Monthly Gardening Tips 1st edition

Each month of the year has something for every gardener to do.  Each month I will try to post some tips for what you can be doing in your garden.  The biggest thing you need to do before you start any kind of garden is
1- How much space do you have?
2- What kind of sunlight does that area have?
3- What kind of soil do you think you have?
4- How hot are your summers?

These things will help a lot when planning.  Most online gardening supply sites have sections that are special for each zone.  Or they at least have recommendations for each zone.  And some even have special seeds for hot dry areas vs hot and wet.
January

1 - Requests seed/supply catalogs:
           - This step isn't always necessary but for the newer gardeners it can be very important.  Go on line to your favorite garden supply sites and request a catalog.  Most likely it will be delivered to your home in a month or so.  If you have a short growing season take the time to have them delivered.  A Medium Growing season I would still ask for them but browse the site too.  If you have a long growing season....well like the medium guys go ahead and ask but you may end up with a late start.  Catalogs also give you more choices than you may see in stores.  Like tomatoes...did you know that there are purple tomatoes?  Well there are.  Did you also know that there are rainbow carrots?

2 - Make plans for veggie, flower, herb, or raised beds or drip irrigation:
            - Such an important step that most (including me last year) for get this.  It kinda goes hand in hand with other steps this month and throughout the year.  Get a piece of paper and jot down what you want to grow this year, how much space it will take to grow it, how many seeds you will need, and what you can plant around it.  This is where the catalogs come in handy.  Here you can visually picture your garden.  If you have enough of them you can even cut the pictures and really see what it may look like.  Take the time to be honest.  Do I really have the space to grow a grape vine?  Will we really eat enough tomatoes for more than one plant?

3 - Order seeds from catalogs:
          - Another important step.  Can't grow carrots if you don't have seeds. Again those catalogs are good to have here.  Don't go for just one store look at a bunch.  If you have to order seeds from 3 places but you get seeds that are best for your area then so be it.  Better to have lots of boxes come in than one and half of what you ordered isn't right for your garden.  Pay attention to the different varieties.  Try something new

4 - Prune dormant fruit trees, cane berries, vines:
         - A step I missed last year but one I plan to do this year....maybe when there is a little less snow but still.  Doing the pruning now or even a little closer to spring can help wake those dormant vines up but also doesn't kill new growth.  Because they are all resting for their long winters nap they haven't started to produce those little leaf blooms yet.

5 - Move living Christmas trees outside with protection:
          - There are other plants like this one that actually need a little time out in the cold.  You gave them a great start indoors but it is time to let them out and watch them really grow.

6 - Check winter damage from storms and pests:
          - Why check now when winter is far from over?  Well wouldn't you like to know now that you need to get a new arbor before the grapes start growing?  Or before those tulips start to emerge maybe that tree branch that fell in their bed should be moved.  Granted you may have to do this again....it never hurts to get a head start....well usually it doesn't.

7 - Plant bare root fruit trees, perennials, roses, cane berries, grape, artichoke, asparagus, rhubarb:
          - I know your saying "SAY WHAT?"  But if the weather permits its a great time to do just this.  They are dormant now anyways so as the earth begins to warm they will wake along with the rest of the plants....there for their roots will have a better chance of setting better.  Now if you have 2 feet of snow on the ground and your last frost date isn't till April (like me) then you may want to just skip this step....move to the next month, or the next, or just wait till you can actually dig in the ground.



Part of the planning of a garden as I have come to find out is also knowing when it is best to start seeds.  Some are best for direct sow and others do better with an indoor sow and later transplant.  When planning the garden and ordering seeds take this into account.  Corn doesn't like to be moved.....so that one will have to wait till spring.  Tomatoes?  They don't mind it too much so some varieties can be started now and will be good and strong by spring....ready to be placed in their summer home.