How To Plan Your Garden Over The Winter

Are you itching to get your garden going? As winter truggs on up here in Michigan, its gonna be a while before we can plant in our gardens. The good news is that you can use the wintertime to focus on planning your garden so you can make the most of it.

From planning where to grow your garden to making a plan for pest control now is the time to problem-solve and prepare so you can make the most of gardening season.

Decide where your garden will go

When you plan your garden the first step is to figure out where you want to put your garden. this will allow you to make the most of your garden space rather than diving right in come spring.

Take the time to look over your yard and decide where you can get plenty of sun. Full sun will allow your garden to produce more food. That said make a note of shady areas you can grow in to take advantage of plants that grow well in the shade.

Map out what your garden bed will be making note of the size and shape of the garden beds you plan to get. Knowing where your garden will go will make it easier to plan your garden inch by inch to make the most of your space.

Decide what you want to grow

Before you can start planning your garden you need to know what you will be growing. This allows you to take time to get to know the plants you will be growing over the winter so you can plan a layout that allows you to maximize space, control pests, and attract pollinators to your garden.

For the best results start with growing things that you know your family will enjoy. This will get you the most value for your garden and your time. For us that means we grow a lot of green beans, strawberries, and tomatoes but very little of things like okra that only a few people will eat in the house.

Learn about your plants and plan your layout

Taking the time to learn about each plant you have decided to grow makes things like companion planting easier than ever. If you are starting a square-foot garden it is even more important that you take the time to learn about your plants.

As you learn about the needs and comparability of each plant add them to the map of your garden beds. As you work your way through you can move things around much easier than after you plant.

Plan your watering system

Planning a watering system for your garden over the winter allows you to make plans to set up your system to benefit each plant the most. The winter, when you are deciding where plants will go is the perfect time to map out and plan a drip irrigation system.

A drip irrigation system attached to wifi enabled watering timer is one of the best ways to use technology in your garden to help make caring for it easier whether you are on vacation or fighting a summer heatwave.

Plan for pest control

The winter is a great time to make your plans for pest control. The snow and mud found often over the winter can make it easy to find and identify animal tracks. The animal tracks you find in your garden area are the animals you most need to prepare for come spring.

Having a plan in place to repel rabbits, cats, dear, birds, and other unwanted wildlife from your garden before they become a problem can make it easier to protect your garden.

Plan for amending soil

Amending your soil to build the best garden soil is just one simple step you can make to help your garden thrive. From setting up a compost system to saving your eggshells to add calcium to your garden over the winter there are a lot of great things you can do now to help your garden thrive come spring.

Start budgeting and purchasing supplies

When you are planning your garden you need to look at the supplies that you will need for your garden and start working that into your budget. Plan your budget around the supplies you need.

Make a list of gardening tools you will need, supplies for garden beds, items for your watering system, composting system, and other garden projects you have planned to help with pest control.