Have you wanted to start some spring and summer plants from seed, but don’t know the best time to start them?
Perhaps you tend to start “late” and then your seedlings are tiny when it is time to plant them in your garden and you go out and buy plants anyway.
Whether either of these are you, or you simply want a simple formula to start your seedlings, this post is for you.
Know when to start your seedlings
On most seed packets you will find some useful information.
Recently I came across someone’s post who said they never read the seed packets and just wing it. They also lamented that their seedlings weren’t ready when they wanted to put in the in the ground.
The simple solution is to read the seed packets and follow this formula.
It has four parts.
Days to Germination
Days to Maturity
Planting Time
Last Frost Date
Let’s start by defining a couple of terms.
Days to Germination
You’ll see this on the seed packets, sometimes listed as “days to sprout” or “days to emerge”.
This will be a number and is the average number of days from the day you plant the seed, you can expect to see the seedling come up.
Various factors play a part in how close to that number of days your seedlings sprout.
For example, older seeds tend to take longer to sprout.
Some seeds prefer warmer temperatures, some cooler. Some need light to germinate, and therefore should not be covered, some want darkness to germinate. These are the things you learn by reading your seed packets.
Days to Maturity
You might also see this listed as “days to harvest” or it might simply say “days”.
This means the average number of days from the time the seedling sprouts to when you can expect to harvest it, or for it to bloom.
Again, climatic factors can modify when your tomato plant is pumping out tomatoes, or your zinnias are blooming.
Planting Time
Planting time depends on a couple of factors. First, if the plant likes it warm or cool.
Spring crops that like it cool will want more cool days in your garden to mature, where as your summer crops may not want to get planted in until cold weather has passed (more on that a bit).
The Seed Starting Timing Formula
The formula is calculated like this.
Pick the planting time, then calculate backwards, the Days to Maturity, then the Days to Germinate.
In the real world, you will do these in reverse order. 1, 2, then 3.
Last Frost Date
To choose when you put your seedlings in your garden, we use the last frost date for your area. This means the last average date you can expect you won’t get frost for the summer.
This date is calculated in the US by the USDA Planting Zones. They update the zones and dates every four years.
You can put in your zip code on their website and it will tell you your planting zone and your last and first frost dates. (Your first frost will be in your autumn.)
So that is it! A simple formula, based on when your seedlings want to be planted.
Want to get more seed starting support, Get my free Seed Starting Checklist.
I’ve chatted with some gardeners who primarily grow natives and some who primarily grow veggies. Turns out, there are folks who feel they have to grow one or the other. Since diversity is one of the two top ways to help insure a healthy thriving garden (living soil being the other) I wanted to give all you gardeners out there some inspiration and ideas on how I like to grow both.
In this first part, we’ll go into the benefits.
The second part we’ll look at it from the veggie gardener point of view and,
in the third part, we’ll look at it from the native gardener point of view.
3 Benefits of growing both natives and veggies:
Diversity! Every critter that happens into or around your garden is part of the priorly connected web of garden life. Insuring you have a large diversity of plants in your garden is an insurance policy that not any one critter will wreak havoc on your entire garden. By including both a vegetable garden and some native garden beds in your landscape, you add even more diversity that if you have one or the other. Annual Flowers, Veggies and Natives
Beauty. As I am fond of saying, “Beauty is food too”. Natives can add flowers and leaf shapes to your landscape and veggies can be grown in a pleasing manner, they don’t have to be in rows. Mixing Food, Flowers and Natives
Food for everyone. Native gardeners tend to pride themselves on growing food for wildlife. Veggie gardeners tend to pride themselves on growing food for themselves and their families. Why not have some of both – everybody wins!
In this introduction, we took a quick look at three benefits for growing both natives and veggies.
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Fellow gardeners take heart that spring will come and the snow will melt! In the meantime, starting seeds indoors helps keep the winter blues away.
