The weather has been exceptionally strange – it has felt more like Late Spring than Late Winter. The boffins are suggesting a bit of a seasonal reset will be happening soon and normal winter conditions will return. But they have been wrong before and I have yet to decide what is normal in this frostless place.
I have been trying my best to get ahead and ready for the new season, but it doesn’t seem to be progressing as quickly as I’d like and my priorities are constantly changing so I am going to create a list of things I want to achieve for this week in a form of public accountability. It is great to start the week off with an ambitious To Do List. Realistically I know not everything will get done because – well… life.
And then there is the weather. The boffins have also suggested this great weather reset will also involve a lot of rain. I am in two minds about this – it is always good to have rain in winter to fill the water tanks so we can get through the summer without worrying about buying water. But this also interferes with my abilities to garden unless I pop on a giant raincoat and carry on regardless. But then I could catch a cold and then every time I sneeze people will look at me with great suspicion, so it isn’t exactly an ideal time to catch a cold.
So here is my list:
- Finish cleaning the dome – I’m nearly there – its probably 85% there and can be done in all weathers, but if I don’t get it done I can’t start sowing seeds. This is important as there are a few I’d love to start now.
- Sow peas. I could have been growing these all winter but keeping saying ‘I’ll get to it soon’ but if I don’t sow them soon then I may miss my window for a good harvest as they don’t like it in hot weather and at this rate it will be hot before I know it!
- Tie up all loose ends on my computer gardening list. This allows me to move into spring with a clear head and room to take on the new spring projects without jostling for time with the old projects. This is an ambitious ask for the week, so I’ll allow overflow into next week and say it has to absolutely be done before the start of spring… If it rains I can still be productive, if not, working for a few evenings won’t kill me.
- Plan the garden and sort the seeds. – this is critical and must be done. This really can’t wait for a rainy day.
- I need to learn the lessons from last season and not grow the things I didn’t like and make sure I have enough space allocated or not enough for those I do want to grow.
- I need to sort through the seed packets determine which empty ones need replacing – hopefully I still have the empty packets, so this is an easy task – otherwise I have to remember what I grew before.
- I need to source new seeds and decide if I’m going to grow new things and if so which ones.
- I need to review the plan of the garden and fill it in with all the details for this season.
- Confession time. I only managed to take care of the needs of two ‘sectors’ last week. Ordinarily this wouldn’t matter but last week was the first time I’d done it for ages so there were weeds and disorder. Last week was to be my first deep sort out of each sector in the garden and give the plants already there the attention they need. This week I need to finish this, so that, going forward – the start to each day is a quick whiz across the row and doing a quick weed, a path hoe and tending to things. If I start in control, I’ll stay in control.
Ok – that should be enough, or I’ll bite off more than I can chew. Even now I look at this list with trepidation. And this is just the short list! There is a much longer one waiting in the wings with items of varying importance with long term and medium term labels waiting to make the jump to the weekly lists.
Come again soon – I’ll let you know how I get on….
Sarah the Gardener : o)
King Alfred… an early beauty
Yes! that’s them! They are so bold and lovely! : o)
That daffodil would light up the greyest of miserable wet days.
Don’t they look fab. Their timing couldn’t be more perfect to get us through the last of the winter gloom… : o)
Sow the peas first…that’s time crucial. Sort the seeds and order anything vital to your needs just in case seed supplies are short. Another order that can be pondered over & wishes added can be done later at leisure, after you’ve worked out your garden plan. Weeds can wait a bit & be done when weather cooperates…they’ll pull easier after a rain! Freeze some of the broccoli for broccoli cheese soup when you are too busy to cook this spring. Clean the dome after that, so you can sit in it on rainy days, sow seeds in a timely fashion, and have a cup of tea while you admire your daffodils! That’s my advice! And don’t overdo! (Easier said than done, I know!)
Thanks so much for thinking about this. It is great to have someone else’s perspective, as when you find yourself in a muddle you are looking out from the mess and can’t see clearly. I love the idea of broccoli and cheese soup… it is a cold and rainy day today – I may just make that anyway! I’m seeing sowing the spring seeds as a bit of a reward at the end, and that is a great motivator! : o)
I need to finish making a plan and start preparing beds. Really hope it’s not going to be heaps of rain down here. Or at least not during the day!
I’ve finished my plan fortunately, but have had to scramble to get my supplies. At least preparing the beds can be done in the safety of home! Stay safe … again. : o)