Considering that our winters are longer and somewhat more 'profound' (no pruning in January :rofl:), I still follow Deb's plans. I make profuse notes about what I want to do next spring then pitch them or don't bother to read them when the time comes. I am determined to design a more efficient to maintain garden, e.g. less weeding, more enjoyment of the plants and flowers. It shouldn't be a bummer to walk in your garden in the spring and summer. Actually it isn't until late summer when the weeds seem to take over that I get down. Mother Nature seems to have infinitely more energy than I. And gardens seem to personify 'entropy.'
I actually look forward to fall and winter. I do the best I can cleaning the beds and maintenance areas. Tidying and picturing them neatly laying beneath a snow cover. I am being a tad more ruthless this year in redesigning beds so a friend suggested that I pot up the plants that I will pitch, put them in my raised beds (burying the pots) and then in the spring having a plant sale to offset purchases (and of course, no matter how many plants we have, there WILL be purchases
). Adds to the work, but I can do that in the garage, now tidied up from summer projects. I need to put up a saw horse, get soil and work it like an assembly line.
I also need to look over what seeds I used this year for vegies and annuals that I want to do again next year. I have a spreadsheet where I keep them along with when I planted them, when they germinated, when they went outside. I expect so much come spring, way before the weather is conducive, so looking at all the pictures I take starting in spring helps me stay realistic about what will start growing when the snow disappears. I always expect instant flowers in the deadness of my garden, and alas, think that if I water they will spring forth. All I manage is to rot plants that are still mired in frozen soil and not able to use the water at all.
