Spring Break Reads

Here are the books I read last week during my spring break to help me with my garden!

Seed Starting Schedule

When you are planning your garden and you are trying to figure out when to plant seeds, etc.  This website explains the process step by step!

How to Develop a Seed Starting Schedule:

1. Find Your Last Expected Frost Date. 

2. Set Up a Chart.

3. Figure Out the Sow and Transplant Dates of Each Seed. 

4. Record the Dates in Your Chart. 

5. Keep Notes for Next Year. 

How to Develop a Seed Starting Schedule:

February Garden Chores

Here is what I am planning on accomplishing for the garden in February:

1. Finishing my scaled detailed drawing of the garden areas and what I am going to plant.
2. Buy seed starting supplies
3. Start seeds based on my areas latest frost date (April 23-30) (will be posting these as I go)
4. Getting backyard bird feeders situated
5. Get bluebird houses bought/built and set out by garden areas
6. Build a cold frame(s)
7. Order any seeds that I need/want/am missing
8. Finish building and painting plant holders
9. Finish painting plant hooks for backyard deck fence (bumblebee and ladybug)
10. Checking the week-by-week vegetable gardeners handbook daily!

Feeding the Backyard Birds

Picked up some new bird feeders to add to what I already have.  This is my favorite part of the garden on these windy cold winter days...watching the birds is relaxing and somewhat therapeutic! My favorite back yard bird visitors are the cardinals!!!

Gardening Checklist

I started reading this handbook this weekend and it is amazing! I would highly recommend adding this to your gardening resource library! This book takes your last expected frost dates and then you fill in the weeks based on that date.  I already feel behind but I am working on catching up with all the tasks I need to do for the garden this year. I will be posting about the items I need to do and/or am doing!! I can hardly wait to fill this book with all the anecdotes from my garden this year so that I can continue to learn and grow as a gardener!!!

Genius Cheat Sheet For Gardeners Tells Where And When To Plant Your Vegetables

This is the best infographic around!!! You must use it for the best gardens!!

Find the real sized one at: lhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/30/growing-vegetables-home-garden-cheat-sheet_n_5630136.html

No Garden? Here Are 66 Edible Plants You Can Grow At Home In Containers

Here is an extensive
 article about growing in containers if you are short on land space to grow a garden!  Great ideas!!  May have to incorporate a few in the container part of my garden.  

http://www.realfarmacy.com/garden-edible-grow-home-containers/

Native Kansas Plants

While I am planning my garden for this year I have been using this website to help me see what native Kansas plants I want to include.  It is a great resource!

Native Kansas Plants

January Garden Chores

Here are the garden chores I accomplished in January:

1. Limited traffic on the frozen lawn!  Not to hard to do when it is cold!!
2. Checked my leftover seeds and threw out any that were old and/or moldy.
3. Made a scale drawing of all the garden areas.  (Still finishing this one...Have several areas to work on this year!)
4. Browsed through all the seed catalogs! (LOVE the seed catalogs...going to post the best ones later!)
5. Placed seed orders based on my seed needs  after organizing and cataloging all my current seeds.
6. Putting together my plan for starting seeds indoors and gathering materials for that.  
7. Started my garden blog!!!!
8. Gathered gardening ideas on Pinterest!! (This is definitely ongoing!!!)
9. Began to build 2 simple planting boxes!  I will post the pictures of this project when I am done!
10. Painted some plant hangers!!!
11. Bought some more bird feeders for the bird feeding areas!!!
12. Planning some plants that will attract more birds, butterflies, and ladybugs to the garden.
13. Reading some garden magazines and books for ideas and how-to's etc. (Definitely ongoing!!)

Planning For The Garden

Here are my new garden planning journals. 

I am in love!