Winter Gardening 2016

The New Year has brought more snow and rain to a very thirsty Northern Nevada. The wet weather started in November 2015 and has continued right up to the writing of this blog posting. It is truly a blessing not only for our landscapes but our native trees and shrubs too. Think about how stressed they are after 4 years of dry winters and hot summers, this wet weather is providing much relief.
Here are three things that might help keep you engaged during this real winter.

1. Starting Seeds    It is a great time to get organized and get your cool season crop seeds started. These include Kale, Lettuce, Mustard, and Arugula. You will find that these start quickly, so use a good sized container to start them in. Seeds need air, water and light, hopefully you have a south facing window to serve for light, and I love peat pellets as a seed starting medium. Once you have good healthy roots move the peat pellets into a quart sized container, before long they can be planted outside.

2. Research    Yes this is a great time to research everything from new tools to those hard to find seeds for your edible garden. My friend Jennifer gets several seed catalogues which she carefully goes through looking for those special heirloom seeds to grow and eat, she is truly inspirational. If you are in need of any catalogues simply Google the item you want and you will have more than enough choices.
3. Planning     Start by getting the size of the area you want to work on, whether it needs to be re-done or is an empty spot getting the size of the area will help with proper plant selection . Us draft paper and pencils (something easy to erase) and start planning. Use the web site for plant choices, the growers have all the information you need to pick the best plant. The next most important bit of information is how much sun/light the area gets, if a plant needs shade it must get it in the afternoon not the morning.

 Of course there is sharpening pruners, hola hoes and other garden tools, organizing garden sheds and finding garden soils and fertilizers that are on sale.

Happy winter gardening and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have a question.

Marnie Brennan, GardenCoach Reno Nevada