If your New Year resolution, like mine, isn't about exercise or losing weight, but limiting the number of seeds and plants you can purchase for the summer, then, you know that the official gardening season has begun once those colorful seed catalogs start coming in the mail. 

I spend weeks in January poring over every page of the seed catalogs, looking for exotic scents, edible flowers (I do love duel purpose greenery), as well as plants that might increase my growing season. 

I understand that some people are NOT planners. They have beautiful, wonderful, thriving gardens and flower beds that require no planning at all.

I am NOT one of those people. I have to have a plan!

My first step is to get out my trusty garden binder where I have a map of my garden  (on graph paper)  and what I planted the year before. Once I have my binder, I review last years notes and yields in order to appraise what worked and what didn't. (I definitely didn't mulch or water enough last year).

Step two; I ask myself questions.

Am I happy with my garden/flower bed layout? Do I even need to order new seeds?  Do I need to fix or replace any equipment? Is there a new technique I want to learn? (I want to grow microgreens indoors this year). Do I want to enlist my 8 year old and design a butterfly-friendly garden? What is my budget? We axed any new projects this year and intend to focus on increasing efficiency and productivity, so we will definitely be doing more succession planting and mulching this year.

Step three; order seeds. Last year my sister had great success with an early yield tomato plant, so I will definitely try that this year, along with ordering my 'old' reliable heirloom seeds, and maybe a couple of fancy flowers to keep the bees stopping by my garden. 

There is a delicate balance between wants and needs, dreams and reality, and effort vs reward. Gardening is not for the faint of heart, but it is well worth it for the taste of that fresh produce that you planted and nourished with your own exertion. Even if you only start with a single container of Sweet Million tomatoes on your back patio or porch,  

January in Michigan is the perfect time to take small steps to plan ahead and prepare your garden for the upcoming season. For me it is also a great way to shake away those post-Christmas blues.   

   

Other optional January to do's:

[] Inventory seed starting supplies if you want to start seeds in March/April

[] Clean and repair tools.

[] Inventory pantry and calculate what you need for the upcoming harvest.

[] Prune trees.