Winter Weather Garden Musings

As record lows threaten the North East in the United States, here are some happier things to think about...

Snow Day in Dunkirk, NY: Photo by Morgan Burns

-Gardens
-Gardening
-Green Stuff
-More Gardening

AND...

How to (realistically) plan for your garden this year in the depths of winter?

Step 1: Figure out where you want to plant your garden if you don't have one already.  Think about how much sunlight your plants need, if water is accessible to your site, if the soil is full or rocks or clay, and if animals are likely to ransack it.  All these factors play into where you should plant your garden.

Porter Ave. Garden in Fredonia in 2013

Step 2: Plan your garden layout. Is it going to have raised beds or be tilled? Would you like to design a "pizza" garden or a traditional vegetable garden.  Also, think about which plants need shade and water more than others and which plants have symbiotic relationships.  For example, you don't want to plant a tall plant next to a short plants that needs a lot of sunlight.

Step 3: Think about what you're going to grow.  If you love parsnips and tomatoes, then plant parsnips and tomatoes!  If you love flowers, plant a border of flowers around the garden.  And think now about which plants must be started inside early as well as which plants can be sown directly into the ground.  It is as simple as that!

CCRM Kitchen Garden in 2013

Step 4: Make a goal to set aside a portion of your garden to grow food for the local soup kitchen and food pantry.  Soup kitchens all over the nation are always in need of fresh and healthy food.  You can help meet this demand by growing a little extra this year to donate to the impoverished and chronically under-nourished in your locality. 

Unfortunately, this is really all the planning you can do when the weather is -10 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  But think now about maybe joining a gardening group, or even starting one yourself! And maybe you live in an apartment or low income housing area where you can't grow a garden on the property:  Then check out community gardens around the area and see if they have room for one more.   :)