Quite a winter, so far! Mountains of snow, freezing temperatures, ice dams and... it's not over! This is probably a good time to look for a diversion. If you're not travelling to a warmer climate for a break, try visualizing the warm, summer temps that will be here in a few months and start planning what you'll need to do to be ready to garden.
Late Winter/early Spring pruning: First, check out your pruners. Have you cleaned them and sharpened the blades? Do you need to replace the blade on your pruning saw? Have your loppers seen better days? This is a perfect time to evaluate your pruning tools instead of waiting until you need them come Spring. Fine Gardening magazine has a detailed video on the 'how to' for sharpening bypass pruners and the basic steps on how to prune roses, shrubs and trees.
Quite by accident I happened upon a magazine that I'd never seen- 'Mother Earth News'. Articles ranged from 'Easy Homemade Bread' to growing tips for asparagus and Victoria Rhubarb and green home improvement. But, what caught my eye is their on-line 'Vegetable Garden Planner' which enables you to easily draw your garden beds and then plug in the plants you want to grow. You have access to information on appropriate spacing and growing conditions for each of your choices, when to start the seeds, when to set out seedlings and the harvest date. In addition, it gives the last frost date, how to do succession planting and crop rotation and enables you to make notes about the success/failure of each type of vegetable. Visit their on-line site to view a video overview of the Vegetable Garden Planner, get a free trial or sign up for a year at a cost of $25.
Punxatawney Phil did not see his shadow and, supposedly, that means we're in for an early Spring. Pretty desperate when you place your hopes on the predicitions of a large rodent!!
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