Garden prepping in January
I’ve spent many weeks daydreaming about my upcoming Spring/Summer garden. I think many gardeners get the itch during Winter and look for ways to keep them busy. Over the past couple of months, I’ve watched a lot of gardening videos, listened to many podcast episodes, and scrolled longer than I’d like to admit. One of the biggest things I’ve done to help prepare myself for this upcoming season is to learn and digest any available information I can. One of the things I didn’t realize was just as important as planting indoors or outdoors is to properly prepare and organize for the upcoming growth season.
Although many gardeners don’t feel the need to prep, plan, or organize before a season I unfortunately feel the need to try and control as much as I can as a way to keep me occupied. Here are four ways to keep you busy and help you prepare for your upcoming gardening season.
1. Garden layout planning
2. Organizing and ordering new seeds
3. Cleaning out tools and containers
4. Buying new or replacing items
Garden Layout Planning
My first attempt in 2023 of garden layout planning was hilarious and was a mix of chicken scratch mixed with hopes and dreams! I didn’t fully understand or grasp what I wanted to plant and didn’t know the best spot for my garden where plants would receive the best sunlight. Fast forward to now, I understand the usual sun pattern and dance it makes in my yard which allows me to know which plants to put where.
My drawing skills are questionable but I did find a nice website that helped make it a bit easier to plan out. I used the site vegplotter.com to help me where I needed it. I used the free trial and then printed a basic layout of my yard. I then wrote in what I planned to plant/sow and brainstormed where I wanted to place everything.
Unfortunately, one groggy morning I made the mistake of tipping over a glass of water and it splashed all over my first draft. I’m not that worried about it because I need to go back to the drawing board and add more details, change it up, and add some additional garden beds/containers.
RIP V.1 of my 2024 plan draft
Organizing and ordering new seeds
I received a BUNCH of seeds for Christmas which changed my plans of having to buy more in January. It was a pleasant little surprise and although there were a few flower and herb seeds I plan to get I don’t have to worry about the majority of vegetable seeds. I did something a little different than last year when it came to organizing seeds. For 2023 I didn’t do any sort of planning, I essentially picked a ton of seeds, and voila. This year I followed a great tip from a wonderful gardener Bre Ellis and decided to keep track of my seeds, plant dates, and more on a spreadsheet. Organizing my seeds and knowing what I’ll plant later is a game changer. A little prep work has taken a huge chunk of the guesswork and will help me not commit the same mistake I did in 2023 which was having EVERYTHING grow fast at once.
Cleaning out tools and containers
Cleaning isn’t fun, cleaning pots and containers in the Winter is worse, at least for me! …But it needs to be done…
There are number of reasons why it’s important to clean out your pots and containers that were used to transplant plants or starter seedling trays. I didn’t do the best in 2023 with cleaning them out and making sure they were good to go for the next season. I was excited and doe eyed mesmerized with what I was growing and neglected clean up duty. Now that it’s getting close to that time again I’m now having to dig up pots/containers, seedling trays and other items I’ll need soon.
Lesson learned, I’m now using this time to get everything squeaky clean and ready to be used.
Buying new or replacing items
Garden shopping! January is a great time to write a list or start a cart with the many small or large things that need to be bought or replaced this upcoming season. I currently have a few things on my wish list that I intend to slowly buy so I don’t end up with one hefty bill right before it’s time to transplant my first plant babies. This is a great time to see what products worked and what didn’t. One product I will not be buying or trying a different brand of are grow bags. Some things I 100% need this year are additional bed covers and I needed a potting mat (which I recently got).
January is a great time to reset, many of us use this time for resolutions but it is also a great time to sit, reflect, and plan for your garden. Consider reviewing the successes and challenges of your garden in the past year. Think about which plants thrived, and which ones struggled. Take note of the weather patterns, pests, and soil conditions that influenced your garden, and also make note of what brought you JOY. Prepare yourself with as much knowledge as you can so it can help you make informed decisions for the year ahead.
Happy planning!
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