Planning for Gardening Season

It's hard to believe that we've just past the Winter Solstice and yet I'm already actively planning the spring garden.  Here in northwest Montana, I have months to go before I even start seeds in the greenhouse but the planning is already in full swing.  Those of you in warmer climates may already be starting seeds (and for the record I have a jealous).

Here are some quick and easy ways to get ready for that spring season:

1. Take an inventory of the seed stash: Look through all the seeds you have on hand and make a list.  Make note of what might be several years old and make a plan to use those up while still viable.  In my experience, even old seed will sprout just not always with as high of a rate as something only a year old. 
2. Plan the 2013 garden: I use a piece of graph paper and literally plot out where different plants will go.  I compare this plan to last year's actual garden to make sure that I practice crop rotation.  Be sure to look at that list of old seed and incorporate those items into the plan.
3. Hit the seed catalogs: Let me be honest here, I can get overwhelmed by the sheer variety in seed catalogs, especially the tomatoes but I take it in small bites.  I train my eyes to look for days until harvest so that I'm only looking at plants that will do well in my short season.  Generally speaking I make a huge list and then cull it down until I have a reasonable amount of seed for the garden space.
4. Review last year's journal: Assuming you had a garden last year and kept a journal, take a quick scan through it and review problem plants, frost dates, insect problems, etc.  Use this information to cull that seed list, too.
5. List other necessities: Make a list of other things you might need, compost, manure, straw, seed-starting pots, large flower pots, new sprinkler, etc.  Keep this list with you when you hit thrift stores or look through Craigslist, etc.  Generally speaking you can find bargains on this stuff before the season gets into full swing and you'll be all that more prepared.
6. Ask your neighbors: Run ads on Craigslist, Freecycle, etc. in your area asking for garden plants and other items.  Many gardeners have extra plants they need thinned in their garden and will gladly share with you if you just come dig 'em out.  This is a great way to get berry starts, perennial herbs, and many flowers.  Ask now and follow-up later. 
7. Plan to have fun: Gardening can be a ton of work but if it's complete drudgery well then it becomes to dread instead of something to look forward too.  When you're hitting those seed catalogs allow yourself to buy something fun or impractical just to see what will happen.  If you have kids, give them the chance to plant a row of whatever they want.  My own father did this to us and it planted a life-long love of gardening and plants in me. 

Happy Garden Planning to you! 

Friday Favorites

Feta, Cheddar and Spinach Muffins - They look pretty and sound tasty
Plywood Painted Floor - seems like a way that would be inexpensive but able to cover up some ugly flooring 
Guide to Knives that you Actually need - getting my knives up to what I think I need has been a task I have been working for several years. 
Blank Printable Calendar - to help get more organized - would be great if you do a household binder. 
Adding a New Tree to your Landscape - video has tips for planting trees

Friday Favorites

Pinterest - If you aren't on Pinterest, well you are missing out on a great place to find tips, tricks, recipes, DIY projects, crafts, fashion, art, and inspiration throughout.  It is where I am finding most of my Friday Favorites now. On the sidebar there is a link to Domestic Servitude's Pinterest boards, please feel free to follow us.

DIY Garden Markers - This is an easy but project that would look nice in any garden or make a nice gift

27 Tips for Simple Entertaining - some good tips. I especially enjoyed the tip about getting people out of the house before the party because I tell you that is when I am the most frenzied and I don't want to take my stress out on others.

Blackberry Sage Cooler -  This is a non-alcoholic drink and it sounds like a heavenly drink to have in the summer.

How to Store Produce - a nice list about which fruits or veggies to refrigerate or keep at room temp





 

Friday Favorites

10 Organizing Mantras to Help You Cut Clutter and Get More Done -   good list to help motivate and get more done
Folding a Napkin like a Bunny from Martha Stewart - just so cute I couldn't resist adding to Friday Favorites
50 New Uses for Old Things from Real Simple - some really good ideas such as using an old tape cassette for keeping your earphones or ipod wires neat  or using a tooth brush (clean of course) as a vegetable brush
Smart Gardner - I haven't had time to check this website out fully but just the little bit that I have looked at - looks interesting and helpful.   It can help plan your garden from start to finish. You tell it where you live it tells you what to plant and when, designs your garden for you and gives you daily reminders of what to do to your garden.
Raspberry Breakfast Bars - from Smitten Kitchen that look delish
Choosing an Eco-Friendly Pillow - a good article on finding an eco-friendly pillow  from Whole Living

Friday Favorites

5 Tips for Green Furniture Refinshing
Food Swap - this link highlights a food swap that was going on in Portland but what I am really linking it for is the links at the end for those who would like to organize or now after reading about them will try to find local food swaps
Best Comfort foods for Winter by Treehugger - just some scrumptious looking food/recipes.
3-Tiered Stand - with the holidays coming up and entertaining I can see this being in use a lot
Custom Cabinet Knobs - I just like the look of these knobs and they are much less expensive then having to buy any other kind of knob.  As someone who has 46 knobs in the kitchen, I am always trying to find a less expensive way to replace them all.

