At this time of year there is a lot of work to be done in the garden. If you are like me you wait all winter long to start planting again, and anything you can do to speed up the process is great. I know around January, I feel like digging through the snow just to touch some dirt, but I know when February rolls around, I can get started getting ready to get dirty. Here are some thing you can do before the last frost in your local area.
First thing I do to start my season off right is start my seeds indoors. I like to start seeds indoors so I can get a jump on the growing time of my plants, and it gives me something to look forward to during the cold season. I usually start out with some herbs, flowers, and vegetables. The seed packets will tell you which to start indoors. Some of the plants I started indoors this year are tomatoes, peppers, lavender, and cucumbers.
Many plants can be started indoors, but I prefer to plant root vegetables outside in the place they will grow all summer. This is also the time of year when I will save some potatoes to start growing more potatoes in the spring. I like to pick out a couple potatoes with a lot of eyes. I will then put them in a closet where it is dark and dry. The potatoes will naturally start to grow from the eyes. I will let these grow for a couple weeks before I cut them up and set them out over night to dry the day before planting.
The next thing I usually do after most of the snow has melted is assess the damage in my garden from the winter. I fix any fences, and I realign the rock borders of my garden. This is also essential t weed control in my garden. If you start your garden with good weed control it will make the rest of the process easier. I like to pull whatever might have started to spring up and apply a good layer of mulch.
I will at this time decide where all of my plants will grow. I usually start out by making a basic drawing of the garden. I organize the plants according to there sunlight needs and what was growing on a plot during the previous year. I do not like to plant the same thing in one spot more than two years in a row. This part of garden construction is a lot of fun because it is like a blank canvas, and making a map will make your life easier later on.
All of these activities can get you back into the swing of gardening, and all of these activities can help banish the winter blues so enjoy them!
