January is for garden dreaming

Winter can be long and dreary with tedious chores having to be accomplished in the cold. I often find myself day dreaming about warmer, sunnier days spent in the garden. The possibilities become endless. New projects and goals begin to drown my dreary mood with the anticipation of the arrival of seed magazines. Page after page of beautiful pictures, illustrations, and descriptions can leave one desiring to buy up every available seed. But of course the 'homesteading way' doesn't allow for certain splurges such as unnecessary spending. So as a result I take an inventory of the seeds we collected in the fall and those that we had left over from the starts and spring planting.

Where you buy your seeds is important if you plan on saving seeds. Most seed catalogs will tell you where or who they have sourced their seeds from, some in great detail. I try to buy heirloom seeds when I can and certain hybrids based on their resilience against some diseases. Saving seeds can be a money saver, just be sure to check that your saved seeds will germinate. Always intend on saving seeds for next year's garden! Seeds are also great for bartering.

It also helps to reflect on past gardening endeavors; what worked well in the garden and what didn't work so well. Keeping garden notes will prevent a repeat of mistakes and time wasters. Every garden is different and I would venture to say it's different in every growing season. Having notes can help pin point issues, give helpful hints that you may have forgotten, give reminders of things to try next time, and what NOT to do!

Another handy list I like to keep close when scouring seed catalogs is 'seeds to try' and 'seeds to rebuy'. In all honesty it's good to keep a list like this throughout the year. I know I run across suggestions and advice but sometimes, by the beginning of the year I forget to add them to my seed orders.

Spending time planning and drawing the layout of your garden also has many benefits. Keeping a record can help you determine where certain plants grow best on your land, where the soil may need amending, and any companion planting you want to try out. Space is a big issue for us so planning out in advance according to our seed inventory and orders helps to utilize every available space. If I have new seed varieties to try I try to plan on planting in different locations in the garden to experiment what area best suits the variety.

To help you this season I have typed out a few lists to have on hand when planning, ordering, and organizing your seeds and garden! I hope you find them beneficial for this growing season! Download them from the link below.

Seed Inventory-garden-1.pdf

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