This Week's Garden Chores

February 9-15, 2025

I did manage to get quite a bit done last week, and I overdid it, as predicted. My shoulder still hurts, but I feel productive and see some noticeable improvements in the garden. Much like garden chores, the joys of middle age are never ending. The days have started getting longer, which means the days are going to get longer and busier from now until fall. There’s always something to do in the yard or garden in spring and summer, and my to-do list is an ever evolving beast.

Several of my chores had to rollover to this week, because we just couldn’t get it all done. I feel like I’m already behind because I did absolutely nothing in the yard or greenhouse this winter, despite telling myself I was going to.

Last week’s list:

• Pull up dead plants and collect, clean, and sort any seeds I plan to save, if there are any left

• Amend and till beds

• Turn over compost pile, distribute what is ready to beds

• Clean up the trash goblin dog’s pile of “treasures”

• Rake up and distribute approximately 400 lbs of pine needles in raised bed paths and on flower beds

• Clean leaves out of fish ponds and stock tanks - I decided to leave these

• Seed/plant winter veg - carrots, onions, garlic, lettuces, garden peas, cabbage, potatoes, spinach, etc.

• Start cold tolerant veg in the greenhouse

  • I’m trying out a variety of tomato called Moskvich this year. I’d like to see how it does as a semi-winter sown

• Prune roses, attempt rooting

• Cut back deciduous shrubs (hibiscus, lantana)

• Dig up, transplant and/or give away leucojum bulbs (I have a taker!)

• Order row cover, pick up wire for row cover ribs

• Order/buy seeds

• Replace electric fence posts and install new wire

  • Purchase fence posts and wire

• Buy and install cattle panel trellis - decided to go with welded wire

New items on the list:

• Clean out the greenhouse - got a good start

• Sow perennial flowers - hyssop, milkweed,

• Make ribs and cover beds with row cover if it’s delivered this week

• Transplant hibiscus - these have been dug up

• Sow annual flowers in greenhouse - marigold, cosmos, nasturtium, zinnias, alyssum

• Spray peach tree with dormant oil if not too late

I’m waiting on a couple of orders to come in, and I’m excited about a one of them. I follow a British cut flower grower on YouTube (Common Farm Flowers), and she seeds some of their flowers in enormous trays. I’ve been looking for them everywhere, and finally found what I wanted at Greenhouse Megastore. Because she’s in England and I’m in the US, I wasn’t able to find the exact trays she uses, but close enough. I also can’t find the exact video, but I was suitably awed.

The only problem I can foresee is finding a way to cloche these things. Perhaps clear under bed storage totes? I’ll have to think on that a bit. I am also picking up a wire shelving unit and a clear zippered shelf cover to create a makeshift mini greenhouse inside my greenhouse. Greenhouse nesting dolls, if you will (Greenception?). The shelves are a tiny bit narrower than the trays, but they will work. The price difference between 18” deep and 24” deep was the deciding factor. I may not need a way to cloche the trays with this system in place.

I got in touch with my local electric utility to request a load of wood chips. The right-of-way crews shred tons of tree limbs every month, and they are usually happy to drop them off to people willing and able to take a large quantity of chips. I have an area to store and dump them, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they are able to fulfill my request. A load of wood chips would really kick start my compost pile. I used most of the compost pile filling my beds this year and will essentially be starting over.

The compost pile is (was) lovely dark and deep…

I do have two more beds planned to round out my veg gardens. I wanted more, but I have quite a bit of shade in my yard, and have to work with what I’ve got. I extend my growing area some with containers and my “Junque Garden” that usually houses my herbs. I’m moving some of the perennial herbs to the main beds this year, so I’ll have more room for annuals there.

The remnants of last year's basil.

I’m planning to put strawberries in one of the new beds, and I want to try growing popcorn next year in the other. I think I can work with eight beds, but I might have to find a corner to squeeze in a couple more. Large oak and hickory trees have made finding suitable spots close enough to the house to grow vegetables a tricky proposition. The deer are thick where we live, so putting anything on the other side of the shed without an electric fence or some other sort of deterrent is risky. What’s on your garden chore list this week?

Until next time…

Jennifer