Planning Your Spring Garden in Winter

Making Your List and Checking it Twice: The Winter Holidays are the Perfect Time for Planning Your Spring Garden!

Winter is the season of planning. It is the time of year when you can snuggle up next to the fireplace with your favorite blanket and a piping hot cup of hot chocolate…or tea…or coffee…or apple cider…or even something a bit stronger in hand and dream longingly about the coming of Spring. If you are feeling the doldrums of winter and are looking for something productive to do while the weather outside is frightful, get a head start planning your garden for the coming year!

Brainstorm Your New Garden

Does your flower or vegetable garden need an overhaul? Is it a project you have been meaning to get to for years, but never seem to have the time to plan it out? While you are snug and warm in your home over the winter, seize the opportunity to redesign your dream garden…on paper at least.

Brainstorming is a non-committal activity that allows you to explore your thoughts and come up with an infinite number of garden design possibilities. If you have young kids at home, sit down with them and let them partake in the creative process. Start drawing out ideas for your new garden design. You can come up with many ideas now, and then finalize the design closer to spring.

Here are some supplies you can use to turn your garden design work into an entertaining art project:

  • Old gardening magazines to cut pictures and text from

  • Markers

  • Crayons

  • Colored pencils

  • Colorful scrapbooking or construction paper

  • Several sheets of poster board

  • Scissors

  • Tape

  • Glue

  • Glue rollers

  • Garden theme stickers

Once you are done with your garden design art, be sure to save the pieces that did not make the cut as they can be hung in your “he” or “she-shed” to preserve the memory of your family project.

Seed and Supply List

The coming of spring can be a bit overwhelming when you are dealing with a finite seasonal clock to get your garden beds prepped and fertilized and your seeds planted so they will be ready to be picked come harvest time. Get a head start on your gardening prep work by making a list of all supplies you will need during the winter. Some supplies such as flowerpots, hoses, plant stakes, and so on can be purchased now and stowed away until Spring.

During the winter months, you can also peruse seed catalogs and determine what plants and vegetables you are going to plant during the coming year. Think ahead and pre-order seeds now. Take inventory of the gardening supplies you have in your garden shed and figure out what you will need to purchase to make your life a little easier in your garden.

Brighten Up Your Garden Spaces

Your garden should be a reflection of who you are and where your passions in life reside. Personalize your garden space with colors and objects that reflect who you are. While you are staying all toasty and warm inside for the winter, take the opportunity to design personalized objects for your garden. Paint plant markers, garden stakes, and trellis’s in bright and vibrant colors, and stain your planter boxes and fencing. Old worn out objects such as wagon wheels, wheelbarrows, etc. can make for interesting garden art as well as planters. Find interesting rocks to add to your garden as well as logs and driftwood

Create a Gardening Schedule

Thanks to digital spreadsheets, creating a visual gardening schedule is a breeze! Plot out timelines for critical garden care such as getting vegetable, fruit, and flower seedlings planted, fertilizing, composting, mulching, and amending your soil now so that you don’t forget these important tasks until it is too late in the gardening season.

For those who are new to gardening and are just starting to get their hands dirty, it is also recommended that you plot out a visual timeline for when your vegetables and fruits will be ready to harvest. With a solid plan in place, you should be able to tend to your gardens efficiently and grow plants and flowers you can be proud of.

Wrapping it Up

Winter is the season for “recharging your batteries” and enjoying a few months of peace and quiet. These conditions provide your brain with the perfect atmosphere for creativity. Take advantage of your much-needed downtime to redesign your gardens and ensure you have all of the essentials needed to make next growing season go off without a hitch!