| Just because the garden is asleep doesn't mean there | | | | garden favorites such as sunflowers, coneflower and |
| isn't plenty to do for winter gardeners. Winter | | | | foxglove. |
| gardening takes advantage of little or no plant growth | | | | *If you want to plant vegetables this year, now is the |
| at this time of year to force us to concentrate on | | | | time to prepare your beds. Till or spade under your |
| admittedly less attractive, but equally important tasks. | | | | chosen vegetable plot, then add organic matter and |
| There are many things you can do this time of year to | | | | fertilizer and till in. Allow to sit several weeks to settle, |
| make sure that your winter garden turns into the spring | | | | until proper plating time for your area. This will prevent |
| garden of your dreams. | | | | any hot spots in the garden from your organic matter |
| *If the cold permits, use the winter in the garden to | | | | and fertilizer, and allow the soil to settle to prevent |
| work on structure and hardscaping. This is a great time | | | | drying out of the roots. |
| to plan or build arbors, built in seating, edging and paths. | | | | *Start some seeds indoors to have plants ready to put |
| Winter allows you to see the bones of the garden to | | | | out in the garden after last frost. Now is the time to |
| help you visualize where it needs some hardscaping. | | | | grow those plants from seed you can't find at the |
| Perhaps your paths need to be redirected, or you see | | | | nursery. Your indoor seed growing station can be as |
| a spot that could use a trellis and some height. Take | | | | complicated as a deluxe indoor greenhouse with lights, |
| advantage of the bare winter garden to provide your | | | | or as simple as a re-used egg carton on a windowsill. |
| plants with a background and structure. | | | | Some easy plants to grow indoors from seed include |
| *Use this time to redesign your flower beds. If you | | | | most sun loving annuals and such perennials as Shasta |
| haven't already created a garden notebook, now is a | | | | Daisy, Black Eyed Susan, Coneflower, Coreopsis and |
| good time to start. Draw a diagram of each part of | | | | many ornamental grasses. Growing perennials from |
| your garden, and mark the spot of the flowers, shrubs | | | | seed can save you hundreds of dollars, as the |
| and bulbs. You may have to add items as spring | | | | average 4 inch pot perennial sells for $3-$6, and a |
| approaches, and up pops that plant you had forgotten | | | | packet of seeds that might produce 100 plants |
| about! Get a basic layout of your garden, and consider | | | | averages $2. |
| what worked last year, and what didn't. Note blank | | | | *Finally, go over all your tools and supplies, and find out |
| spots in the garden, and use paper templates to try | | | | what needs repair, attention or replacement. The last |
| new combinations of flowers within your beds. Color | | | | thing you want is for that first spring day to arrive and |
| your paper templates to help you visualize the effect | | | | you rush out to pop those first seeds in the ground, |
| on the garden. Make a separate page for each plant | | | | only to find your gloves need to be replaced or your |
| you have in your garden, and note as much | | | | spade handle is breaking! |
| information as you can about it. | | | | Just because the weather is cold doesn't mean |
| *This is the time to browse those garden seed | | | | gardeners must sleep! Use the time wisely, and you will |
| catalogs! Don't wait until spring, by then it will be too | | | | be rewarded with plenty of time to enjoy those spring |
| late to grow from seed for this season for most | | | | bulbs and fragrant flowers in just a short time! |
| plants. Consider ordering some new varieties of old | | | | |