Here are 5 simple steps to successful start your plants indoors:
Choose high quality seed from a reputable seed company. As an organic grower, you understand the importance of your food choices. By choosing seed companies who have a reputation for sustainability, you have a valuable voice in shaping how seeds are grown in the future. For the criteria I used to vet seed companies, click here.
Pick crops to start indoors that transplant well like tomatoes, peppers, basil, marigolds, squash, melons and cucumbers. Read your seed catalogs or the back of seed packets to see if that type of plant is good started indoors. Some crops like spinach an corn don’t like being transplanted and need to be direct seeded.
Use quality organic seed starting mix. Either choose an organic mix from a reputable company or make your own with a peat substitute like coco fiber, mixed with organic vermiculite and perlite. If you are buying a product, look for it to have mycorrhizal fungus in it to boost root production. If you are making your own mix, add it in.
Give your seedlings lots of light and warmth. You can set up a simple home seedling rack with 3’ shop lights over a shelf that can hold 5 seedling trays. Building it yourself will save you money.
Read my post on building your own seed starting rack, here.
Start your seedlings at the right time. Seed catalogs and packets will tell you when to start your seedlings. For example, tomatoes can be started 6-8 weeks before your last frost date. Cucumbers, melons and squash are generally started 2 – 4 weeks before they will be planted out. Remember to add in time for hardening off. Read my post on hardening-off here.
You really can eat from your garden all year. Granted, it does depend on what planting zone you are in.
Depending on your hardiness zone, the following list might need to shift a bit. If you are in the US, you can search on your zip code to find your hardiness zone.
There are many other plants in my garden all year, but here is a quick list of some ideas for four season gardening in zone 7:
Crops for Each Month of the Year
❄️January❄️
Cabbage, overwintered from last summer
Kale, overwintered from last summer
Collards, overwintered from last summer
☃️February🥬
Carrots overwintered from last summer
Hellebores – planted the previous year, perennial provides bees an early source of food (food crop for bees!)
Overwintered leaf crops, cabbage, kale, collards
🥬March🥬
Lettuce, direct seed spring varieties
Spinach, direct seed to harvest by June
Radish, succession plant every two weeks for continuous harvest
🥕April🫛
Peas, seed by early April for June harvest
Carrots, seed different types to compare what you like
Beets, seed different colors for rainbow beet salads
🍅May🍅
Tomatoes, transplant seedlings or direct seed
Peppers, transplant seedlings or direct seed
Cucumbers, transplant seedlings or direct seed
🌽June🌻
Corn, direct seed
Sunflowers, direct seed
Beans, direct seed
🍆July🌶️
Lettuce, under the shade of summer plants
Parsnips, to be harvested for fall dishes
All the plants you planted in May and June
🌿August🌿
Cabbage, planted for fall and overwintering
Kale, planted for fall and overwintering
Collards, planted for fall and overwintering
🥬September🥬
Lettuce, direct seed for fall harvest
Spinach, direct seed for fall harvest
Carrots, direct seed for fall harvest
🧄October 🧄
Garlic, plant cloves for harvest next September/October
Starting when I was a kid, of our outdoor autumn rituals was to rack all the leaves that had fallen from the trees.
Now, if you are a lawn lover, removing them from your grass is beneficial to keep your grass growing well. Matted leaves can kill your grass, yet they are awesome for your garden beds.
The thing is, I often see folks bag those raked leaves up and have them taken away. Then they go buy bagged mulch for their garden beds.
The leaves that fall from your trees have amazing many benefits for your garden beds.
Lets look at why to let the leaves lie to benefit your garden.
The leaves act as a natural mulch and insulation. Fallen leaves are nature’s protective blanket, shielding your garden beds from harsh winter conditions while regulating soil temperature. They also keep moisture in to keep the roots of your plants watered.
People in my classes often hear me talk about building soil from the top down, the way nature does it. Organic Matter builds soil health naturally. As leaves decompose, they become soil and enrich your soil with essential nutrients, improving its structure and fertility—perfect for a thriving organic garden.
