Garden Planning

On Saturday, I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, a handy planting chart, and a piece of paper to figure out the 2013 planting schedule.  I started by figuring out the date of my last frost (usually around the first week of June) and worked backwards in 4 week increments.

Those 4 week increments, let me know what needs to be started in the greenhouse and when to move those starts out to the garden, as well as what can be direct seeded.  After all this time you’d think I’d have it memorized, but I do check the chart in the back of an old copy of Down-to-Earth Vegetable Gardening Know-How by Dick Raymond each year just to make sure I’m getting things outside at the right time.  I also let nature be my guide, if it seems like things are warmer or cooler than necessary I plant accordingly.  You can find similar planning charts at The Vegetable Garden.  Those planting schedules give me a general idea of how to plot my own garden dreams.  It’s a simple thing but I don’t mind saying, it’s an exciting thing to get ready for the 2013 gardening season.

If you’d like to plan out your own seeds and garden plans, you can download and print the planning sheet I use, here.