Cabin Fever

I love the cold of winter. I like seeing the trees dormant. Sure I miss going out and spending time in my garden, getting soil under my nails, and mud all over my boots. I do have my hoop house, but that pretty much takes care of itself.

January is that time of year that every gardener looks forward to, when they are experiencing cabin fever and are frantically thumbing through the nursery and seed catalogs and searching websites for new and exciting specimens; placing orders and planning out their gardens. This year I almost dread it. The catalogs are flooding my mailbox and feeding my cabin fever! How long until the last frost date? When do I need to place my order by? Where will I put all these plants?? What type of weather will we get in the spring? Will my efforts be in vain? Ugh!

I have found myself mentally circling all the things I'd like to purchase this year, though I know I don't really need anything nor can I afford anything new this year. I did go a bit seed-happy last year, buying a packet of this or that each time I went past a display! But this year, I need to stick to my budget, which is next to zero. How will I fill my desire to grow things?

Luckily, I did not plant every seed I purchased last year. I saved half of each packet of vegetable seeds and stored them in a cool dry place. I also saved seeds from my own garden for favorite self-seeding annuals and perennials, along with a strange collection of interesting blooms and cuttings from a few clients - who were more than happy to share with me.

My preparation for the coming spring is planning on what seeds to start, when, and where to transplant the seedlings. I will be adding a third light to my grow stand. When the ground thaws out, I am going to start cutting a new bed for a mix of herbs and veggies.

How to stick to a garden budget? Here are a few tips to get started.

1. Check with fellow gardeners or local garden clubs, see if anyone you know saves seeds and is willing to swap! Check out gardening websites to see if they have seed exchanges.
   
   
2. Need to thin out some of your plants? See if a neighbor is willing to take some in exchange for something of theirs - maybe you have a green thumb for flowers and your neighbor excels with vegetables.
   
   
3. If you live in a rural area, see if the pony owner down the street is willing to let you haul away an older section of their manure pile - many will be glad to be rid of it! And you can get a great deal of free compost! And don't forget to thank them with some of the produce!
   
   
4. If you don't do so already, save seeds or take cuttings from your favorite plants this year. Make sure you do your research first! Many specimens are cultivars and the seed you save may not produce the traits of the parent plant that you so admire. See if cuttings are a good way to replicate the parent plant!

Until I get my seeds started, I will still thumb through my catalogs while sipping hot tea, looking out upon my dormant beds dreaming of what my garden will become and await the first bright green leaves to push their way out of the soil...