Friday Favorites

Real Outdoor Living - has project lists and how-tos on making decks, fencing and other outdoor wood projects

10 S'More recipes - just perfect for a summertime treat

Raised Organic Vegetable Garden Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 - They have a very limited space and I thought it was really great what they did with the space they had available

30 days of Summer Entertaining - the bottom of the current entry she has the back entries to the rest of the days

Friday Favorites

Plant Information Online - "Use Plant Information Online to discover sources in 1102 North American nurseries for 106952 plants, find 370432 citations to 156910 plants in science and garden literature, link to selected websites for images and regional information about 19131 plants, and access information on 2647 North American seed and nursery firms. Plant Information Online is a free service of the University of Minnesota Libraries."

Homemade Microwave Popcorn Recipe - popcorn in a paper sack is almost all it is - so easy!

How-to Tune Up your Bicycle for Spring - ABC Quick Check to get your bicycle ready for spring that anyone can do at home

How to Avoid the Dry Cleaners by ReadyMade - use of course with your own care

Smitten Kitchen Crispy Potato Roast - I made something very similar to this over Easter and it was fabulous. So no doubt this would be just even better as all her recipes are fantastic!

Friday Favorites

12 Steps to Eating Real Food - Just some basic steps to start eating real foods instead of processed or refined. I started to do this a few years ago and then slipped off the wagon and started buying refined again and that bothers me but reality - it came down to price. But I would love to start going back to more real foods and this is a good basic guide.

Mingling is the Word - 5 mingling tips to help when entertaining (beware the font is really small - might be easier to highlight and cut and paste into a notepad or word doc to blow up the font)

VeggieTrader.com - With gardening coming to an end for many this might be useful for getting rid of some of your extras - trade with others.

Giant Ginger Cookies - With all the talk of fall I have seen in the blogosphere when I came upon these cookies they screamed fall to me. They look so yummy!

Responsible Resale Rehab - basically an article on finding furniture at thrift stores or garage sales and what to do to clean them (greenly) and repair them


NOTE FROM YOUR HOSTESS: I apologize for the lack of posts this summer. I feel that with autumn coming - it is my favorite time of year and I nest. So I have started several posts for back to basics series and other tips as well as recipes and book reviews.

Friday Favorites

Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
Excellent overview of Super Washing Soda, including what makes it an effective cleanser and two recipes featuring washing soda. This is actually part of an on-going Back to Basics series that also discusses 20 Mule Team Borax, Bon Ami cleanser, and a few others. Good stuff.

Tips for Washing Lingerie
Five helpful tips for washing your intimates. And if your intimates include corsets or cinchers, there are tips for how to wash a corset (and this one, too)

Garden Web
My go-to resource online for all things gardening. There's active forums, an excellent FAQ on a variety of topics from organic gardening to plant or seed exchanges to local seasonal gardening.

Orangette's Popsicles
Summertime is made for popsicles. And Orangette has a super yummy recipe for a raspberry-yogurt popsicle that is easy and delicious. (Actually, her blog is one of my favorite food blogs. Bookmark it while you are there)

Friday Favorites

Less Trash to Take Out by Vocal Point - A short little article on reducing paper waste. But also if you just go to Vocal Point, through your free sign up they offer samples. I have gotten a lot of samples, plus then I get $1 to $2 off the product and then coupons to share too.

10 Tips on Finding Decorating Style - I think these are all good tips for finding your own or someone else's decorating style.

You Grow Girl - is a good resource for gardening in a modern world

Real Simple's Top 20 Reference Books - Many I haven't heard of and want to check out but there might be some good books to have in a personal library

Reusable Swiffer Duster - A Tipnut.com find that I think could be interesting to try out. I got one of those Swiffer Dusters free in the mail a few years ago. I just have it sitting in a basket never used it before

Homemade Pancake Mix - to have on hand for whenever

Friday Favorites

Top 12 Fruits and Vegetables You Should Buy Organic

Vegetable Garden Glossary, Vegetable Seed Guide and Easy to Grow Vegetables

Domestic Boot Camp 101 from Subservient-husband - He is putting together a domestic 101 and I look forward to seeing how it grows. He had asked for more basics for the Domestic Servitude blog and that will happen. I know I have several things almost ready to go. And I think a couple others are going to do some also. So hopefully together we all will have some good basics.

Chocolate Orange Cardamom Muffins with Honey Citrus Glaze - Looks like a yummy weekend breakfast

Friday Favorites

This time of year is one of my favorites because in the northeast where I live the winter dulldrums are quickly leaving and everything smells of spring. So with Spring in the air, I always start to make the plans for my gardens come to life. Of course I also always wind up with more plans than ever get implemented from year to year, but it is a ton of fun to plan things out and then start to make them a reality.

Here are some links that I have found useful when planning out my flower and vegetable gardens, as well as landscaping in general around the yard.

