Winter Garden Planning

It’s time to begin winter garden planning for the coming spring. While the cold days of winter drag on, seed catalogs begin arriving. I like to sit with a steaming cup of tea, catalogs spread out on the table, pouring over each description of the vegetables I want to grow this spring.

I go back and forth between the pics I snapped during the summer (because even though I tell myself I’ll remember, I don’t) and the seed catalogs. Then I make notes of which tomato variety or bean plant performed well last year. I cull those which did not perform well and that I won’t consider giving precious space to again.

Reality check: I have a postage stamp sized area in which to plant and some of that space has a semi-healthy rose bush, a fig tree and a spearmint patch determined to take over everything in the yard. Ok, so maybe some judicious ‘thought pruning’ is in order. More tea…

It’s not always necessary to have a large plot (not gonna lie- I do dream about it) to produce some of the vegetables, flowers or herbs that you love. I’ve found that many, if not all, herbs can be planted in pots and often grouped together in the same pot. Small spaces can surprise you with their yields.

Companion planting

One such group I discovered last summer: thyme, basil and marjoram. They performed quite happily co-habitating within the confines of a thick terra cotta pot. Thyme and marjoram are perennials, so they should re-appear this spring. Basil is an annual that I can plant alone by seed again this year. But each of the three plants prefer sun and adequate water. The combination was a successful companion planting.

I’ve had an oregano – sage companion planting for several years; since oregano can take some shade and sage is partial to some sun, it works. As long as the sun and water needs of each plant are similar, it should work very well.

I’ve planted some late season (July) lettuce, arugula and bush green beans together. The bean plants helped to shade the lettuce while the arugula loved the sun light that fell between the beans and lettuce.

Try it out by experimenting, on paper with seed catalogs for now, and in the spring give it a go outdoors. If you love tomatoes for salad, there are plenty of varieties which grow compactly; grape and cherry tomatoes are perfect for pots on a sunny patio.

Seed saving

I also save seeds from some best performers. I’ve saved San Marzano tomato seeds by scooping them out of a ripe tomato and placing them on a clean paper towel. After they dried, I put them – paper towel and all – in a zip lock bag and labeled it with the variety and year. Nearly ten years later, those seeds produced some very nice tomatoes. Maybe not as large as they grow in Italian soil, but they were delicious.

Did You Know… that tomatoes were not native to Italian soil? They were a gift from us here in the Americas in the 15th century, specifically from the Spanish conquistadors. Tomatoes loved the hot Italian sun and rich, volcanic soil.

I saved zinnia seed heads from last summer; large fucshia and orange blooms, they were gorgeous! I’ve come to love zinnias for their long, sturdy stems that can fully support the heavy blossoms. They are no-fuss flowers which bloom all season; providing nectar for butterflies and other pollinators. And they make an excellent cut flowers.

I make checking all saved seeds and half-finished seed packets part of my winter garden planning. I can sort out any unuseable seed heads and seed packets now and I won’t be disappointed later at planting time; there is still time to order more seeds. I like Johnny’s Seeds for heirloom varieties and their No GMO pledge.

Winter garden planning: Mix up some natural plant foods

Winter garden planning is also the time that I start saving egg shells and mixing up some natural plant food. Egg shells?? Yup, eggshells are an important source of calcium. Tomatoes grow strong when a little calcium is sprinkled in the planting hole before I transplant. It also helps to prevent blossom-end rot; that awful black, mushy spot on the bottom of young tomatoes.

So save your eggshells! You’ll be surprised how quickly you can fill a small container. Just keep crushing them down in your container. No need to cover, there is little to no odor as the eggshells are drying, it takes about a week to ten days for each layer of shells to dry and become brittle.

When the container is full, I use a cheap, electric coffee grinder that I keep for grinding herbs and eggshells. Just add a handful and a few, quick pulses will reduce the eggshells to powder. I recommend that you wear a mask or open the lid slowly as there will be some ‘dust’ when you take the shells out.

Using powdered eggshells around your plants

Label and store your eggshells in a plastic zip bag. One quart-size bag, half-full should last a season. You can also sprinkle the powdered egg shells around plants at the drip line. The drip line is where the branches extend furthest from the tree, shrub or plant. This is where a plant’s feeder roots are located and where the plant takes in nutrients.

Liquid plant food

This is an all-purpose plant food that I use for house plants and vegetables. It’s easy to make and lasts a long time since you only need a tablespoon per two gallons of water.

So, if you’re having a cup of tea while reading this, save your tea bag!

You will need:

• 1 -2 tea bags, leaves only
• coffee grinds, about one cup
• egg shells, one to two fresh shells from raw eggs only. Crushed to fit in your container.
• 1 teaspoon of whisky or rum
• 1 tsp molasses or honey
• 2 -3 drops dish soap -or- scrapings/end of an olive oil Castile soap bar
• A clean, plastic orange juice or 1 liter soda bottle with lid.

Combine all except the dish soap. You may need a funnel to get the egg shells and coffee grinds in the container, just add some water to them as you go.

When the container is filled with water, add the 2-3 drops of dish soap. I add this at the end to avoid making any suds. Cap, shake and allow to stand for at least two weeks before using. Since you’ll make during winter garden planning it will be ready in plenty of time for spring.

You will add about a splash of this plant food in a 2-3 gallon watering can, fill with water. Remember, this is used for the soil around your plant not for your plant’s leaves as it may burn them.

Now you want to know about the crazy ingredient list, right? Coffee grinds for acidity, tea leaves for organic matter and nitrogen. Alcohol to discourage aphids. Molasses or honey for the sugar content and dish soap to discourage non-benefical insects from eating your plants. Egg shells for calcium.

Happy winter garden planning!