Do you have any tools or equipment? If so what?

Also some pictures of what you're dealing with would be helpful.

It's too early to plant much, IMHO. I'm also in NNE, but zone 5. Now is a good time to prune trees and shrubs. You can remove low-hanging branches.

It's also a good time to plan gardens. You might want to plan a patio area, path through your woods/meadow, etc. For a garden, you might want to start with shrubs. There are tons of natives that like it damp. One way to plan paths is to lay them out with hose.

It's also a good time to start seeds, with the caveat that lots of our natives require long freeze-thaw cycles, so needed to be started outdoors in the fall.

My yard needs raking to remove the beech nut shells and dethatch the lawn.

If you have forsythia, you can bring branches in to force. They will produce lovely spring-like flowers in a week or two. They are practically a weed, so you can chop off lots of branches. If you don't have any, I don't recommend them.

If you are allergic to poison ivy, beware! They are not leafed out yet and you won’t know what you are dealing with. ALL PARTS OF THE PLANT WILL CAUSE A REACTION IF YOU ATE SUSCEPTIBLE!

Here's what seems to be a good first project...

The snow plow scraped gravel off my driveway and into the yard. I'd like to do at least some kind of planting there or encourage wilderness to take it over during the warm months.

What do I do? Do I have to rake up all the gravel? Or can I simply disperse the gravel more and plant (I'm thinking wildflowers)? I have approx. 2 lbs of wildflower seeds that didn't get planted in late fall owing to early snow onset.

There is likely to be some road salt residue here.

I own a rake and a pointy shovel.

Ignore the brush and log piles: they're deliberate.

You are giving very mixed signals about where you are. Potsdam? The Berkshires? Northern Kingdom? No idea, and given that spring goes more by latitude than zone, it matters.

My guess is that seed starting is about the only gardening task that makes sense right now, but you can't do that without supplies.

Given the size of the plot you're going to need a lot more tools. People in your locality will have more idea than me but I would have thought at least a barrow and some form of weedwacker/scythe. Just to keep on top of growth while you're working on more detailed plans. Probably secateurs, loppers and saws in due course too.

Rake and shovel the area smooth, paying attention to how it wants to drain. Sow your seed now and rake them in, as in the first nice day that presents itself. Early spring when snow and rain can settle in wildflower seeds is a fine time to sow. You need to get the ground covered. Nature will help. A little gravel splash will not be a problem for a great many grasses and wildflowers or future plans.

Depending on what comes up in your dirt will help determine your initial mowing/editing strategy with the goal of nudging this space towards wildflowers.

Granted it is a weird year, but some municipalities mandate a lawn and 1-2 trees must be planted. Also zone 4 is -30 F or -34 C . I know this because I live in zone 4 and no Japanese maples for me. Might also be an idea to send in some soul samples. Our ground is still frozen so no gardening for me.

Doing nothing is exactly what you should be doing this season! Do not disturb any soil! Instead start making a complete inventory of every living thing that appears and when. You want to know the weeds, the natives, the invasives, the good bugs and bad bugs and birds and snails. Take pictures of every plant and list it here in the Name this Plant forum. Before you turn around you’ll have the answer. In some cases you will identify a noxious weed that should be extirpated before going to seed so then you have permission to go that. You want to know all of your flora and how each behaves. Then you start to plan a garden. Lucky you to be a wildlife sanctuary! One more thing. Read Doug Tallamy. Any book he’s written. That gives you the most important grounding in ecological gardening and will get you off on the right foot. You don’t seem like the type to fall for it but you are sure to hear from the people telling you to apply roundup and start from scratch. Just NO.

Raking and smoothing the ground and sowing wildflower seeds is not going to stop what's there from showing up. Anticipating the wildflowers will give you all the time you need to learn about what shows up. You need to get the bare ground covered.

Being new construction, this is already disturbed, graded ground in all likelihood. Without knowing where this soil came from, who knows what might be in it. You need to get the ground covered. Sow your seed now. Nature will provide the matrix, a living green mulch, that will tolerate your long term mowing/editing strategy to make more wildflowers.

You don't need to be an expert to start.

Y'all are a breath of fresh air—just the healthy shot of goodwill I need right now. Wow, you're so kind.

Okey dokey, first off will be the gravelly challenge. That may take a couple of days. I am now encouraged to sow the wildflower seeds. Worst case scenario, I'll lose a bunch, but I have a big supply!

