How to Prep an Area for a Pollinator Garden

It’s almost time to plant your prairie grass or pollinator garden, eh? And you need to know how to prep the ground? Well, you’re in luck. We’ve got know how.

Step 1) Pick the ground.

-       This may seem simple, but often people haven’t walked the ground before they go to prep the ground… or sometime even plant. So make sure you know where you’re planting and what the surrounding area consists of.

Step 2) Kill the current plant-life.

-       This can be done a couple ways. The most common is roundup. It’s also, by far the fastest. However, if you don’t like the chemicals, don’t fret. You can also smother the ground with boards or tarps anything else with a lot of surface area. This will take a few weeks though. There is another way to kill using fire burns, but we don’t recommend that way. However, if you’re determined to do it that way, make sure you contact your local fire department first.

Step 3) Remove the dead foliage.

-       Now that all the plants are dead, it’s time to rake them out of the way. The best way is to rake, or you could use fire… but again, be careful. This helps the seeds get good dirt contact.

Step 4) Don’t work up the ground.

-       It’s very tempting for people to work up the ground and make a very soft bed for the seed, but that is not good for the seed. The issue is we are used to corn or beans or watermelon. These are larger seeds. They naturally are heavier and will fall deeper into the ground. Most prairie grasses and wild flower seeds are tiny and should not fall into the ground more than a 1/8 inch. So if you absolutely need to work up the ground, make sure you pack it down before seeding.

And voila, you have a beautiful bed ready for native seeds.

Still wondering what seeds to get?

Check out our Prairie Shop to see all the mixes we provide.

Best of luck!