Spring garden prep: Best to rake away last year’s leaves

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Q. We are starting to make the first seedings into our plots, which have been covered with leaves all winter. Should we rake the leaves away first, or just add new soil or compost over them before planting?

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A. It is usually best to rake away most of the leaves. Small ones like cut-leaf maple will have somewhat disintegrated, leaving debris fine enough to scratch into the soil as you prepare it for planting.

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I bag removed whole leaves to use later as a soil-cooling, moisture-retaining mulch around plants as air temperatures and the soil begin heating up in late spring or early summer.

Q. My garlic is up and growing nicely, but a few of the plants have two thick, sturdy stems. Should I be doing anything about this oddity?

A. This is not so unusual. I always have a few double-stemmed garlic plants. Sometimes, the papery covering on the garlic cloves we plant in the fall conceal a division in the clove and two points of growth instead of one. The result is a double plant.

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As garlic top growth develops in early spring and I spot these twin plants, I gently pull one of the pair out of the ground while pressing the soil down firmly around the other with the other hand. These garlic “thinnings” are delicious chopped finely into salads or added to stir-fry dishes.

Q. Are there any plantings, or some sort of material, that would deter dogs, without harming them, from coming into the garden? I want to avoid fencing.

A. Rolls of spiked plastic matting are available to deter unwanted creatures from coming into a garden. Some hardware stores sell these products. Lee Valley Tools is another source.

Otherwise, planting prickly or thorny plants along points of entry the dogs are using would be helpful. While the plants are growing and filling out, you may need to set up a short, inconspicuous barrier along one side to complete the deterrence.

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