Next task. What do you think?: Watch water drainage and lot contours and figure out where to put raised beds, maybe waist high, how the light would be, etc.. I may start with one this year, in full morning sun. I can have it delivered to my doorstep. I will paper-plot a pathway between the raised beds. They won't be for vegetables, which I can get fresh and cheap locally, all nice and clean; but flowers for summer and bird-friendly stuff for winter. The raised beds should minimize water runoff problems (you can correct me) and give me some quality soil to work with.

I kinda want to train vines over those brush piles for fall color. They might already be targeted by Virginia Creeper, which would save me some work.

It sounds like you think I could figure out more shrubs and stuff not this year. Good.

I'll try and answer some of your questions....

A 10x10 deck is already planned and permitted. I don't want construction folks around the property, so this might have to wait another year.

Night time activity: I already had the Kindle version of a Doug Bellamy. I love his writing style and perspective. For me, it was a big splurge: but thank goodness for Kindle, since I don't have to leave the property to pick one up. I clearly have to read the rest of it.

My house is in Vermont. Placed in October. Not manufactured; modular.

This aspect is rare: I familiarized myself in detail with the property before the home was built, so I have a year and a half experience under my belt (8 months for lot closing and over a year before the house went in). Also, my house is solar (lucky me) and therefore quite sunny. Things will look a bit different when the leaves fill out, but I also have about a thousand photos from last year to guide me.

I am in a subdivision, but not the kind that has rules about lawns, house color, etc. No other buildings are visible from my house.

Behind the house it's all shady, but those are white pines back there, and I love the needles underfoot. I don't plan to do much back there—get some offshoots of the bird-friendly shrubs that grow around here—and do battle with the poison ivy which ran amok after they cleared the lot. Thanks, Karen, for reminding me. I figured out a vinegar concoction last summer that seemed to work, and I have one of those large capacity pump-sprayer thingies.

At this time, I don't need to trim anything. I got the construction crews to do all that needs doing. They removed a couple of 80-foot trees and were otherwise liberal with the chain saw.

No roundup, no salt, but lots of runoff. There are 2 catch basins for that. The Town designed the lot contours and the storm drainage.

- Every year around this time I rake gravel from driveway snowplowing out of the lawn. Make sure things are somewhat dry when you do this.

- If your house has a foundation, you may need to do digging to remove debris such as concrete leftovers.

- Research native shrubs and perennials for your area, but don’t be afraid to add non natives such as daffodils or crocus or reticulated iris to extend your season or to add interest. Many plants aren’t fussy but will welcome birds and insects to your yard.

- Figure out current drainage. I wouldn’t plan to put in raised beds at this point unless your age is such that in ground planting is an issue. It sounds like drainage was planned and you might not want to disrupt that, though you might want to terrace steep slopes. Raised beds are IME more work as far as managing moisture, etc. Plan beds and plant cover crops and add organic matter with compost of some type. Often folks seem to feel like they need to bring in “good” soil, but I have never done more than add lots of organic matter to my beds and remove rocks and construction debris as needed. Find sources for what you plan to plant, and expect to start planting in the fall except for an annual cover crop to hold soil this year. In northern New England, planting when soil is warm tends to be more successful, and it isn’t warm in spring. For instance grass does best when planted around Labor Day, and the majority of my shrubs have been planted in September.

- Look up directions for how to get soil samples and send to a lab. Vermont has some areas where the soil is highly acidic like in my central NH location and some areas where pH is more alkaline. The test will also give you some basics of organic matter and nutrients so you have an idea what will grow well. It will make a big difference to your success if you start with accurate info.

- Consider views, both from inside and outside the house. Almost half our year is cold, and you want good view from inside as well as outside. Think about winter interest in the form of interesting colored branches and evergreens as well as bird feeders or warmed water to attract critters or sculpture. What windows do you look out from your favorite chair or what do you want to see from the kitchen window or your office?

I spent mid-day on your suggestions....

-raking the area in photo above to prepare for wildflower seed

-raked over another small area next to a spot that seems to be sprouting from seeds I planted in fall; I will seed this, too.

-began scouting for raised bed spots--I have issues with water runoff, so I have to keep that in mind as I plan

-beginnings of inventory with 2 items posted in What is this?

