First spring trip to the country

Recommendation points

• Collecting things
• Let’s hit the road
• Priority work in the house and garden

Even in winter, every summer resident begins to anticipate this exciting moment – the first visit to his native and beloved site after long cold months. The first trip to the dacha in the spring is a kind of return home, to the places where the family spent almost all their free time in the summer, because the townspeople have already managed to miss their country house, work in the garden and in the beds.

But the first trip to the summer cottage in early spring is also a hassle, a huge front of work that accumulated over the winter, when it was simply impossible to get to the summer cottage..

So, how to organize your first trip to the site in the spring so that it brings a lot of pleasure to the whole family, and at the same time manage to do at least part of the plan in the house and in the garden?

In winter, it can be very difficult to get to many garden associations and summer cottages, even by your own car. And there is nothing special to do on the site. So there are country houses in a “mothballed” form, waiting for warm sunny days and the first visit of the owners

Collecting things

During the winter months, the owners of the dacha manage to get out of the habit of traveling to their site, so it is worth preparing for the first visit thoroughly, having thought over exactly what you need and making a list of all things so as not to forget anything.

Experienced summer residents, going on their first spring trip to a suburban area, are advised to take with them such a set of “essentials”:

1. Rubber boots and warm shoes. The snow, most likely, has just melted, and at the summer cottage you can expect just impassable mud, and the ground is still cold, so sneakers are still not a suitable option.
2. Hats and a jacket with a hood. Even if in the city you already go to work without a hat, in an open area the cold wind can cause a cold, so it is better to take a comfortable knitted hat with you.
3. Clothes for work in the garden and at home. At the dacha, on your first visit, you will definitely not only rest, but also work hard, so clothes should be as comfortable as possible and at the same time warm. And choose things that you won’t mind getting dirty!
4. We must not forget about such simple but necessary items as soap, wet and dry napkins, and other hygiene items. It is corny to wash your hands after gardening in this case there will be nothing. And one more thing – you will definitely have to put things in order in the house, which has become dusty during the winter months, so take all kinds of detergents and cleaning products needed during wet cleaning.
5. If you took all your inventory and tools home from your summer cottage in the fall, then now is the time to return them to your “duty station”. Think about what exactly you will need on your first visit, since it may not be possible to capture everything at once – your car is not dimensionless.
6. It is imperative to buy gloves in advance – rubber, for cleaning the house, and stronger, cloth gloves – for working in the garden and in the yard.
7. If children are going with you to the dacha, then invite them to take their favorite toys with them, you can grab a couple of books – at least they will read them on the road. In general, young travelers will have to pack a separate bag with everything they need, including a change of clothes just in case. A trip with a tiny child is a completely separate topic, which includes a whole suitcase of things – from diapers to baby food.
8. First aid kit. Of course, I really want the first visit to the site to pass without excesses and troubles. But no one is safe from cuts and scratches while working in the garden, so it is better to take iodine, hydrogen peroxide, adhesive plaster and bandage just in case. And if any of the family members take any medications, prepare them in advance..
9. If this is your first time leaving for the country, when it is already warm enough for mosquitoes to appear, be sure to grab a cream from these annoying insects.
10. And the best part is food, that is, everything for the first spring picnic in nature. Meat for barbecue should be marinated at home and transported in a saucepan, and if you do not have a supply of firewood on the site, do not forget to stop at the nearest gas station and buy a couple of bundles. It is better to take food with a supply, since after physical work and in the fresh air, everyone will definitely have an appetite.

The further list largely depends on how long you intend to stay in the country and what you plan to do. If the trip takes only one day (indeed, for the first time it is quite enough), then you can limit yourself to the above minimum set. You will stay at the dacha all weekend – you will need a change of linen, and everything you need for an overnight stay, and more food.

Very often, when going to the dacha, the owners begin to regret that their car does not have a roof rack – after all, there are so many things you need to take with you!

If you intend to start pest control and whitewash the trees on your first trip, you need to bring lime with you to make a solution, and anti-rodent agents, and preparations against scab and harmful insects, which you need to treat tree trunks to real heat.

This is a solid list. Evaluate if everything you planned will fit in the car, taking into account that the back seat will be occupied by children and a dog. And if you have to get to the dacha on your own, then the list will have to be revised again and leave only what you really can’t do without.

