Winter Garden Projects
The weather's more mild this week in Central PA and my mind is on spring! I'm itching to get my hands into the dirt and stalking the 10-day forecast for any opportunity to get outside.
It's still a little early to really get to gardening but if you're thinking spring and ready to get your hands dirty, there are a few winter garden projects that will help to hold you over until spring.
WINTER GARDEN PROJECTS
Plant roots & corms. Now is a great time to start anemones & ranunculus. Get them going indoors now and in just a few weeks they'll be ready to go outside. I wrote a grow guide for spring corms that you can find here, and here's a video tutorial for building our caterpillar tunnels. Peonies are another cold-weather project. As long as you can work the ground you can plant peonies! The ground in our area will definitely be thawed this week so get those roots in the ground. Grab some of my favorite peony varieties here.
Make plans. Pull out your favorite garden books, seed catalogs and a few sheets of fresh paper and get to work on your plans for this years garden.
A few of my favorite books:
- Cut Flower Garden by Erin Benzakein
- Month by Month Gardening in Pennsylvania by George Weigel
- Cool Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler
While you're planning, be sure to check the backs of your seed packets to determine when they should be started. I'm going to be starting some seeds in February and the bulk of our seeds in March! Be sure you're all set with seed starting supplies like soil mix, trays and heat mats. I've rounded up some of my favorite supplies here, and recommend a regular old shop light with one cool and one warm bulb as your grow light!
Tool inventory. Gather your favorite garden tools, give them a good clean, sharpen dull edges and replace as necessary. My favorite tools are a sharp pair of pruners and a hori hori. Gloves optional!
Force bulbs. Can't wait another second to get into the dirt? Grab a few bulbs and work on an indoor container garden. Bulbs (think paperwhites, amaryllis, bluebells and hyacinth) are great for bringing spring inside long before it hits outdoors. Use a low planter or repurpose a pretty serving dish as your makeshift garden. We have lots of bulbs in the shop but you can also find most of these right now in your local garden or hardware store!
Made it through the list and still pining for spring? Take heart; it's just a few weeks away!
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