It’s cold. It’s brown. It’s winter… Depressed that it’s not warm and sunny and you’re not outside enjoying your garden? Turn that frown upside down and as we take our minds off the chill and prepare for warmer, sunnier days…
First, take a walk and assess your yard and garden.
- Do you have uninteresting or bare spots that can use some plant love?
- Is it time to install some privacy shrubs or trees?
- Do you have plants that aren’t thriving that you can either move or replace?
- If you haven’t started composting, now is a good time to start planning where you can set up your composting station.
- Have you installed a rain barrel to take advantage of Mother Nature? Or maybe this is the year to create a downspout garden area.
Next, do a little tool cleaning and sharpening.
- Take a good, hard look at your garden tools, the ones you use a lot and the ones you use every now and then.
- Rinse off any dirt, then give them a good scrub to get rid of any rust, sharpen the blades and then carefully rub mineral or vegetable oil on the metal so they stay rust-free.
- In fact, fill a bucket or a pot with sand mixed with the oil and store your tools there where they’ll be protected all winter.
Start an indoor herb garden and give yourself the taste of summer.
Basil, anyone? If you don’t have an indoor herb garden, now would be a great time to start one if you have a sunny window area. Grab yourself a seed starter kit and seed packets of your favorite herbs. Learn more about the whats and hows for growing an indoor herb garden.
Dream big and bold!
- Is it time to rework your existing garden areas? Or even plan for a new design?
- Scour resources such as Pinterest, books and magazines for inspiration photos, and dream of ways to make your yard and garden even better.
- Learn more about naturalizing and tapestry gardens to help reduce yard maintenance, as well as provide more food and habitat for pollinators.
- Consider the color story you’re creating in your yard. Check out our helpful guide on using color theory in your garden design.
- Think about adding decorative pathways throughout your yard to create additional visual interest.
Let’s eat! This could be the year you create a food garden.
Growing vegetables can be rewarding for your entire family — in the growing AND the eating! You don’t need lots of space, either. You can grow almost anything in a container. You just need to research when to plant your fave foods and what conditions they need to grow. Check out our handy veg-planting chart as you start to make plans.
Speaking of food, let’s not forget our fine feathered friends.
Nothing makes our hearts feel better on a dreary, grey day than listening to songbirds.
- In the lean months (like the winter) make sure to keep birdfeeders filled with what your local wildbirds love to eat. If you’re not sure, come talk to us and we’ll hook you up with the appropriate wildbird food.
- As you’re planning for this spring’s garden adventures, consider adding plants and trees that have berries and seeds to naturally attract birds to your garden.
