4 EASY STEPS TO HELP YOU PREPARE FOR YOUR SPRING GARDEN...
you might not be thinking about a garden, but NOW is the time!
1. REQUEST SEED CATALOGS
There are a multitude of seed companies out there to choose from. Many will send you a free catalog. What we look for in a seed company is if they offer open-pollinated, non-GMO, heirloom varieties that our ancestors grew, and not the hybrid varieties. To read more on the descriptions of these terms you can visit this website: http://blog.seedsavers.org/open-pollinated-heirloom-and-hybrid-seeds/ We suggest you research to find the variety of seeds you prefer and then search for seed companies that offer that type. Our personal favorite is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. http://www.rareseeds.com/ Request many seed catalogs! Most of them will have all sorts of helpful information in them regarding gardening tips, how-to's, planting instructions, and even recipes! Once you have made all your requests sit back and relax while you wait for all this goodness to arrive in the mail!
2. PLAN YOUR GROWING AREA
Where will you be able to plant your garden? There are many different ways to plant a garden. Do you only have room for a garden on your patio in containers? Do you have a little yard room for a raised bed? Or do you have a larger yard, or even many acres, where you can incorporate a traditional bed? Once you decide what you have room for, it is time to sketch a general layout of how much garden room you will have. You will want to include a general outline of the areas and include the dimensions. This does not have to be elaborate or exactly to scale! As long as you have a small picture of what your big picture will look like in the spring.
3. SELECTING YOUR SEEDS
By now your seed catalogs should be arriving! It is a big deal at our house when these start arriving in the winter! It is like Christmas every time one arrives. So, now that you have your catalogs you are going to need to devote some time to looking through them. There is a lot of information to take in. Multiple varieties of tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cucumbers, and I bet several vegetables you have never heard of! WOW! It can be quite overwhelming. This is where your garden sketch will come in handy. You will probably be tempted to want to buy so many seeds you will not have room for them all! It happens to us every year. With this in mind, you can always add a little more space to your garden on your sketch, and soon your garden may take over a large portion of your entire yard like ours does! So with your sketch and your catalogs in hand, start marking pages in your catalogs of what you would like to grow. It is a good idea to read reviews on the different varieties, check the climate zones, and read the descriptions. You can do this online and with your catalogs. Thinking about the location of your garden and the uniqueness of the areas within it, start jotting down where you would plant the seeds you are interested in. Does one area get a little more shade than another? Reading those descriptions will help you decide what to plant where. Hang on to your seed catalogs as they will provide useful information throughout the growing season as well as in years to come.
4. PLANTS VS....SEEDS (NOT ZOMBIES!)
Deciding whether you should start your garden from seeds or buy starter plants is an important decision! Do you have the time and space to care for young plants for up to three months before they are ready to be transplanted to your garden? Not all seeds are able to be directly sown into the ground, depending on your climate zone. For the regions 5-6 (check your region here...http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/ ) plants such as tomatoes and peppers should be started indoors. Starting seeds indoors can be more time consuming but you will have a much larger selection of varieties to chose from and a much deeper connection to your plants will be formed. It is wonderful to know where your food comes from and how it was cared for from its beginnings! While buying starter plants is the more beginner option, starting plants from seed can be done by beginners eager to learn! You CAN do it! For a GREAT resource on ALL things planting, check out this very useful app http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/when-to-plant-app-gardening-tool.aspx#axzz2oRvMH4AD
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