Planning the Garden!

Good morning Dear Friends...

It is another brisk morning in the valley! Actually the weatherman said it is the coldest morning temperature (without windchill) that we have had yet this winter. My Jeep registered -14 F on the way to work. So very glad there isn't any wind to go along with that!

- 14 - sure glad there is no wind today!

It's usually about this time of the year that I go into full planning mode. Planning the garden, planning projects for the year, organizing and cleaning and de-cluttering! I pull out the calendar, make lists, take inventory, and rewrite budgets. It's a new year filled with hope and promise!

Burpee's Calendar

Today is focused on the gardens! I found an awesome planning calendar over at Burpee's Website that tells you specifically when to plant or transplant in relation to first and last average frost for a specific growing zone. This is especially helpful for newer gardeners like me and not only includes vegetables but herbs, fruits, and flowers. 

Garden Calendar

So I printed off a copy of the full year (one month per page) and using the calendar noted when to plant each specific item I want in my garden this year. There are a few items missing (most notably potatoes) but for the most part I have covered everything we will need.

I have already ordered seed catalogs and am anxiously waiting for them to come in the mail! I love pouring over the different varieties of each vegetables, oohing and aahing over the beautiful colors of the flowers and wishing I could buy everything all at once instead of spreading it over the years. Someday I will have the gardens, orchards and berry patches that I want and need to support my family.

The next step will to measure the gardens, decide where, if possible, we can expand, and then map where everything will go. We have several gardens around the yard, some raised, some not, that we plant in. There are many projects that need to be done to get everything in that I want, and it may take a few years, but will get there.



More Entries.

We have segregated the berries from the rest of the garden. Last year we didn't have much luck with them. Both the Blueberry bushes we planted failed but both Raspberries took. I would like to add more raspberries to the patch and then we will need to put up netting to keep out the birds. That will require braces and such to hold it.

The trellis currently has clematis on it but I would like to replace that with grape vines. I know my parents used to grow concord grapes and make their own juice and jelly from them. I want to get there again.

The apple tree needs to be pruned. We had a huge harvest last year. Largest one my dad had seen in all the years of owning the property. I would like to get another tree in this year too.



Last Year's Gardening Start!

The strawberries are in a great spot, but only receive sunlight on part of the patch. I used old pallets to create my strawberry patch. I stapled gardening fabric to the back of the pallets, flipped them over and filled with soil. It works great! My plants really took off and we had a lot of berries (if we can keep the squirrels and birds out of them). The pallets need to be moved (there are only 2) so that they all receive the sunlight. I have the perfect place for them, but it requires moving a small wood pile and some other things and then actually moving the pallets. I also want to expand this area by adding about 6 more pallets! Of course we will need to add the netting here too.



Strawberries in a Pallet

The herb garden did well last year, right outside the back door. I will need to add some organic mixture this year and till it in good. I will be adding a few more to the garden this year!

Oh, I can't wait to start my garden! We will be planting our tomatoes and peppers inside so they will be ready to go come summer! I still have some research to do on other things, and we will have to make arrangements for the vegetable garden to be tilled, but all in all it's a great start! I can't WAIT for summer! :)