I love talking about soil and all the critters in healthy living soil that become your workforce, helping you in your garden. Decomposing leaves foster a habitat for worms and microbes which break down organic material and boost soil health naturally.
This encourages those beneficial microorganisms who work for you in your garden.
When training folks in my garden design system, I keep going back to talking about supporting biodiversity in your garden – no matter what sized garden you have, from containers to acres.
As you can see from the first two points I made, these leaves promote biodiversity. Leaves create a safe haven for pollinators and beneficial insects, like ladybugs and butterflies, helping your garden ecosystem flourish come spring.
Going back to those people who remove their fallen leaves and buy bagged mulch, by using the leave for mulch you reduce waste and save money.
By letting leaves stay put, you’re recycling nature’s resources directly in your garden and cutting down on waste sent to landfills. Plus, you can spend your money on other things!
By embracing this simple, eco-friendly practice you gain a healthier, more vibrant garden!
Remember, Let the Leaves Lie to benefit your garden.
As I was watering my garden in the cool of the morning, I thought of all the people I have seen water their garden “wrong”.
With many people across the US facing super-hot days this summer, it is important to give your plants plenty of water to withstand the heat.
You might be asking, what is the best way to water my garden?
It is no secret that plants needs more water when it is hot and dry.
Did you know that most vegetable plants stop growing when the temps get into the 90s? Some do thrive in the heat, like corn and melons, but they need lots of water to do so.
Most vegetable seeds won’t germinate when it gets into the 80s F.
Hot Weather Watering Dos & Don’ts
Some folks put in watering systems to irrigate their garden.
These can be set on a timer which is great if you travel allot or have a busy schedule. They can be expensive to install and maintain if something breaks.
Dos – The Best way to water your garden
Water (or set your timer) either early in the morning , preferably before the sun comes up, or before it gets to be over 75 F in the morning. **or** in the late evening or overnight went temperatures fall.
Water at ground level, avoiding splashing water into the leaves. A major way diseases are transmitted on tomato plants is by water on the leaves.
Soak the ground at the roots of your plants.
If you have had not rain for 3 days and it is 85 F or above. Water each plant for 5 minutes.
If it is 90 F or above and has not rained for a week or more. Water each plant for 10 to 15 minutes.
Keep your soil covered so moisture stays in the soil longer. For annual vegetables, I recommend straw.
Straw not hay – as my Dad taught me, hay is for horses🐴, straw is for gardens.🌿
Don’ts – How not to water your garden
Do not use overhead sprinklers!
As much as 90% of the moisture evaporates. This means your plants are not really getting watered and you are wasting water. The drier and sunnier the day, the more evaporation happens.
Do not water in the middle of the day, in bright sun or when the air temperature is over 75 F.
Do not have your soil uncovered in heat. Your soil can get bleached, and you want to insure you have healthy moist soil.
Hope these garden watering tips cover your plants so they are well watered and thrive.
Have you noticed that time seems to speed up when spring comes? That rush of weeding, building new beds, tending and transplanting seedings.
So much to do, yet this is the fun stuff for us gardeners.
One way to maximize your garden space is to evolve succession planting.
🌿 Have you explored the wonders of succession planting in your garden? If you seek a continual harvest and wish to maximize your yields, this technique could be a game-changer for you.
Succession planting isn’t just about planting once; it’s a strategic approach that keeps your garden brimming with life and produce throughout the year.
By staggering planting times, you ensure a steady supply of your favorite veggies, from carrots to radishes, turnips, beets, and even head lettuce.
Succession planting is a lifesaver for crops vulnerable to sudden weather shifts or diseases, like the delicate zucchini. If you are a canner, succession plant determinate tomatoes.
You can also succession plant bush beans.
If you like to can or freeze bush beans, eat loads fresh or have limited space, if your plants start to peter out, pull them and plant more.
🥕 When it comes to embracing this technique, there are two keys to succession planting abundance.
First is timing – 3 Steps to timing your succession planting
Start with one crop and choose what bed you will plant it in. (we’ll talk varietal choices in a bit). Consider how much of that crop you want to harvest every couple of weeks and designate enough space to cover that amount of plants.
