wild, trim off those dead branches and take a rake to any foliage littering the lawn.
Whether you're a gardening guru or are brand new to the game, the next step is soil. A garden is only as good as its soil, so the quality of earth is make-or-break when it comes to the fate of your summer garden. Once the ground has softened from the cold winter months, add granular fertiliser and well-rotted manure to the soil to give it a boost of all-important nutrients and minerals. Finish with a thick layer of mulch to pack in all that goodness.
Plant
Now for the fun part! With the sun coming out and the rain easing off, it's the best time to click, order and plant from the huge range of seeds on Snappy. From sunflowers and poppies to tomatoes and marigolds, browse through and click to create your ideal garden, whether you're waiting to collect the kids from school or stealing a quick coffee break at work.
Just don't forget to keep the season and your city's particular climate in mind. Coriander, roses and lavender may struggle in February but are perfect to plant this August. Then, it's time to plant… Starting from scratch may seem intimidating but, with healthy soil, a warm sunny window sill and one to two weeks, you'll have germinated seedlings ready to be planted.
Ready to get a start on that garden from wherever you are? Head over to Snappy.co.nz and check out their full range of gardening gear currently on sale at https://snappy.co.nz/collections/garden-sale