Evaluate
The ideal time to evaluate last year's garden is immediately after the growing season. By this time,it is easy for me to forget the past failures and have rosy eyed visions of next year's successes! But it certainly isn't too late to consider a few questions.
1. What did well in last year's garden? (Plants, varieties, time planted, or specific care)
2. What did not do well in last year's garden?
3. Is there some way I can avoid last year's problems and maximize the successes?
Dream
Maybe you spend no extra time thinking about your garden, just hanging a flowering basket from the greenhouse on your porch and throwing some beans seeds in the garden in May. Or maybe you have a grand scheme for your landscaping that you are slowly working on from year to year.
The large garden books full of photographs at the library are great for giving inspiration, if you can resist the comparison game! Not all of us can hire a full-time gardener! I find it best to page through a gardening book with pen and paper near-by to jot down the plant names, tips or ideas that you are sure to never remember in the spring! (Actually that is a great way to read many books of various topics! Writing things down is the only way most of us will remember – and we rarely can find that quote, tip or idea later.)
Some questions to consider while “dreaming”.
1. What new plant/variety/technique/etc would I like to try this year?
2. What changes to my garden would bring it closer to my goals for my garden?
Learn
Your evaluation and dreaming may have brought up questions for which you need answers. Maybe you want to start a compost pile, plant a new tree, learn some organic preventions or try a new-to-you vegetable. Find a book or other resource now, before you are staring at a stretch of tilled earth or standing at the nursery overwhelmed by the choices.
1. What questions do I have or topics would I like to learn more about?
2. Where could I best find the answers to my questions? Online, books, experienced gardener, extension office, etc.
Just for fun, here are my answers to some of these questions.
1. What did well in last year's garden? Broccoli plants under row cover, late potatoes planted in mid-June, the new variety of peas I planted and now forget the name!
2. What did not do well in last year's garden? Onions – they just don't seem to ever keep well, began rottening almost immediately. Grapes – caught black rot fungus. Carrots – spindly little things, and have no idea why.
3. Is there some way I can avoid last year's problems and maximize the successes? Maybe try a new variety or two of onion. Call the extension office and see if they have any suggestions since this has been an on-going problem. Spray the grapes with an anti-fungal spray very early before the grapes are setting. Plant carrots in a new spot and give them extra compost.
Definitely plan to plant late potatoes again. Buy some more row cover (ours is shot) and cover more crops to minimize insect damage, especially squash and vining crops. Figure out what variety of peas we planted - and keep better records next year!
1. What new plant/variety/technique/etc would I like to try this year? Hopefully the garlic will come up that I planted in the fall. Amend the soil to make it more acid and plant blueberries bushes. Plant some greens and fall vegetables with the thoughts of using them to supplement our chicken's feed.
2. What changes to my garden would bring it closer to my goals for my garden? I want my children to continue to enjoy time spent in the garden. In my old herb garden (which I dug up in the fall) plant a children's garden with a pole bean tent and small corn maze. Also plant sunflowers and pumpkins that they wished for last year. Be sure to allow an empty place for their digging!
I do need to keep my garden dreams grounded by the realization that we are expecting a new little one in April! After my last two April births, I was so thrilled to have a waist again and revert to normal energy levels, that I was bounding with garden enthusiasm by May! The newborn learned to take naps in the stroller or I carried a baby monitor and feedings were just a good time to sit out on a lawn chair and enjoy the fresh air. But I know I can't expect a good baby and lots of energy immediately! I don't plan to plant any early spring crops, though I'll really miss the fresh broccoli. I may plant my peas a little later then usual.
1. What questions do I have or topics would I like to learn more about? Seed saving, children's gardens, garden design (especially perennials), what chickens eat!
2. Where could I best find the answers to my questions? I already mentioned my stack of books and seed catalogs! I plan to call our local extension office some day soon with a few questions. I also need to go somewhere (maybe Martins Elevator) to find out how to prepare my soil for planting blueberries. And since I've shared my questions with all of you – maybe you have the answers to some of these questions for me!
Next week, I hope to share some of my favorite gardening books. If you have one that you love and turn to often, I'd like to hear about it!
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