Next, split that bed up into three or four sections. This is especially necessary for root crops. not as critical for fruiting crops.
For root crops, plant each section, of your three or four sections, two weeks after the last section you planted. For fruiting crops, you might remove plants that are no longer producing and replace them with new plants, or you might save space to add plants as the season progresses.
✨ Embrace the simplicity of succession planting, where your garden becomes a symphony of growth and harvest.
Second is varieties – Choosing varieties to succession plant
The varieties you choose make a big difference. So, you want to be sure they will grow and produce in the time you are giving them.
They key here is to choose shorter days-to-maturity varieties as they work best.
Consider these top favorites for your succession planting journey:
Each one of us has special talents as a gardener. I have developed a series of Guides, called Gardener Insights Packets, for gardeners to nurture their main gift as a gardener. The Guides also have loads of valuable gardening information on crops, and how to magnify the use your gift for your gardening success.
Are you motivated, flexible, organized or ? I have noticed over my 50+ years as gardener, there are six main traits that keep gardeners going. Take this fun quiz to tell my system which one is your primary trait and get this valuable free resource.
🌱 Ready to dive into the world of homegrown lettuce? 🌿
As an organic gardener, you understand the importance of fresh, pesticide-free produce.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the art of seeding lettuce directly in your garden 🏡 and unveil some incredible spring varieties that will elevate your salads to new heights of flavor and nutrition.
Let’s empower ourselves to take control of our food supply and cultivate a vibrant, sustainable garden together! 💪
Three Ways to Grow Lettuce at Home
There are three ways to plant lettuce in spring and they all have their virtues and potential pitfalls.
Starting Indoors
This is the best way to get a faster spring lettuce harvest. You have dozens of varieties to choose from – see below for suggestions 😀.
Depending on your planting zone, you may have already planted lettuces indoors like I have here in zone 7. Yet in zone 4, it is now time to start these tasty greens inside.
By starting indoors you get good sized transplants to put in your garden, so you get lettuce sooner than direct seeding.
Did you know that lettuce, once hardened off (see my last post on hardening off) can take temperatures down to 24F / -4C ? You will want to give your little lovelies a good straw mulch to keep them cozy.
Direct Seeding – Succession Plant Lettuce
If you still want to have the huge selection of varieties you manifest from starting from seed, and missed the time to start indoors, or don’t have indoor seed starting set-up yet, then direct seeding works too!
You won’t get large lettuce head as fast, but you still get an expanded selection of varieties to choose from.
You can choose organic or biodynamic selections and guy from a variety of companies to create an amazing show-stopping display that is a feast for the eyes and well and yummy and nourishing.
Before you start seeding, consider how much space you have in total to grow lettuce. Then divine it in thirds – this does not have to be exact!
Plant one third of your lettuce growing area when the soil has warmed to 40F / 4C. Then two weeks later, plant the second third of your lettuce growing area. Two weeks after that, plant your last third. This is called succession planting.
By succession planting your lettuce you get a continual harvest over a longer more weeks, vs all of your seedlings being ready to harvest all at once.
Buying Plants
You can look for transplants in your local garden center or big box store. This is my absolute last resort as if you can even find them, the selection tends to be very limited and tends to not be organic.
If you know a local organic grower, or small farm, you may be able to get seedlings from them. It is worth asking, plus you could be supporting a small local farm, either by purchasing plants from them, or perhaps getting a few starts in exchange for volunteering your time.
Debby’s Recommended Spring Lettuce Varieties
In the next section, I’ll unveil a small selection of my tried-and-true spring lettuce varieties that are perfect for your home garden. From crisp romaine to delicate butterhead, these varieties promise to add a burst of freshness to your salads. 🥗
To date, I have grown about 90 varieties of lettuce. This is why I am called, in some circles, the “Lettuce Lady”. Some have remained on my “grow list” 🌱 for decades, some are newer bred varieties that are wonderous.
