With each new year, gardeners vow to make changes or try new techniques (or remember old ones). 2013 shall be no different, and so we bring you Gardenerd’s Gardening Resolutions for the new year.
1) De-Clutter – haven’t used that stack of plastic pots in three years? It’s time to let them go. Donate them to a school or recycle them through Freecycle or Craigslist. I’m cleaning out shredded bird netting, old balls of wire (collected from Christmas wreaths of Christmases past), and seeds that have a low germination rate.
2) Water the Compost Pile – I confess, I let my compost pile get dry. Without water, compost doesn’t happen. This year, I vow to water my pile more thoroughly and diligently.
3) Plant New Varieties – This year we’ll be trying to grow millet in the Test Garden, and perhaps some micro greens (open pollinated or heirloom, of course). Growing grains is a great way to provide food for yourself and your compost bin.
4) Brew Compost Tea – This is the year that I will start brewing compost tea. Thus far, we’ve been using an inactive steeping technique that doesn’t use aeration. 2013 will be the year to get a compost tea brewer (complete with air pump), and I vow to apply the stuff regularly.
I’ve probably left some out, but it’s good to start small. Let the gardening year begin!
What are your New Year’s Resolutions for the garden? Share them with us here.
I have two resolutions that you could help with!
One is to plant seeds in a timely manner instead of leaving it to the last week.
The other is to plan, prep, plant and harvest enough organic produce and preserves to feed a part of 50 at the end of May!
What would really help me is to read in your blog what you are prepping and planting right now so I could use that to nudge me to do the same.
Hi Bibi,
It all depends on what hardiness zone you’re in. If you know your last frost date, you can start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks prior to that date. For example, if your last frost is March 15, you can pretty much start planting seeds now for spring planting.
As for planting for that party, I recommend a couple things: 1) plan your menu now and from there figure out what you feasibly can grow in your garden. I suggest items that keep on producing, like Swiss chard, lettuces, kales, and other greens (if you live in a cooler climate where these items won’t bolt to seed by May). 2) Plant things that stretch dishes, like herbs, green onions, green beans, etc. They can be chopped up and included in dishes that might have ingredients from outside the garden. Nori rolls use very little in the way of veggies, (mostly rice) but you could easily feature cucumbers, sprouts, carrots, asparagus (if already established) and such in a bite-sized appetizer.
For a planting guide, again it depends on where you live. Here’s a basic guide for spring planting:
I hope this helps.