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It is the time of year when I know that even though I was raised in Canada, I was born in England. For it is the time of year when the desire to get outside and start to garden starts to stir.

Alas as I look out there is at least 2-3 feet of snow on the ground and a -20 windchill that is not very conductive to growing. One can temporary put this at bay via indoor plants or seeing what the latest seed catalogs havefor the upcoming season. For me I start to plan.

You can take advantage of these late winter days when you are stuck inside to start thinking on what next actions is needed for these items you want to pursue and start working on.   Like any project it is worth spending the time just to sit down and capture what ever comes to mind. Let your mind release all those ideas that have been swirling around over the winter. No idea is too grand or too inconsequential, and mental exercise like this can be quite good for the soul.

To give you some examples, here is some of the ideas that I captured the other day.

  • Remove existing brush that has been lying behind shed.
  • Rebuild raised bed using reclaimed bricks.
  • Decide what perennials to transplant in back bed.
  • What herbs and vegetables will I grow in pots this year.
  • Replant herb barrel.

As you can see this items range from 10 min jobs to things that are multi-step projects. The important thing is now that you have them out of your head and in your system.

One reason is why I plan out these garden tasks is that I like to get the majority of the garden work done before mid June as after that heat and humidity can start to get high. I’d rather enjoy the garden in the heat of the summer then be slogging away in the humidity. A friend gave me two books by a lady known as “The Gin and Tonic Gardener” I have to admit I can certainly understand that line of thinking in the heat of summer

As a side note this can also make some suggestions to the ‘Head Gardener” much more easier to explain. 🙂