Plan Your Garden

It a good time of year to plan a garden. The snow is on the ground. I'm looking forward to spring, Cabin fever is living in me. I want to be outside again.

Sound familiar. Its time to plan the garden. An activity that takes me from now to planting time. There are so many items to plan and prepare. Everyone who gardens must decide what they will plant; how and where they will buy the seeds or plants; what varieties of plant will grow the best in their soil type, How they will prepare the soil and the list goes on.

The seed catalogs are arriving. That's a good place to start. After I have determined how much room is available, a seed and plant list can be formulated. I live in an area with high clay content in the soil and it is very difficult to prepare a good seed bed. Planning is required to find the necessary tillage equipment to break up more garden land and to amend the soil with the right organic matter to get and keep the soil loose for a good seed bed.

When choosing what plants to grow in my garden, I try to plant the most nutritious plants that my family will eat. Green beans, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, and peppers are a staple in my family's garden. When time and room allow cucumbers, squash and pumpkins are also favorites.

Will I grow the tomatoes, peppers and broccoli from seed in the basement or will I buy plants at a nursery? That decision depends on the varieties of plants I decide to grow. There is great flexibility and choice in growing your own plants from seed, and you can be busy with gardening from planning to planting. The draw back is the if you have a problem with damp off or something else you will not be rewarded for your extra time and planning because you will have to settle for what you find at the nursery anyway.

Whatever you decide, if you raise a garden you will be rewarded with the best possible quality vegetables and you have control over your own chemical exposure.

Be Healthy, Stay Active!