Home grown Romaines, Leaf, Crispheads and Butterheads Varieties
Romaine Lettuce Varieties
Over the years I have become more of a romaine lettuce lover. As with other lettuce varieties, you can have a choice of different sizes and colors.
Valamaine
An amazing green variety from Territorial Seed Company that does well almost all year here in zone 7. It can get large if you want a large romaine head, although you can also enjoy it as a smaller head. Valamaine has become my favorite go-to green romaine.
Spotted Aleppo
I wish more folks carried this variety which far outshines Forellenschluse (also known as Freckles and Flashy Trout’s back) in terms of germination rate and taste. It is also a bit more heat tolerate which is great of you get a snap spring warm spell. Nice large green heads with light red specks. Seeds from Monticello.
Mayan Jaguar
Want even more wow in your garden, then grow Mayan Jaguar. This little beauty always turns heads in the garden with deeper green and deeper red speckles than Spotted Aleppo. It is also great if you like smaller sized romaine heads as it is a smaller variety, so can be planted closer together. Get it from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange.
Rouge d’Hiver
This pretty bi-color has stayed on my growing list for over three decades because it is a trusted French classic. It won’t like a warm spell as much as the other three on this list – which seems so short compared to what I grow. 😂 Botanical Interests has this one.
Leaf Lettuce Varieties
When I first started growing allot of lettuce, I tended to grow lots of leaf lettuce because I could pick the outer leaves, have the plant keep growing and get more lettuce per plant.
These days, with so much coming and going in the garden all year, and my love of head lettuce, I find I don’t grow as many types, but some lift the spirit with their varied leaf shapes.
Red Sails
This variety is like a comfy old friend in my garden. Perhaps the first leaf lettuce I ever grew. It’s classic frilly lightly pink ends over light green leaves seem timeless, yet always transform my lettuce bed into something lovely. Another one from Territorial Seeds.
Waldman’s Dark Green
My go-to cool spring green leaf lettuce for many years. Once the standard for taste for leave lettuce, large growers have turned to more recent hybrid creations. For us home growers, this one is a must for its juicy deep green leaves that simply dance with luscious lettuce flavor. Get it from High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Bijella – Photo of young seedlings
A new favorite from Adaptive Seeds. Only a couple of years ago I decided to try this one and wowza! 👍 So happy I did as it has become a must have in my leaf lettuce bed. A wavy red-bronze tipped oak leaf type, it is gorgeous and can handle a bit for heat of later spring. Tender leaves too.
Italienishcher
If you want allot of lettuce from one plant, then Italienischer is for you. Tall, upright with long pointy leaves that reach 18” high. You get allot of food from this one. Beautiful vibrant green leaves. Get it from Sow True Seed.
You may have noticed that I buy seeds from several different seed companies as an organic gardener.
I have developed 15 criteria I used to vet a seed company. Get it free below. Then get more lettuce varieties.
Crisp Head Lettuce Varieties
Iceberg lettuce is a crisp head lettuce type. Some people think “iceberg” lettuce has no nutrition or is boring, but folks, neither is the case with these cherished crisp heads.
What many folks don’t’ know is how many varieties of these crisp-head types there are, so allow me to introduce you to some, perhaps new-to-you ones.
Salade de Russie
Hands down my favorite crisphead lettuce, not only because it is downright stunning with its red specks, but it also grows in all but the hottest time of year (when all lettuces give up) and tastes fantastic. It has become a must have in my garden. Another from Adaptive Seeds.
Reine de Glace, or Ice Queen
This is another lettuce I have grown for decades because it is just so darn tasty. Classic French green iceberg type that is best grown in cool spring weather. You’ll get that refreshing crisp crunch that many crave. Get it from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
Cardinale
Here is a beautiful bi-color that has hardy thick leaves. Several years ago I tried this on a lark as a new variety I was trying as I was testing a potential new seed company for my recommended seed company list. It turned out to fill a spot in my crisp head lettuce bed I didn’t know was missing. More heat tolerant and colorful. Now I get it from Fedco Seeds.
