mischief momentarily managed: Don't just dream of gardening, start preparing

Friday, February 20, 2015

Don't just dream of gardening, start preparing

This is my garden, does your garden look like this too?

It's hard to imagine that in just a few short months this snow covered barren garden will be full of life, but it's true! So, instead of scowling at your empty garden every time you look out the window, start planning!

What are you going to plant this year? Have you mapped out your garden or your plant placement? Are you using compost, manure, mulch or all of them?

These are things you should be asking yourself.

Now, what you can't see in the picture of my garden is under all that snow is I have covered my garden with chicken and duck manure, compost and straw. So my garden will be ready to plant in the spring and I should get an even better yield than last year because of the added nutrients. If you haven't taken this step, now is a great time!

I keep my seeds organized so it is easy for me to decide what I want to plant. Fall time is a great time to buy discounted seeds to use for the following spring. I also order from online seed companies such as Baker creek heirloom seed company and Heirloom seeds. If you need to purchase seeds, now is the time as it may take a few or more weeks to receive them.

I like to plan my garden in a notebook. There are many other methods and printables online but this is my method of choice. This one is from last year. I write what I plant, where I plant it and the date that I plant it so I can keep track of how my plants are growing. I am working on this years but I tend to change my mind when I am actually planting so I try not to write anything in the book until it is planted.We are also putting in another garden so I will have more space to plant

Last but most important, if you haven't put in a garden space, now is the time. Or, if you are container gardening, now is the time to decide on what you are using and prepare them.

Here are a few extra pictures just for fun.