Gardening Resolutions for 2016

February Gardening Tasks

• Start seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other cool-season crops indoors for planting outside in March.
• Fill your winter garden with color from primroses and pansies.
• Prune roses in February near the end of the dormant season; remove old leaves on and around the plants now.
• Control peach leaf curl by spraying during the next dry spell with copper spray to prevent this disfiguring disease.
• Plant blueberries now from young plants; prepare a rich, acidic bed with plenty of peat moss.

Gardening Resolutions for the Year

Rainy winter days make gardeners eager for warmer weather. Use this time to set goals and make resolutions for the season ahead.

• Build a compost bin to turn kitchen scraps, leaves, or yard waste into rich humus.
• Transition to a more organic style of gardening for nutritious produce.
• Double-dig the garden; read How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons for guidance.
• Grow more food by rotating crops and practicing succession planting with peas, lettuce, beets, greens mix, basil, and cilantro.
• Choose at least one new vegetable to plant for variety in your diet and soil health.
• Shop for seeds early to prepare for planting season.
• Plant more flowers for color, cutting, fragrance, and to attract beneficial insects and butterflies—even in vegetable gardens or pots.
• Replace a tired lawn with drought-tolerant shrubs, perennials, or vegetables.
• Design a water-wise garden with native and Mediterranean plants that require little water once established.
• Create a relaxing oasis with a bench, favorite plants, and a small recirculating fountain for birds.
• Plant a fruit tree this year; replace any non-thriving trees with vigorous new ones.
• Keep a garden diary to track micro-climate details like frost dates, pests, and weather patterns.
• If you’re not already a gardener, start now—many plants thrive in pots, and gardening offers health benefits.
• Share your love of gardening and plants with others.

Grow, celebrate, discover, and enjoy your garden this year!