January Garden Plans

A few years ago, I posted my garden plans each month. It was helpful in keeping me on tract with the proper time to prune, fertilize, and plant. Maybe my goals will help you make your own garden plans, though if you are in a different climate than me you'll have to adjust your garden tasks. My goals will be based on my USDA Zone 6 garden in southern Pennsylvania.

And I hope to learn from you too! Please feel free to share what you are doing in your garden or correct any of my errors. I still have so much to learn (in the garden and elsewhere).

Kale covered with our fresh snowfall this week.

January – the month to dream.

This year, with our mild December I can still find kale in my garden and a few green leaves of spinach and lettuce in my cold frame. But there is not much to do outside in this weather.

But the seed catalogs arrived with the Christmas cards. I know that not everyone joins me in reading seed catalogs like a novel. Maybe you don't want to think about gardening for several more months. But this is an ideal time to evaluate, dream, and learn.

My January Plans

Evaluate

Reflect on what did and did not work in your garden last year (if you kept some records this will be easier) and ask some 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. How can I avoid last year's problems and maximize the successes?

Dream

Maybe you spend as little time as possible thinking about your garden and just throw some bean seeds in the soil 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 at the library are great for giving inspiration, if you can resist the comparison game. Not many 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 I will never remember in the spring. (Actually that is a great way to read books on various topics. Writing things down is the only way I will remember that great quote, tip, or idea.)

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

Evaluation and dreaming may have brought up questions for which I need answers. Maybe I want to start a compost pile, plant a new tree, try some pest prevention, or plant a new-to-me vegetable. Researching now will save 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? Such as online, books, experienced gardener, extension office, etc.

These long winter evenings are also a great time to learn something new. And if the thought of reading a gardening book puts you to sleep - or is simply revolting, choose another topic that interests you. 

Some of my favorite gardening books to dream and learn.

Just for fun, here are my answers to some of these questions.

Evaluate

1. What did well in last year's garden? Onions. For the first time ever my onions did not rot in storage. They are still firm in January! Was it because of the regular rainfall last summer? 

2. What did not do well in last year's garden? Tomatoes. Blight. Again. 

3. How can I avoid last year's problems and maximize the successes? Maybe I need to resort to a regular system of spraying the tomatoes for blight. I have tried moving them to a different place in the garden but that doesn't seem to be working, probably too small of an area.

Dream

1. What new plant/variety/technique/etc would I like to try this year? I want to do better in starting a fall garden. I always seem to get it planted too late to do well. It is hard to remember to plant the fall garden in the busy season of July and August.

2. What changes to my garden would bring it closer to my goals for my garden? I want to include my children more in the garden. They are old enough to learn more about gardening so I hope to include them more in all facets – starting with choosing garden seeds. 

I also want to be realistic. Next summer I'll have a busy one-year-old. She isn't going to be satisfied to sit and watch from the stroller. As much as possible I hope to streamline garden tasks. A good layer of mulch on the garden this spring will help tremendously.

Learn

1. What questions do I have or topics would I like to learn more about? How to conquer blight. How to build soil fertility. 

2. Where could I best find the answers to my questions? I'll probably start with the books on my shelf, then look online, and maybe find a book or two from the library.

Are you thinking about gardening yet? What do you hope to do differently this year? Share with us in the comments.