Timing Your Garden



Welcome to the world little tomatoes!
I will really, really try to keep you alive this time.

Ever read the back of seed packets and see when you're supposed to start them indoors? Some are 10 weeks before last frost, some are 8, some can be direct-sown in the garden early, and some not until it's really warm outside. It's a lot to remember and keep track of if you've got a large garden! Plus, when am I supposed to hand my husband the pruning shears? Spring or fall?
I've found two methods this season that work for me:

1. I started a crazy Excel spreadsheet with garden chores specific to the plants in my yard. I put the plants on the left and the general seasons at the top (late winter, early spring, mid-spring, early summer, etc.). I also wrote down which zone of my yard they're in (front yard, back, garden, etc.). Then, I wrote the task in the middle area. In Excel, it's easy to filter your info to specific yard zones or seasons. (Pruning the apple tree is a late winter chore, I found out.) This is time-consuming, but it can be used and tweaked yearly.

2. If this leaves you somewhat discouraged, try this other method. Get on the mailing list of a local garden store. We have an independent garden store in town called Sam's Spade, which offers emails every one to two weeks telling me which seeds I should be starting indoors and out. It's great because it's tailored to my specific garden season and she doesn't send spam. [She did not pay me for this endorsement. I paid her for the liquid seaweed fertilizer today, though.]

How do you keep track of your garden madness?

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.