My house has icky, lender-mandated, skirting, thus my need for raised beds. I gotta hide the ugly. Plus, they'll be easier on my bones.

The birds are going CRAZY. What's with that?

The birds are going CRAZY. What's with that?

It's spring. The forest's voice is changing.

Someone else mentioned this being an unusual amount. They're theorizing it's because there are a lot fewer humans around to disturb them. Interesting thought. I'm way up north in New England, and it's still cold, so this isn't normal.

It was warm enough for you to go outside and do some raking...…..and sow out some bird food.

LMAO.... All that work getting snow-plow gravel right back where it belonged, and there's 8 inches (so far) of new snow. Back to square one.

As far as garden tools are concerned, since you seem to have only a shovel and a rake, may I make some suggestions? I have gardened in Massachusetts for 40 years, and these are must-haves, IMO:

-- Muller's Smart Cart . Simply the very best for hauling anything. Expensive, but lasts forever, and parts can be obtained if needed. My original one is over 20 years old, and my second one was bought 5 years ago. Best money I ever spent on garden work!! And made in the USA.

-- Felco hand pruners.

-- WaterRight hoses -- lightweight (important to me), and durable. Non-kink and drinking water safe. And colorful!

-- A hori-hori-type knife for digging in confined spaces. Also a small hand "mattock".

Roxanna! Your post is very timely! This morning I was outside trying to take cuttings for shrubs with my "suicider" (one of those retractable construction knives) and wishing I had secateurs.

You think Felco? Do they make them for small hands?

I can evidently get curbside pickup at Gardener's Supply, which is local here.

You can take a year to evaluate what you have, but if you have some good guidance and want to proceed with development, there's no reason to wait. If any demolition occurs and good plants are discovered buried within it, they can be dug out, heeled in, in a safe spot and replanted later at a final place.

Spend some time evaluating the shade and structure of trees. some may not be worth keeping based on poor structure alone, regardless of species.

If there is any hardscape to be added, plan that first, separately, and complete it before planting in nearby areas. If you install plants before hardscape, many will be destroyed.

Probably the first actual project you implement will be to create the landscape beds, dividing them from the grass. The beds can be edged with a trench, a mowing strip (more involved installation but classier) or in rustic areas, repeat trimming by the lawnmower might suffice. The easy way to design beds is on paper. Crete a scale "map" [plan] of your yard and then you can figure things out on the plan at a nice comfortable table, rather than while walking around in bad weather.

For advice on what to do for a specific area, you'll need slightly overlapping pictures that show the complete scene, including background in the distance and at each side .... but not taken from too far away. Pivot the camera to catch the entire scene while always standing at the same spot for a given scene.

Wow, I just saw this thread. Lots of people home with some enthusiasm to get outside and to talk about gardening. Haven't the time right now to read it....lol. Have to get outside this morning and get some things done, but look forward to reading it later. Happy spring, hope we all get a lot done.

tangerinedoor -- Yes, the Felco pruners are available for small hands, as mine are, also! And come in left- or right-handed versions, if that is a concern. They are heirloom-type tools, IMO, and unless you lose one in the yard somewhere, as I did many years ago (never to be seen again), they will last forever. Replaceable blades, too.

Gardener's Supply is one of my top favorite companies!!! Lucky you, to live near them. I've ordered from them for decades. I believe they carry that Water Right hose...

Start saving up to purchase that Muller's garden cart -- it's definitely worth the expenditure! I plan to be buried in mine when the time comes, lol.

More thanks for Yardvaark. Now I have your layout for my front entrance (https://www.houzz.com/discussions/5885787/my-front-path-needs-some-pretty-i-need-experienced-eyes#25293017) I can start choosing and organizing those purchases (prolly May) while I figure out how the rest of the property works. That's this post.

I have begun taking inventory, as suggested upthread, and one of my "What is this?" posts has drifted into taking cuttings from shrubs. I did my first batch last night. I'll have to eat more yogurt to generate containers before I do another batch.

Since we had a foot of snow this week, I'm also paying attention to where runoff goes. I've been digging ditches (hard in some spots 'cos the ground is frozen) to make the runoff more orderly. That way, I'll be able to plant stuff without it getting saturated all the time.

