One of our favorite things to do here at Flourish Farms is to start our yearly garden prep in the winter while we are stuck inside with plenty of time to brainstorm and create our new year’s vision board. This short blog includes information on what we do for winter garden planning to make sure that once spring thaw occurs, you are ready to hit the ground running with your action plan for the planting season.
The first thing my wife and I like to do is sit down and create a vision board for the new year, this includes everything from what we want to accomplish, to what we want to plant, have more of or less of than last year and anything new we want to do at our property/homestead.
Obtaining a grow light is one of the best investments for winter garden planning because it allows you to get your seeds started early and be able to transplant them directly to your garden when the weather is ideal. In our experience, getting your plants started under grow lights allows for more yield, and quicker than purchasing an already started plant from a store or nursery. This is mostly due to the fact that your environment created under your own grow light has been more constant than the environment of plants traveling to stores or nurseries.
Once you have your upcoming season plan for crops, the best thing to do is get what you can planted and under your grow lights to germinate and start growing. This is a fun family activity, and our boys love to watch the progression of the growth.
Lastly, prepare any building materials/supplies needed for the rest of your vision ideas so that when the weather permits, you can get started right away!! Stay tuned on this blog for things to come such as fun sour dough/discard recipes as well as what we like to do to keep our chickens healthy in the winter.