Butterhead Lettuce Varieties
Oh, the soft almost creamy tender leaves of the butter lettuces. Very hard to find commercially, and usually hydroponically grown in water laced with chemicals, I love growing these.
They don’t tend to handle heat well, so are spring and fall grown only. This is part of why they are my most cherished lettuces to grow. The other reason is they are just remarkable to eat.
Here are four for my spring lettuce list.
Buttercrunch
Years ago I grew this one and then it sort of faded away as I tried other varieties, then one year, I came across it again and remembered why is a variety grown by so many people. Soft, green and true to its class, buttery, yet with a little crunch too. Oh so good, from Botanical Interests.
Tom Thumb
Want a small single salad butterhead? Maybe one for small spaces, or close planting. They try Tom Thumb. This bright green mini butterhead like the cool weather, so better for cool spring times. Try it from Fedco Seeds.
Alkindus
I confess, that although I love the look of red lettuces, I don’t tend to prefer the flavor of many of them. They also have tended to succumb to heat and go bitter faster. When I tried Alkindus I was pleasantly surprised. It has the sweetness of green butter lettuces, but with gorgeous garnet outer leaves. High Mowing Organic Seeds is where I get it.
Pirat
I might have saved the best for last. If you want an outstanding butterhead, with excellent flavor, some heat tolerance – rare in a butter lettuce – and pretty in your garden sanctuary – go for Pirat. Is it my favorite lettuce – too many to choose just one, but this one is up there. From High Mowing Organic Seeds.
Ah, looking forward to my lettuce harvest.
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As temperatures warm up, crocus and daffodils lift themselves toward the sun, for those who have started seedlings indoors, the question often comes, now what?
Lettuce and brassica seedlings hardening off on a cool spring morning
What does it mean to harden off before transplanting?
This question comes up often this time of year.
Hardening off is literally hardening your seedling up to be ready to be out in the big outside world of your garden.
Like human babies, they have been nurtured indoors and kept in safe, protected spaces. Also, like human babies, you don’t lay them out on a blanket in full sun without protection and leave them there to fend for themselves.
Hardening off seedling fosters your seedling so they are able to withstand…
Full sun, which is way stronger than your grow lights.
Heavy rains that could batter and destroy young leaves.
High winds that can rip tender leaves.
For us gardeners, hardening off a seedlings is a quicker process than raising children.
Can I Harden off seedlings quickly?
Generally, the process takes two weeks, or less.
My students have often heard me say it can be the most time-consuming part of starting seeds indoors yourself. But, don’t despair, it is not hard and you can do it around your work schedule.
You might ask, can I skip this step? Of course you can, but you are taking a risk of your seedlings dying, and why would you want to do that when you took the time to start them indoors?
Before you transplant the seedlings you started indoors, harden them off so they can thrive in your garden.
The hardening off process tends to take less time for spring crops than for summer ones. For this post, I am concentrating on spring crops, I can address, summer, fall and winter crops in later posts.
That said, the general idea is the same.
The first consideration is how different is it outside than inside. The bigger the temperature and light difference, the longer it takes to harden off your seedlings.
How long it takes depends on these differences or similarities.
How to Harden off Seedlings Before Planting
Remember that outdoor full sun is very different from indoor lights of any kind. It is much stronger. Yet, in spring the sun is still lower in the sky, therefore the sun is not as intense as it is in the long hot days of summer.
Steps for hardening off spring crops:
Start by putting your spring seedlings; such as lettuce, kale, cabbage and broccoli 🥦, outdoors in shade, or on a cloudy day for four hours.
Gradually give your seedlings full sun. Start with one or two hours. The cooler the temps, the longs they can take full sun.
Over a week or two, allow them to have more full sun a couple of hours a day.
Top tips for hardening off your seedlings
💦Be sure they are watered well as they will take up more water as they acclimate to their new environment.
❄️Remember, spring crops like it cool, not hot, so tend to like cool spring nights. If you have nighttime temperatures in the 40s, you could leave them outside in a protected area.
