Spring Garden Plans

My friends on the east coast are getting their fair share of snow this winter. I have to admit a little jealousy at their being snowed in, having school cancelled, and bundling up in front of movies all day while the world outside is covered in white. I do miss real winter. But there are good things about living in southern California, too, I know. Like the fact that I just enjoyed a long walk without even long sleeves, and the fact that I can plant a garden. Right now.

I got a package of new seeds in the mail this week. That's always fun. I took out all my seeds today and made a list of what I want to plant this spring (now) and what I will plant for my summer garden. My summer garden list is longer, and many of those plants take up much more space. Summer brings favorites like zucchini and cantaloupe, and tomatoes, in all their varieties. But winter/spring can still yield abundance, like peas, broccoli, spinach, carrots, and so many kinds of lettuce. I'm trying a few new things too: a new variety of garden peas, a new variety of spinach, some cabbage, and also leeks. We'll see how they do.

Last year, I made a master plan of my garden beds and saved it on my computer so that I can print it off and fill in my plantings. I put down the date that I planted, and how many plants in each square, based on the Square Foot Gardening method. When one harvest is complete, I'll often go back and put something new in the space, like where I stuck watermelon and pumpkins after spinach was done for the summer. This keeps me organized and gives me information about what varieties are where, how long germination is taking, when to expect harvests, and which companion plantings worked well (and which didn't).

The nice thing about winter/spring crops is that most of them prefer to be planted directly in their garden spaces, so I can skip the step of planting indoors and transplanting later. Now, I will look at my list, and make my plan! I'll keep you posted!