Let’s hit the road

Even before the road, it is necessary to “reconnoiter the situation.” If a dirt road leads to your summer cottage, it may not be dry yet and will become an insurmountable obstacle. It’s not bad if you have the phones of your neighbors in the country, which you can call and find out if they have already been on their site this year and whether it is worth going on the road.

Another option is to call the management of the dacha village or gardening partnership. By the way, it is from these people that you can find out whether water has already been turned on in your gardening, since most often in such villages, uninhabited in winter, in the cold season, the water supply is cut off, fearing freezing of pipes and breakouts.

Are you using public transport? Check with the bus station or railway station if the schedule of regular buses or trains has changed.

If someone in your family is sick, you need to take care of the appropriate medications to take before you start your trip.

One last thing – you don’t need to be reminded to refuel.?

And even if your country house is not a luxurious mansion by the pond at all. Anyway, a trip to the country house becomes an excellent excuse to escape from the city and take a break from office everyday life.

Priority work in the house and garden

The main advice before the first trip to the country – do not try to “embrace the immensity” and redo all the work in one day or even a weekend. In spring, there is a lot of work in the garden and in the beds, of course, but in this case it is worthwhile to prioritize and think about what you really have time to do.

Experts advise, first of all, in the beginning of spring to take care of the garden – the earth is not dry yet, there is nothing to do in the beds, it is too early to plant flowers. Therefore, on the first trip to the country, it is worth pruning fruit trees, whitening the trunks of your apple and cherry trees, and treating the trees with copper sulfate or a special preparation against pests that have not yet woken up after winter.

However, usually the main goal of the first trip to the country is to tidy up the house and the plot. Real general cleaning, during which all family members will have to work.

Do not forget about such important points as:

1. Mice could have settled in the house over the winter, so work carefully, with gloves, be sure to treat all surfaces with an antiseptic to get rid of the smell and microbes that rodents could bring. It is worth placing mousetraps or, if you have no pets, decompose the poison.
2. It is advisable to heat a house that has become damp during the winter. If you don’t have a boiler, wood stove or fireplace, you can bring an electric heater or electric stove with you. They will definitely come in handy if you plan to spend the night in a still cold building. And before you turn on the heater or light the fireplace, you should ventilate the house to get rid of the smell of non-residential premises.
3. During the winter months, wood furniture could well have been sharpened by mice, insects, or ruined by fungus. Examine the legs of tables and chairs to make sure they are secure.
4. The trees in the garden must be examined and old, diseased and dried branches must be removed, and the stems must be cleaned of dead bark.
5. You can also feed perennial plants on the site with nitrogen fertilizers through the snow, which then, with melt and rainwater, will themselves penetrate deep into the soil.
6. You also need to cut and carefully tie the vine to the trellis..
7. Take your time to discover perennial plants wrapped in anticipation of severe frosts. The bright spring sun can harm the shrubs and flowers that have become unaccustomed from it, so you need to remove the protection gradually, layer by layer, and preferably on a cloudy day. But it is also impossible to delay with “undressing” – in such a warm “fur coat” plants can simply rot and rot.
8. On the first trip to the dacha, you can hang birdhouses in the garden – now the birds are beginning to look for convenient nesting places, and their help in the fight against pests will definitely not hurt you.
9. Until the soil is dry, it is better not to touch the lawn, even if the snow has completely melted and green grass is visible here and there.
10. When removing the leaves left over from the fall, do not rush to throw them away – throw them into a compost heap, they will be useful as fertilizers. Dry branches, windbreak and remnants of shelter for plants can be burned, and wood ash can also be scattered around the garden.

There is, of course, a lot of work, because we have listed only the most basic tasks, and how many more will appear when the owner takes over the winter’s dacha with his master’s gaze! However, the muscles that have become unaccustomed from physical work should be protected, otherwise the first trip to the dacha will turn into a grabbed back and aches throughout the body. Take breaks, enjoy your work, and stop at the first sign of fatigue or back pain. You have at least two more months of spring and a long summer ahead – you will be in time for everything!

On the first visit to the dacha, most of the work awaits the owners in the garden. And as much as you would like to quickly sit down at the table and have the first picnic of this year, remember that you need to cut off trees and grapes before the buds swell and juice actively begins to circulate along the branches

Plan your first trip to the dacha in advance, prepare everything you need, make a list of what needs to be done first, and most importantly – take care of yourself, do not overwork. Leave time for family, enjoy the spring scenery, fresh air and the aroma of meat roasting on an open fire – and you will definitely look forward to your next trip to your site..