III. Inside Winter Garden projects #2 Planning out your spring garden

So, you wanna work on your garden, but you can still see your breath when you go outside... luckily, there is still inside projects you can do! Designing your garden

Here is a list of considerations to help you design your perfect garden. What do you want to grow this spring? What about summer, what do you want to grow then? What grew well in your garden last year? How are you going to water your plants? What parts of your yard get the best sunlight? 1. WHAT CROPS DO I WANT TO GROW? First, decide what you want to grow this Spring. (You can figure out your summer garden better if you know what will already be growing when you plant in the warmer months to come.) I reccomend looking at a 'planting date calender' (Check our INFO PAGE for a good one for the Little Rock area.)

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER PLANTING: - Besides just planting vegetables, consider planting herbs as well! There are lots of perennial herbs available!

- Try planting some pest repelling plants! (Check our FREE INFO page for a list!) - Plant flowers to attract pollinators. (FREE INFO page takes you to an awesome list for Arkansas specific pollinators) - Consider trying to plant more PERENNIAL plants, so you won't have to plant them again... They will just keep coming back each year, as long as you take care of them.

2. MAP OUT YOUR GARDEN!

Map out WHERE you want WHAT to grow. You may even want to figure out how many plants you think will fit in a row if you want. DRAW IT OUT! Seeing it will help make it easier. You can also use this map to help you remember where your best southern sunshine is comign from. Pay attention to where shadows are in your garden & adjust accordingly for sun loving plants.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:

- How are you planning on watering your plants? Don't plant so far away from your rain collecting barrel (or hose) that you can't easily water your plants. You may want to consider getting some soaker hoses & an electric timer hooked up to your water source. It's a small investment, but probably one of the wisest investments you can make for your garden to stay healthy & happy this season.

- Did you have VINE BORERS or other mean plant ruining pests last season? You won't want to plant those same type of plants in that same spot again! Lots of pests, especially the Vine Borer, will live/lay eggs in the same spot. So, move your plants around this season!

- Rotate your crops to help your soil! Don't just keep planting tomatoes in the same box every year... give the soil a break, a chance to replenish the nutrients lost. There are lots of good soil nutrient replenishing crops... Do a little research & help your soil recover!

By considering WHAT & WHERE you will plant stuff, you can make your spring gardening go even smoother! You will also discover that that it's actually a lot of fun too!

BEST OF ALL... YOU DIDN"T HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE IN THE COLD TO HELP OUT YOUR GARDEN!