Columbia County
Greene County

Horticultural Information

Hello and welcome to the New Year. I trust you all have had your fill of revelry over the holidays.   There is only so much indulging and merrymaking one can do. Although I’m sad to see it go, once holiday time is zipped up and swept away, that’s when the real fun starts. All of you garden gnomes know what I’m talking about---planning season. This is the time of year when I get into the most trouble because the only thing that limits me is my imagination (and some of you already know how vast that is!).

By now you should have a sizeable collection of seed and garden supply catalogues.   The garden companies waste no time in taking advantage of the great void we feel after New Year’s Day. They stand ready to take our orders as they form in our minds. Before you run to the telephone, though, let’s pause and remind ourselves of a few things concerning our gardens. This will help us avoid some regrettable mistakes. Right now, your best friend is a pad of paper and a pencil. There will be plenty of time to shop.

Firstly, you will want to make a general list of all the projects you want to get done. Be as creative and as unrealistic as you like; no one has to see this list but you! Once you have that ridiculously long and unattainable list out of your system, take out a new sheet of paper and get serious. This list will include tasks that can be done in the space of one day to six months because when it comes right down to it, that’s all we really have at one time here in the Northeast. Now make a small tic next to the items that can reasonably be done by yourself or with minimal help. What remain should be those tasks that will require hired help or machinery rentals to complete. Be absolutely honest with yourself here as the last thing you need to do is to injure yourself by taking on a job that was larger than your abilities.

I recommend putting aside money and time for a few of the larger tasks first. Otherwise, you run the risk of depleting your resources on a lot of little things and not having what you need to achieve your goals. Once you have scheduled the important jobs you can indulge yourself by designing new garden beds or thinking of how you will perk up the old ones. For this you will need several sheets of paper unless you are computer savvy. In that case you might consider enlightening those of us who haven’t made the technological leap yet.

As you pore through catalogues, keep in mind the size of the garden you are planning. Write down the approximate bloom time of the specimens you have chosen along with the color. Water and light requirements are properties that should always be considered. This is one area people tend to overlook. The terms “spreads readily” and “ground cover” are code words for “invasive”. While it may seem like a quick, inexpensive and easy way to start a large garden, I have come to realize that those species that take off like wildfire are the ones that end up in the plant swaps!

I wind up spending more time defending my garden against them than I do enjoying them. Consider spending your money on good quality mulch and fewer plants. This way you will still have an attractive garden that contains only the plants that you really want.

If it is a vegetable garden you are planning, you will want to make a chart. Include the vegetable, harvest time, water requirements, size and compatibility with other plants. While you are on the subject, compose another chart for a second harvest of cool weather crops. A little planning goes a long way.

Even though you may feel like it is finally time to start ordering, I want you to ponder just how often you came back from the nurseries and roadside stands with flower and vegetable starts. Do you really need to order seeds and starts in January and February when you are going to bring them home from almost every shopping trip you take? Think of the carbon footprint we leave when sending for a pack of seeds that needs to be shipped from Minnesota or delicate plants that make their way from Kentucky or Virginia wrapped in yards of plastic and paper. You can make a difference environmentally and economically by supporting your local nurseryman first. Besides, who better to ask for advice on growing things in your neck of the woods than someone who actually lives there?

A healthy planning process should have kept you busy for six or eight weeks. I can think of few better ways to spend my long winter evenings than hunkering down with a sheaf of paper, a pencil, and a basket of catalogues. You can instill a sense of belonging and appreciation just by asking family members to join you. Have them cut pictures out of magazines and arrange them on paper. By planting what they like, you may be more likely to enlist their service when you need help. If nothing else, you will be too busy planning to watch TV!

If you take the time to plan carefully, you will save time, money, aggravation, and work. Flowers and vegetables may become dormant for the winter but a good gardener never sleeps! If you have suggestions for garden planning, I would love to hear them. Send an email to Donna Peterson, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Written by: Gina Torre, Master Gardener Volunteer