Aaaand.... a woman was walking by trying to entertain her young grandchild. I asked her if they could help me pick up trash around the subdivision (good "social distance" activity). She volunteered that she was going to get some older homebound students to make "Do NOT throw trash" signs! Great idea, huh?

roxanna7, what model of Felco pruners do you have? It would probably be smart for me to have a lightweight pair for clipping flowers, etc. and a second pair that's more robust for cutting twigs, etc. I don't need loppers right now.

I'm on a budget, and don't want to spend a lot of money, but yes, IME, there's no substitute for good secateurs.

I also have to get some garden gloves with padded hands since my old ones have been converted to Covid19 shopping gloves..

*******

Later... roxanna7 do the Felco #6 look appropriate? Local Gardener's Supply has them in stock, with curbside pick up.

Do you know of another tool or 2 from Gardeners' Supply if I make a pickup run? They have waaay more in the store than on the website, so you might be familiar?

tangerinedoor -- Yes, my Felco is #6. Funny, I do not see the Felco brand on their website, just their own brand. Which may be dandy, but I would still prefer the real Felco... I use mine for flower clipping AND for general pruning of twigs/thin branches.

I also really like their TubTrugs. Fun colors, and SO very useful for weeding, and more. I wonder about the black ones they offer that are made of recycled rubber -- I suspect they may weigh more, which is a consideration for me (negative) but they may also be more rugged (which would be a positive). The colorful tubtrugs last well enough -- most of mine are several years old -- but be careful about leaving them out in freezing weather.

Another tool they offer is the Spear Head Spade. Excellent if you have stony soil, as I do. Better than the round shovel for the job of actually digging. Ask for it for Christmas or your birthday!

Their French Blue Watering Can is wonderful. Even fully loaded, I can manage it nicely (full disclosure: I am under 5 foot tall and 74 this year, lol). Besides, it looks pretty in the garden and I leave it out there all the time (too lazy to walk to the shed constantly).

The Dirty Little Digger is indispensable, IMO, but theirs is a tad expensive. You can find one cheaper elsewhere, I believe. I do everything with mine when it comes to planting.

Here's a tip for plant labels, when you get to that stage: buy a cheap vinyl Venetian blind, separate the slats and cut into appropriate lengths. Use pencil to i.d. your plant (lasts longer and doesn't fade). I write on both sides of it, burying one written side below soil, which seems to keep things from fading at all.

And whatever you do when you start making gardens, DO NOT use weed cloth!! It will not keep weeds from growing and is hideous to remove. I'm still finding some under weedy areas that the former owners did, and I've been here for 23 years. Grrr!

Have fun with your blank slate! Keep us posted as time goes on.

P.S. If you want some daylilies or hosta, I like to share!

Thanks, roxanna7, for the info on the Felco. Gardener's Supply told me they have Felco, just not in their online store. They don't have hardly anything in their online store, as far as I can tell.

I will plan to avoid weed cloth. Great tip on the Venetian blind labels!

And some daylillies might be a good plan (thanks for the offer), but I think I'll wait 'til next year. I have to take care of this front, and do some stuff out back, since it's quite bare back there and will be a mess.

to add to what roxanna7 said, I have used beige Venetian blind labels. which look a little better than the white, which can look like little mouse gravestones! I use a elmers paint pen - can get at Wal-mart - which does not fade.

Felco #6 on order. Gardener's Supply wanted about $70 for them. Makes me sad to buy elsewhere, but that was a large amount more $$ than everywhere else. It was still quite the splurge.

roxanna7, do you have gloves you recommend? What head do you use on your hose?

tangerinedoor -- I begin to feel as tho you and I ought to exchange email addresses and just have a "pen-pal" relationship about gardening! (Which I'd be happy to do if you wish, tho I do not know how to do that without making the email address public here.) I don't want to bore anyone here with my musings...

Anyway, to answer your latest queries: I can't help you with brand names on gloves, which I have long forgotten, but I have a good pair of heavy leather gauntlets for pruning thorny stuff (which I rarely use but with your situation they might be very useful), and some other more supple leather wrist-length gloves (goat?kid?). To be honest, the most used ones I have are cheap nitrile ones with the fabric backs. These are lightweight and sufficient for the soil handling I do, trowel-work, etc. They last quite well. I don't like using gloves much at all, so I don't, most of the time.

Hint: did I mention to you about a wonderful product called "Gloves in a Bottle"? I use it every time I garden bare-handed, really keeps the dirt easy to wash off. My soil stains my fingers badly, and this lotion prevents that from happening very well.

