Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the BTTR Family to you! Thank you for coming along with us for a full year (can you believe it!) If you haven’t checked out our first ever blog post you can do so here. I am so appreciative to those that have read any blog post or those who are just stopping by for the first time. Your support means the work to me and pushes me to keeping going!
To start the new year off to a great start, we are going to talk about the 6 ways in which you can prepare your garden for the spring planting that is happening right around the corner.
Map Out Your Space
Maybe you are keeping the same layout that you had last spring, or maybe you want to switch it up this year. Now is a great time to start planning that out and begin to make the changes in your garden. Are all of your beds where you want them? do you have a particular hard to reach area that struggled a bit last year? Is there a place that didn’t get as much sunlight as you wished? These and many more are some of the questions that you need to start asking yourself. Once you have the answers, go out and make the moves! Future you will thank you for starting early ad your crops will thank you with bountiful harvests
Make Sure You Have Your Equipment
After you’ve mapped out your space, take the time to make a list (and check it twice) of all he tools that you have and may need for the spring. If you don’t already this is a great time to get your indoor seed kits and tools that you have a seamless process of germinating your seeds and then transferring them into the ground once the weather warms up. Tools to think about are your lights, heating mats, germination trays, different size pots and maybe even soil blockers to make your life a bit easier. You don’t want to realize that you forgot something while you are in the groove of planting you seeds.
Choosing your Seeds
If you haven’t already it is time to browse, pick and but seeds for your upcoming season. When looking keep in mind your zone, climate, water availability, sun pattern and other weather related things as this will impact how well different crops do in your are and more specifically in your garden. Maybe you get the same varieties that did really well for you last year, maybe you switch it up, all in all do what’s best for you are your family and just have fun with it!
Prepping and Planting Seeds
After you have your seed, there are a ton of veggies hat are ready to be prepped for planting and you should get started on that right away! For me in Zone 8b there are a few plants that can be directly own outside right now and there are some that may need a bit of time still indoors in a greenhouse or even a windowsill to have some time to germinate and wait until our winter frost is over. Here are some examples of those:
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Collards
- Cauliflower
- Head Lettuce
- Onions
- Parsley
These are just examples for my zone. Make sure to check and see which ones will work best for you and your zone.
Set the Schedule for You
Last but not least, it’s time to make a schedule that your for you and your family. Plan out the task that you know that you need to do and add a bit of wiggle room in there for any tasks that my sneak up on you at the last minute. Take it slow, and allow yourself to enjoy the life that you are cultivating. The work that you put in now will show throughout the year in the fruits of your labor.
For now, though, I hope you have some steps to take to prepare yourself for your winter garden! Use this time to really do right by yourself and your family. Remember that gardening as a whole is marathon no a sprint and to set yourself up for the greatest success by preparing well!
Until next time, as always, Plant with a Purpose! – BTR
