Cultivate Gardening Resolutions for the New Year
Congratulations! You have almost made it through the weirdest week of the year. Limbo, purgatory, ChristmaKwanzaNewYears…whatever you want to call it…this week is always strange. I often feel depressed the few days following Christmas because the magic is over for another year, but then I feel the nerves of a runner at the starting line waiting for the gun the fire so I can take off into the new year. I know I can’t be alone in this state of not knowing what day it is or what parts of my routine are actually happening this week. How do you spend your time during this in-between week? We’ve had family time, cleaning time, reading time, and thinking time. The thinking time is what I’m going to focus on today. I believe that reflection and goal-setting are an important year-end practice. This practice can be a bit challenging, but an important step in personal growth. I hope that no matter my age, I’ll continue to strive to do better and be better. Personally, my hope for 2024 is to find a kinder, more grounded version of myself. I hope to not let others get under my skin as much and I hope that I continue to show bravery as I pursue growing my business. Maybe you’re not a New Year’s Resolution person and that’s okay. Regardless, January is a great time to start planning your garden! Woo hoo! It’s almost time to get back at it! 🎉👨🌾 To effectively plan your 2024 garden, you have to reflect on what worked and what didn’t work for you this past growing season.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
What crop did I grow really well? Not so well?
What vegetables did I eat? Which ones did I let rot in the field or the fridge? What vegetables/flowers did I not have enough of?
What crop or plant did I find the most joy in growing? What wasn’t so fun?
Is the size of my garden manageable? Can I go bigger or do I need to scale back?
How important is weed and pest management to me? Did I manage it effectively or was it frustrating?
Did I give more than I took out of the garden? Did I have a symbiotic relationship with the Earth? How can I continue to be the best steward of the land I’ve been given?
What did I learn this year? What do I want to learn in the coming year?
How can I make my farm/garden operate more efficiently? Are there things I need to organize? Is there a tool that could make this job easier? Can I rework my garden plan and design?
And finally….the most fun part….Have I completed a seed inventory? What should go on my shopping list? What seeds can I pass along to a friend or give to a local seed library? What is something new I can try?
Here are some things that I am going to focus on in 2024:
Learn more about and demystify composting. Determine which compost methods work best for me and do it consistently.
Fine-tune a routine that I can stick to. Last season, I had Weeding Wednesdays and Fertilizer Fridays. This worked pretty well for me. I want to ensure I am even more consistent about this each week. These are non-negotiable weekly tasks.
Add more native trees and shrubs. Choosing some of the larger plants that provide structure in the garden, but also can be used as cuts.
Show patience in that I can’t do it all, buy it all, plant it all. I get jealous of established gardens. Mine is still pretty much a blank canvas. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we have only lived in our home for 2 years and there were only builder-grade landscaping plants in the front and one tree when we moved in. I have to remind myself that I have done a lot even though it’s much slower than I maybe want the garden to progress.
And finally, continue to develop content that educates and inspires other gardeners. Please email me and let me know what content you’d like to read about in the future. Do you want more YouTube content? How can I help you further develop your green thumb? What do you want to learn? How can I help you grow?
🥂Cheers to 2024, Flower Friends! 🍻I hope that the year brings your best gardening year yet!
Keep Blooming,
Nicole Dillon, Breemar Flower Farm