As for the hose, I have four in use around the property. All have 12-15-inch wands with adjustable spray; anything longer is too difficult for me to handle. I love them! Sure, as nothing these days lasts forever, they usually need replacing after 2-4 years use. But that's my normal. Gilmor is one brand I have, can't recall the other. I usually buy them from Amazon or Ocean State Job Lot...

Wanna become email "pen-pals"? !! =)

Roxanna....you adjust your Houzz profile to allow messages. Voilà private "conversation". I do allow messages, so you might see if you can write me a note just by clicking on my profile photo.

Tragedy. I bought some new gardening gloves (made by Mud Gloves, it seems), wore them to mess about in the yard, and my hands—even my wrists—are saturated with green dye. It’ll take weeks to shed, and I doubt it’s good for me. Grrrr....

Relax. That's just your green fingers developing.

floral -- LOL!!!!

My favorite garden tool is my long, skinny, pointy shovel. It is so easy for me to dig with.

It has a narrow blade, but regular length, shivece?

I shoulda used Roxanna's "Gloves in a bottle" underneath my dye-oozing versions.

Gardener's Supply carries Cape Cod Weeder which is hard to find. I had one originally and then added a similar tool. This is my favorite hand tool except for trowels. You can drag it thru the soil to uproot weed seedlings. And, if you are unlucky enough to have a weedy grass or creeping Jenny which has long runner roots, you can combine tugging with one hand and uncovering the root with the weeder. Sometimes I will hack/chop with it for a clumpy type of weed to loosen it. Also visit a local farm and feed store. I happen to like the inexpensive gloves that are dipped in rubber so they keep my hands drier and are also good at gripping weeds. Also get my straw bales there for mulch.

Bird feeders don't have to be in a permanent location. In fact, this is bear country so feeders need to be taken in by April 1. In the fall, we stick garden crook hooks near the kitchen windows where our table is. They hold a niger feeder and suet feeders. (The black oil seed and more suet are across the driveway hanging from a maple tree.) My husband also sticks a pine sapling between two crook hooks since the birds like to perch and wait their turn at the feeder. Due to layout, this is also near our kitchen porch and walkway so I have a halo dogwood next to the walkway where they also like to perch. A spreading cotoneaster has berries some of the birds like. Right now robins are enjoying the tiny crab apples on a weeping crab in the yard. Hoping we'll also see a flock of cedar waxwings feasting on the tree.

Your handle is great, Defrost.

I have to bring the suet in today. The birds didn't like the flavor of this one, either. It was cheap. They like the good stuff. I'd love to see a bear in my yard, but that would be bad for the bear, so no food enticements.

You've given me some ideas about how to organize the bird stuff for next season. I might have a tree snag lying around that I can install for perching and next year's feeders.

I have been quarantining packages before they come into the house. My plastic mini-greenhouses and potting soil bag are now out of quarantine, so I can plant some seeds in my window. No rest for the weary.

Thanks. My husband has been finding low prices on suet at Ace hardware stores. Usually the bears stay more than 100 yards away. We can see them traveling along a stone wall. Usually in the spring we see some cubs. But, this year one did come near the house and took a suet feeder. Birds really like some shelter and/or perching areas. I've noticed some look around before starting to feed. Best wishes for getting settled and making a nice yard. BTW I also lean a trellis against the house next to those windows. In summer I grow scarlet runner beans on it which humming birds love. We have such fun getting a close up look at those little birds. The crook hooks go into summer position on the short walkway. I think mine were on sale at JoAnn's.

I haven’t seen evidence of any bears myself so far this spring but a neighbor had her chicken coop opened and birds killed, though I don’t know by what, so it is time to take precautions. I think that the recommendation is by April 1, and this is an early spring so probably especially important this year.

Cayote.....

My Felco pruners have arrived. They look intimidating. But I also got the cutest ever little trowel for my in-house plantlets:

Progress is being made....

Did you know there's price gouging on wheelbarrows? I wanted one with 2 wheels. Luckily, I was able to avoid the hot pink Barbie version, but had to settle for the ladybug look—evidently red with black spots. Not here yet. No black available, the green was going to be $30 more for the same thing.

Aaaand..... in the 2 weeks since I ordered the lady buggie, the price has gone up $40. Gouge gouge gouge.