Happy 2018, gardeners! I love this time of year because it allows me to be purely optimistic. It’s so different from, say, July, where all of the goals and plans I haven’t yet accomplished are tossed aside for another year. Here in January, I can just dream big.
I’ve written before about new year’s resolutions for the gardener, and I still think it’s a great idea to sit down and come up your own personalized list of ideas, goals, and dreams. If you need a little inspiration, I’ve written a little list of ideas for you to peruse and choose whatever strikes your fancy.
Big Ideas For The Garden in 2018
- Try a few new vegetable and flower varieties! If you grow the same cucumbers, tomatoes, and zinnias every year, think about expanding your variety of crops. Who knows, you might stumble upon your next favorite home-grown vegetable.
- Tear out more lawn and expand the garden! Why not? Learn about Sheet Mulching HERE.
- If you only grow vegetables, try some flowers! As many of you know, I’ve moved from veggies to flowers exclusively. While I don’t recommend this to everyone (and I do realize that we’ve all got to eat!), I do think there are certain joys in growing flowers that some of you may be missing out on.
- Plan to grow more than you need, and donate some to neighbors and friends!
Plant a low-maintenance herb or tea garden to pull from throughout the year!
- Plan to can more in 2018! Grow more vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers that are perfect for canning or pickling.
- Add more perennials!
- Add more fruit! Of all the foods I used to grow, I can’t tell you how much I miss growing strawberries and blueberries in particular.
- Find ways to use less water! This could be by adding more mulch throughout the garden, improving the soil, and/or changing up your irrigation system.
- Start making compost! I rely on a lot of bought-in compost for my farm but I love the process of making it, too. It’s a great way to get rid of lots of plant debris and keeps you in touch with natural processes.
- Plant a native hedgerow! You’ll spruce up and delineate your borders, create habitat for all sorts of critters and pollinators, and find a way to fit more cool plants in the garden, too.
- Stuck on how to design or expand your garden? Hire a landscaper or gardener to help you. There are so many local people out there who specialize in this and can help you jump a level or two in your garden. I often hire consultants for my farm to help me come up with and implement new ideas.
What goals are you all making for this year? Like me, I hope that you’ll dream big. Later in the year we can talk about refining these goals and making concrete plans. But for now, it’s time to get caught up in the January fever of new and better and bigger ideas.
Family
