A Giving Garden Spring
It all begins with a plan…
So here’s the secret about having a super productive Spring: it starts waaaaaay back in the Summer! Gardening in New England has taught me there is a rhythm to having optimum success. That rhythm isn’t a mad dash in May to get everything planted in the ground and then a weekend warrior rip-it-all-out event in October. It’s more like a dance we do with Mother Nature all twelve months of the year. It’s true that some months are busier than others, but I love that each month comes with it’s own ‘to do’ list.
Now everyone’s ‘to-do’ list will be different but things like ordering seeds, bulbs and tubers; purchasing tags, soil, and fertilizer; and planning bed plots along with the needed number of plants per variety are pretty universal. How well each of those tasks is accomplished may depend on your yearly note taking skills. Ask yourself the following questions to better hone your to-do list.
It should be noted that I grow flowers to sell, so my questions may differ from yours but you get the idea.
~ What do I really want to grow …and can I afford it all?
~ How much space do I have in which to grow? (I re-assess this each year and always amaze my family with how I ‘discover’ more space.)
~ Do I really need to grow it? / Did my customers like it?
~ What should I be investing in this year for plant material like woodies, evergreens, or perennial material that takes 3 years before I can cut from it?
~ What should I build this year to help me be better organized (our potting pergola in 2018) or more productive (additional raised beds in 2019) or save me time (irrigation for the dahlias in 2020)?
~ What do I purchase this month? What do I sow this month? What do I plant this month? What do I do this month to prep for the next season?
But the most important question I ask myself is this: does it make my heart smile to grow this? I figure if it makes my heart smile, chances are it will make my customers’ hearts smile, too, and that’s the goal of my growing and being in business: to make hearts smile, one bouquet at a time.
Happy planning!
Working even a temporary structure like our ‘hut house’ into your plan for the Spring season can extend your growing season and yield bountiful outcomes.
I drew a sketch of what I thought would work and then stood in the conduit aisle at Lowe’s for about an hour and a half gathering the pieces I thought I’d need. Needless to say, it took a couple of trips back to Lowe’s before I really had everything I needed. Just before I dismantle the hut house, I label all the pieces and take a video of how it all fits together. If you want to see it, email me and I’ll send you the video.
Taking the time to create a plan and write everything down will make you more focused and efficient with your time while helping you track your progress from year to year.
I’ve learned to give myself about a month to get a plan on paper and I definitely make use of a lot of Post-its! The first plan gets refined a lot and using the moveable sticky notes is much easier -and neater-than erasing everything.
To enjoy these beauties in Spring, be sure to tuck them in the ground in Fall. Always be planning a season ahead, and be ordering next year’s bulbs while this year’s are in bloom.