This Week's Garden Chores February 2-8, 2025

A list of things I gotta do in the garden by the end of this weekend

I have so much to do by this weekend before it rains. I managed to knock out a couple of things already that were just a matter of ordering or picking up at the store.

This is a small sampling of my seeds. I have also mail ordered some and have a collection at home. These were just within reach. I finally used the last of my cucumber seed last summer so it was time to stock up.

Here’s a preliminary 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

• 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

Honestly, I’m not sure this is everything, but it’s a good start. Did I mention that the tendonitis in my shoulder is flaring? Should make for a good time. Dad gave us a tiller last year, so that will help tremendously with turning over the beds and compost pile, since I can’t seem to keep the tractor at home. I’m supposed to be getting one of my own, but it has to be fixed (which was supposed to happen over my husband’s week off at Thanksgiving). There really are not enough hours in the day with both of us working full time. I am really glad he is available to help me, because there is no way I’d get all of this done by myself.

I am trying a few new things this year, one of them being a cattle panel trellis. I have the posts and plenty of wire to strap everything together, but I’m hoping by doing this I free up some space and won’t have to take down my pea/cucumber trellises every year.

What’s on your garden prep list for this week?

Until next time…

Jennifer