I told myself I will blog daily this year but I didn’t keep to it. Doing some freelance writing for a friend took up more time than I will have liked…
Photo credit: Knitty
Anyway, much of the work is done. I am back to reviewing my gardening diary. January and February are ideal for planning, ordering seeds, and starting plants indoors to get a head start in the growing season.
If you are willing to brave the cold, now is a good time to drop by the local garden center. There will be no crowd and the staff can attend to your needs properly. You can also check out the different plants for spring gardening at your leisure.
Don’t wait till you want to plant before buying gardening items. By then, you will be joining the queue and prices will have gone up some. If you hunt around now, you can save money from good bargains and end-of-season clearance sales, especially potting mix and fertilizers.
Ordering seeds early ensure you get the best selection. You can start sowing the seeds in starter trays but check the the last frost date and package instruction first.
The garden shed is another area where I have to do some work. After a year of rummaging through the garden shed, it looks untidy. As I like to be able to find my tools when I need them, organizing the garden shed before my spring gardening starts is a must.
I also clean up the terracotta pots, planters and starter trays. Not to forget the garden tools, blades, mower are checked to make sure they are functional. If not, I will send them for repair or buy new tools.
Soil testing is a good practice too. You can either buy a basic soil test kit like the Luster Leaf 1818 Rapitest Mini 4-in-1 Soil Tester
During this time, I also browse gardening catalogs and magazines to get additional inspiration. But I don’t like falling into stereotypes and make my garden look exactly alike.
You can make changes according to your preference and amount of gardening work you can devote if you have a busy life. Remember that a beautiful garden is not maintenance-free.
While it is good to plan ahead, you should avoid working in the garden too early and waste your efforts. The soil needs to be damp but not soggy. If you take a handful of soil and make a ball, it should fall apart easily when you open your hand.
Each of us have our own preparation tips to make spring gardening more enjoyable and efficient. Gardeners are a friendly bunch, so feel free to share your experience and ideas.
Edwin said,
January 15, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Hey Paul,cool post. Glad your back
rainfield said,
January 16, 2011 at 6:57 am
We have our reason to enjoy life.
I go hiking and photographing.
You have your gardening work to fill up your time.
But both of us have the same aim: be happy.
Paul said,
January 16, 2011 at 10:13 am
Well Edwin, I hope to keep up the blogging schedule.
Paul said,
January 16, 2011 at 10:15 am
That is true, rainfield. I like your hike at Cerok Tokun and may make a trip there in June.
joey said,
January 16, 2011 at 5:16 pm
Good tips … right now, I’m enjoying garden downtime by focusing inside so that I can be ready to hit the garden, BIG TIME, come spring!
Diane said,
January 17, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Great advice, Paul! The seed catalogs have started showing up in my mailbox this week. And I’m looking for a block of time to go through them and begin planning my spring garden. Thanks for the tips!
SherryGreens said,
January 19, 2011 at 6:49 am
I am so new to this… when would you suggest starting plants from seed? Our frost free date here is May 21st so I can’t plant in the ground before then… But I am getting excited and want to plan!
Pseu said,
January 19, 2011 at 5:36 pm
I always intend to be an all year round gardener.
But the truth of it is that I’m a March to October girl…..
Paul said,
January 20, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Joey, I am looking forward to spring gardening too. Winter makes me lazy. I will rather be out pruning plants and handling manure than sitting in the house watching TV.
Paul said,
January 20, 2011 at 1:45 pm
No problem, Diane. You have a great garden too. Browsing the seed catalogs is a classic winter distraction.
By the way, your post about harvesting and cooking the baby carrots in olive oil was fabulous. It definitely qualifies as a healthy finger food.
Paul said,
January 20, 2011 at 1:59 pm
Sherry, there is no perfect time to start planting from seeds. Usually, the seed package will tell you how many weeks in advance from frost date to start planting , could be 4-6 weeks, but also depends on the type of plants.
Paul said,
January 20, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Pseu, you are not alone. Most people are March to October gardeners. But it is good to do some planning and preparation during winter.