Gardening.about.com About.com's gardening site is amazing because it breaks things down by type and simplifies even the most daunting of tasks. So if you are a novice gardener, or even a expert, you can find something of use and of interest on this site when it comes to how to do something new and different with your garden.

Gardenguides.com I have found this site to be full of great ideas when I am looking for something new to plant. In addition I have found that there is a lot of good information on here for those who wish to have an organic garden.

The National Gardening Association The National Gardening Association has some wonderful "how to" videos. There is a wealth of information on this site, but admittedly so far have only used them for their how to videos and I have found those to be fantastic.

Better Homes and Gardens Again another site with a ton of information. The feature that I seemed to use the most on this site this year was for the gardner's notebook. It allowed me to do a lot of planning during the cold snowy months. It is a feature that will come in handy all year long. I know I plan to go back and use this site for other bits of information as well once I have more time to explore.

Backyard Gardener I came across this site last year when I was searching for ways to make a raised vegetable garden bed in the hopes of keeping out the variety of animals that like to use my yard like a salad bar. While it did help prevent some of the salad bar action, we still have a ways to go. It seems in our yard, the deer are the biggest culprits, followed up by the ground hogs, and the occasional bear. Last year nothing kept the bears away for good.

I hope that even if you only plant a few flowers in a windowsill box that you find yourself wanting to try and garden if you never have, or if you are an experienced gardener I hope you find some new and useful information among the above.

Happy Planting.

Friday Favorites

5 Ways to Get Yourself Motivated to Clean - I will say that I have used a few of these before.

How I cut my Grocery Bill by 75% - I think it has some really good ideas. And good ideas that don't do everything at once. The planning your menu backwards - I have done many times. It is a good one when trying to save money because buying a deal and then cooking from it instead of planning a menu that doesn't use anything that is one sale.

Gardening Guides - now that spring is upon us - I know many are starting to garden. I thought this site had a lot of good info.

65 Cheap Healthy One Dish Meals - She has a list of links to some a variety of one dish meals.

Low-Cost Kitchen Crafts Ebook for FREE - I haven't had a chance to look at it but a FREE ebook is always worth a look to me


I am going out of town and won't be back until after Easter. I hope to have the spring cleaning lists ready to go and post while I am gone. (Crossing my fingers I have time to get those ready.) If not, then I will get to them as soon as I get home. If you have any questions, please leave a comment on a post and one of the other wonderful ladies will be happy to help you.

Fall Cleaning: Outside Your House

* Drain and store garden hoses. Install insulating covers on exterior faucets if needed. Have sprinkler systems blown free of water.
* Garden beds need to be cleaned out of summer dead plants and flowers. Prep beds for winter.
* Clean the deck/patio furniture and then put it away for the fall and winter months.
* Check and clean the gutters.
* Check, repair or replace weather stripping and caulking around windows and doors. Follow manufacturer's recommendations to re-caulk if needed.
* Check if external doors and garage doors close correctly. Install weather-stripping and door thresholds if needed.
* Wash exterior windows
* Air Cooling system - ours needs to be drained and covered for winter
* Touch up exterior paint on house, shutters and door


Download and Print: Fall Cleaning List - Outside

Friday Favorites

Still Tasty - How long will your favorite food or beverage stay tasty? This website will help teach how to best store your food.

The Secret Recipe Blog - A blog dedicated to helping you recreate your restaurant favorites in your own kitchen.

25 Vintage Food Prep Tips- "This collection of vintage tips was gathered from books and magazines that were published in the 1940’s, most are still quite useful for today’s kitchen." (website summary)

Manage My Home- This website offers help for small do-it-yourself projects and repairs in the home. There's also a section that has copies of thousands of household appliance manuals. I've used that section a lot!

Garden Guides - Garden tips and techniques from beginner to expert gardeners.

Gardening Links

I don't garden. Not because I don't want to, I do. I have really bad allergies. And I am slightly allergic to the sun. So I just know that I wouldn't be able to upkeep it properly and it is unfair to let it slip to Master for upkeep when he having a garden isn't his thing.

Long long time ago when I lived in Kansas, I had flower gardens (before developing a sun allergy). And I loved having the flowers. We had a porch that had hanging pots that draped down. Rose bushes that surrounded our house. Several flowerbeds filled with all sorts of brightly colored flowers. I had flowers from spring to fall. It was a happy time making bouquets out of flowers from my garden. So yes I miss it but I know right now isn't the time for me.

But it doesn't stop me from looking at gardening magazines, links and such....

Just passing on a couple of ways to do do gardening a little less expensively...

Cheap or Free Garden Gear

25 No Cost or Low Cost Tools - has some of the same things as the above link but does add a few others to it.

Weekend Gardener

Garden Guide

Container Garden Guide - which I do think about being maybe a possible solution for me - just having a couple containers.

About.com Gardening

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

And just because it is pretty to look at....
New York Botanical Garden