🌧💨Don’t leave your seedlings exposed to heavy winds or rains. Keep them either inside on those days, or keep them outside protected.
🦌If you have critters around who might want to eat your plants, harden them off where critters can’t get to them.
⌛If you work off-site full time. Check the weather before you leave in the morning to decide where you can safely leave your seedlings while you are gone.
🌿 Let’s talk about the one thing that’s universal in gardening: the fear of failures. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Every year, something in our gardens might not go as planned. But here’s the magical part: it’s all part of the journey toward organic success!
The thrill of watching those tiny seeds burst into life, the joy of nurturing them, and the anticipation of a bountiful harvest. 🌟 That’s the dream, right? But reality check: not everything will flourish equally, and that’s perfectly okay! 🌱
Why, you ask? Because each setback is a classroom, and each triumph is a celebration. The broccoli might be finicky this year, but oh boy, look at those tomatoes thrive! It’s a beautiful cycle of learning and growth.
I know it’s tough, with our climate throwing curveballs, it’s easy to worry about our garden’s fate.
But here’s a secret: those seeds? They want to grow. They crave the soil, the sunlight, and water. 🌞 And when you trust in their natural desire to thrive, suddenly, those fears start to fade away.
Begin to embrace the uncertainty, dear gardener! 🌿🌼 Think of it as a transformative adventure with nature, where surprises are blessings in disguise. Keep nurturing, keep learning, and watch your garden surprise you with its resilience.
Here are my top 5 ways to overcome vegetable garden failures:
💫Embrace Change: Every year is different these days and this is challenging for all us humans who like things to be more predictable. Thing is, nothing in life is really predictable – this is likely why we crave it sometimes.
If we shift our point-of-view from one of fear of what might happen this year, to lets experiment and see what awesome things happen, then we can lessen the stress.
Remember each year in your garden will likely be different, embrace it, and if you shift with those changes you’ll be a more resilient gardener.
🌿Replace for Rejuvenation: There are times when something we plant just does lousy. Instead of being bummed and trying to nurture what is beyond hope of rejuvenation, replace it with another plant.
Decide if the plant is salvageable. If it is diseased or has a bug predation, then nope, I’d ditch it.
If it simply is not in a good spot, not growing or producing, even if you add a bit of compost around it, then well, replacement is likely the best option.
With the plant that is not doing well, you can compost it, if isn’t diseased or full of bugs. If it is, ditch it.
Either way, when you replace a plant, you rejuvenate your garden, which in turn can rejuvenate you. 😀
🌱 Growth Gratitude: Life is full of lessons and they grow us as a person. When something doesn’t go the way you want it too, a plant doesn’t produce, an experiment you tried felt like a failure, instead of the sense of failure, transform it into a lesson of gratitude. It is one more lesson you can avoid in the future.
By practicing gratitude for our growth lessons, we evolve a way to nourish ourselves.
😂 Remember to Laugh: Are you someone who laughs allot? I confess I don’t think I laugh enough sometimes, yet when I laugh at something I’ve done, bring humor into a situation, it just doesn’t seem to bad.
A story of how this works: I remember a day when I seeded tomatoes and forgot to label them.
I was distracted and I knew they were tomatoes, but which ones? Could have been one of 30 varieties.
It wasn’t until a couple weeks later when I was doing inventory of my seedlings that I discovered my mistake. It was a whole flat of healthy happy tomato seedlings of unknown variety.
All the varieties I had planned to start were accounted for, something got seeded more than once.
After an initial “oh crap!” I laughed and offered them as “Mystery tomatoes” and people thought it was fun.
It also gave me a story to pass on to my students on the importance of labeling your seedlings well.
🔐 Unlock support: If you’re feeling the fear of some aspect of your organic garden’s journey, let’s chat! 📞 Book a free 15-minute organic garden discovery call with me, Debby Ward, your professional organic coach.
Let’s turn those uncertainties into opportunities for an awe-inspiring garden transformation! 🌿✨
