Spring is coming! Although it may be hard to believe for those of you that are still covered in snow. Here in Florida it’s time to prepare. I know there is a common misconception that we have no season’s down south. I hate to break it to you that’s just not true. The time frame from February to March can be temperatures that are in the high 80’s some days and in the 50’s other days. For us it’s time to get some work done around out property in order to prepare for spring and summer. Getting ready for spring is a big project when you own a new home. Let me share with you what we have done!
Interior Clean Up
So, as you may already know we are living in a construction zone. It’s not as bad as you may imagine however, the inside of our house is just not ready for the public eye. This means things have been slowly falling to the way side. A quick clean-up of any Valentines décor and putting out a few spring touches was in order. We may be living with a tarp covering a hole in our ceiling but that doesn’t mean I can’t have pretty things.
Sprinkler Repair
When we bought our home, we had a pretty large task in getting the sprinkler system working again. Luckily, we found a reliable company and had them come out to get the first part of the job done. This means we now have 2 working zones and a plan in place to slowly add more over time. If you have a system that needs repairs get it done now. In those spring and summer months the last thing you want is your grass dying. It may be something as simple as a sprinkler head, it may be a system overhaul like we had to do. Just get on it! It will be worth it in the end.
Garage and Barn Clean Up
It’s time to get organized! Get down and dirty in that garage and get rid of what you no longer need. We cleaned out the barn and got it semi organized as well as the garage attached to our house. A simple pegboard and label maker kept me going for this project. Do what you need to do in order to keep yourself happy. For me, that was labeling all the things. Tools were everywhere! So, I bought an awesome accessory kit for the barn’s pegboard and plan to put an Ikea system up in the garage attached to the house.
Vegetable Garden
February is a big planting month in Central Florida. Depending where you live it’s worth doing a little research. We had one bed already in place from the previous home owner. I was anxious to build more but concluded I have too many projects going on right now. Instead, I weeded, fertilized and planted. We started with tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, basil, parsley and rosemary. If you have limited space plant what you know you and your family will eat. (Just so we are clear, my husband will not eat cabbage… that’s all me.) You can always add to it down the road!
Yard Work
One of my least favorite tasks is also one of the most rewarding ones. Least favorite because I feel like our Grandfather Oaks are working against me. I sweep a leave and they drop five. An afternoon bonfire (make sure it’s legal where you live) and a leaf blower are two of my best friends. Although we have done this twice already, our property is ready for another go of it. The best thing for us is to plan one big yard day a month. This will be used to clean leaves, cut back vines and patch fences. We also hired a company to come in and clean up some trees. We had a few dying pines that left us with some awesome firewood.
Well there you have it! We have been making headway over here, but there is still so much to be done. If to do lists weren’t my love language, I may be a bit concerned. Since they are, I am just fine with what we have going on!
So, tell us below, how are you getting ready for spring?
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