NJBackyard New Year's Resolutions List
Happy New Year! We made it through an insane 2020, and so far 2021 has been any better. All we can do is prepare, learn, and adapt to what the world throws at us. This applies to our backyard gardens as well.
Last year’s garden journey was a rollercoaster ride, so many ups and downs. Luckily, I have enough learnings to try and push the needle forward this year. I’m psyched. I’m excited. I’m hopeful that this is the year to really step up the backyard garden game.
It’s hard to believe the growing season has already begun here in Jersey. The daily grind has prevented me from organizing my ideas and visions into an actionable plan. However, I have given a lot of thought to what needs to be done in order to have a productive year. Let’s call it a NJBackyard New Year's Resolutions List.
Plan Ahead - Take the time to plan the garden, and more importantly, detail the tasks required to execute that plan. This includes:
Determine the plants you want to grow. If you need to purchase seeds, do so as soon as possible. Some seed sellers are already out of stock or delayed due to COVID and demand.
Schedule your seed starts, keeping track of the “time to germination,” time needed for hardening off, first/last frost dates, and “time to harvest.”
Set a calendar for succession planting to optimize and extend your harvests.
Organize - Keeping things in order leads to efficiency which results in saving time and money. Organization is key for everything from your seeds and equipment to how you plant and layout the garden.
Journalize - A garden journal is a great medium to capture anything related to the garden. Every garden is unique, and the garden journal will be a personal diary of what you want to remember, as well as what you do in the future.
Try Something New - Don’t be afraid to fail, as long as you can learn from it.
Learn - Review last season and double down on what works, stop or adjust what didn’t
Execute - Stop having visions of grandeur and just get things done. Perfection is the enemy of done.
Good luck to all the gardeners! Stay safe!
