Monday, January 21, 2013

January and my spreadsheet

I don't know how the rest of you keep track of everything you are supposed to do in a garden.  I thought gardening is supposed to be easy, relaxing, fun and a welcome stress reliever.  Yah, not my garden.  I am so busy trying not to forget everything I am supposed to be doing I usually forget something essential that I was supposed to do last month which ends up throwing the whole season off.  So done with that.  I can't tell you. 
 
 

So since I have now officially qualified for AARP and my memory sometimes takes a dump I try to write things down.  Lists are my life.  So I started taking all the tons of information that I have been collecting over the years and put it into a spreadsheet.  One page for each month.  Wooohoo.  Success.  Or at least more success that in the past :)  So for January . . . I hope this makes sense to you all :)

January
Week   Location Garden Event
       
First Week   Inside Seeds - Alyssum
    Inside Seeds - Basil
    Inside Seeds - Oregano
       
Second Week   Outside Seeds -  Green Onions, Onions
    Outside Seeds - Chives
       
Third Week   Outside Transplant - Pansy
    Outside Transplant - Snapdragon
    Outside Transplant - Dianthus
    Outside Transplant - Carnation
       
Fourth Week   Outside Seeds - Dill
       
Monthly Goal     Pruning - Trees except the Apricot
      Pruning - Grapes
      Pruning - Berries
      Pruning - Roses
      Prune - Wisteria
      Spray - Fruit Trees for Curl
       
Fertilizing   *0-10-10 Roses, Shrubs in Shade, Azaleas, Gardenias, Camellias, Fruit Trees,  
      Grapes and Citrus
    *5-10-5 Flowers
    *5-10-10 Vegetables
       
Freezing      Watch - Citrus
      Watch - Hibiscus
 
Just thought I'd throw in here one more 'to do' or at least to keep on doing.  This is the time to keep your composting rolling (literally in my particular case since I have a barrel composter) so that it is ready for the new year.  With the chill of winter most of us would rather not think about our compost piles but they still need tending.  Love my little green ceramic composter for the kitchen.  I used to have a red one (looked like a fire hydrant) but it got busted.  This gives me a place for my kitchen scraps.
 
 
Happy Gardening!