The warmer days we have been experiencing make me think of Spring. Why you may ask? This is the time of year I am thinking about my gardens. Yes! Many gardeners are elbow-deep in seeds and detailed plans for the upcoming year.
We love to garden in our family. We plant a large edible garden every year with a variety of fruits and vegetables we eat all through the year. Potatoes and squash last well into the winter and many items from the garden we can into salsa, pickles, tomatoes, and jams. Freezing your produce is another great way to preserve it all year long.
At this time of year, we are planning what will go into the garden and what seeds we need to start early indoors. This year I will be starting peppers and tomatoes early, as well as some flowers. I kept seeds from several of my flowers last year and hope to add them to my planters once again this year. Starting them early indoors ensures they are mature enough to go outside once the weather is warmer. Many seeds you can plant straight into the ground.
Some plants can be brought into the house over the winter and put back out the following year. I keep my Coleus plants from each year and take care of them over the winter. I will trim them up over the months and propagate the clippings to create more plants for myself, family, and friends. I was able to get a clipping from a new variety of Coleus I do not have and have been growing and propagating it all winter to have several plants ready for summer.
It does take a bit of planning, work, and patience, but having a garden can be very rewarding for you and your family. It doesn’t have to be a big garden; container gardening can yield just as much produce if you live in a smaller space. We like to do both! If you are a gardener like me or trying it out for the first time this year, have fun and experiment, what’s the worst that can happen.
Jaime-Lynn Dyck
Editor-in-Chief
