Organic Gardens And The Winter Months
by John Yazo
The end of the gardening season has come to an end and the frustration of having to wait for spring to arrive can be a period of time that seems to take forever. Here in the Northeast it can be a long wait, our growing season starts around Memorial Day and ends depending on frost as late as the end of October. It is a short growing season here and getting the most out of this short period of time can be a challenge at times.
Once the fall cleanup is done and your bulbs are planted, it is time to look forward for the earliest possible time to start gardening in the spring. Winter is a great time to start your planning. This all starts by reviewing your following years garden journals and starting a new one for the upcoming growing season. By reviewing a well keep garden journal, you can see what areas need improving, what plants did well and which ones didn't. Also it is a good idea to go back a few years to compare specific conditions, or methods to justify the productivity of your garden, like fertilization, pests problems, diseases and weather conditions.
Reworking your garden layout and planting times can help in eliminating some of the problems you have had in the past. There are times that pest could be a problem, and just waiting a week or two before planting can avoid the peak time that these or this particular pest causes it's biggest threat. Starting plants from seed indoors, or keeping the transplants you purchased indoors and just waiting this short period of time before planting them outside can be a big help.
Looking ahead is a very important step in organic gardening. With this method of gardening you are creating and environment that works along with nature, sometimes you have to wait your turn and allow for these natural process to take place before you can proceed.
The location of your garden can be the difference between success or disappointment. Studying and getting to know the site conditions you are working with is very important. Look at natural drainage, soil conditions, sun or shade conditions, and wind exposure. drainage, soil conditions and wind exposure all can be fairly easily be dealt with, sun or shade conditions are the areas of major concern. Being aware of sun and shade conditions are very important factors in designing a garden and having long term success.
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