December flew by so quickly! I can hardly believe that I’m sitting and writing this update in the new year. The holidays have been packed with events and I’m ready for a nice break and some relaxation.
The weather has also been really strange this season. Normally we have a lot of snow and very cold temperatures really starting to settle in this time of year. However, we’ve had minimal snowfall (usually a couple of inches and then it melts within a day), and some days have been cold (in the 20s) and other days it’s been as warm as 50.
While it’s been nice to not worry about the weather for travel and holiday events, it’s such a strange contrast to winter normally that it’s messing with my head and it’s messing with the garden.
Typically I don’t plant much of a fall crop of plants like carrots, radish, or peas, etc. because although they are cold hardy plants winter usually settles in too fast to reach the harvest time of those crops. So I when it started freezing some nights last October. I cleaned up the fall harvest and didn’t plant any new crops, except garlic for next year. However, I could have easily planted and harvested a few more fresh vegetables with the weather we’ve had. But that’s life in the garden. There are often things you can’t control or predict that really change the garden.
I’m also concerned about some of my perennial flowering plants. A few of the bushes are showing signs of budding new leaves already, and my crocuses are starting to come up. I don’t want them to get too advanced and then be harmed by snow and cold temperatures when they do arrive.
I got one of my seed catalogs in the mail and I am really excited to go through it. I use it to help me order some of the staples I use every year but I love seeing some of the new varieties they have available and consider trying them.
I have some upcoming posts about planning for the next season’s garden including how much to plant per person, crop rotation, and general planning tips. I always focus on planning the garden during the longest winter months. Not only does it give me plenty of time to plan things perfectly, but there is plenty of time to make sure I start plants ahead, order the right amount of seeds and supplies, and gives me the chance to get a head start on any garden building projects. I also enjoy working on something garden related when it’s not possible to be outside actually gardening.
–The Busiest Bee Garden