Garden dreaming and planning~

Today, the garden looked like this…

That’s right!  We got some snow today…in Louisiana!  {smile}

I have been garden dreaming here lately.  The cold always seems to do that to me.  However, one perk of living in the deep south is that we can usually garden year round because of our mild winters. 

 

One crop that does well here in the south during the winter is greens.  We planted collard greens in the fall and they have weathered our cold weather well.  I’ve only covered them when it has gotten extremely cold.  I’m hoping that they will withstand tonight’s very cold temps with this snow/sleet/rain mix we are having.  (And I hope to wake up with electricity tomorrow too!)

Our strawberry plants are covered away under this straw and I peek in on them every once in a while.  This coming year, we should be able to harvest some strawberries and we will most definitely be planting some more.

I am seriously excited about what’s in this dirty trash can!  This is our compost that has been cooking for quite some time now.  Since we live in the city, we need to keep our compost covered to keep away varmints.  (That’s such a funny word.  It makes me think of Yosemite Sam.) We looked at purchasing a compost bin but they are quite costly.  Instead we bought a trash can and drilled holes on all sides including the bottom.  We have set it upon bricks to help air circulate under the compost bin.  As we fill the bin, we will turn the can on its side and roll it across the yard.  You might notice a strap across the top.  That is there to keep the lid on as we roll it.  I can’t wait to add the nutrient rich compost to our garden this year.

My friend, Salinda, and I have been garden talking lately.  She mentioned that she had been reading a Farmer’s Almanac.  I LOVE the Farmer’s Almanac but had not had one for some time.  So I got one and I’m loving it!  It is filled with some useful and interesting information.

This month I will be putting in some onions and shallots.  (I’ve never grown shallots so any advice is welcome.)  If you live in Louisiana, here is a good planting guide for our state.  This link is another link to the many crops you can grow in Louisiana during the month of January.  Based upon the information in these articles, we will also be planting English peas, snow peas, carrots, lettuce, mustard greens, swiss chard, and radishes.  I’m going to put in some garlic too though some sources say it is too late for that.  That’s a lot of gardening for a winter month! 

I know the links above are for the state of Louisiana but all it took was an internet search for a planting guide for our state.  This information is from our state’s agricultural center. 

Most of my gardening right now will be on paper as I dream and plan for our new gardens for this year.  Here is a list of what we need to do for our 2011 gardens.

1. Transplant the raspberries and blackberries.
2. Prune the grape vines.
3. Build an arbor and a trellis for grape vines.
4. Build more raised beds.  Two 8 X 4 and Two 4 X 4 beds.
5. Plan early spring and summer gardens on paper.
6. Purchase and start a new compost bin.
7. Purchase a compost container for the kitchen.
8. Order seeds.
9. Clean garden tools and replace as needed.
10. Buy new gardening gloves. 

It looks like gardening really does happen year round and not just in the spring and summer.

Have you started planning your garden for the new year?

Are you going to try any thing different in your garden?

I just love garden talk!  {smile}