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Brush Up On The Basics

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Ready, Set, Go Gardening

We are beginning a new growing season, once the plant orders are in, the plans have been laid, and the plants begun indoors, we are well on our way to a busy Spring start. So, before things get too hectic, I thought it could be useful to brush up on a few basics. You can make your lists or take notes if you like, or just share this post or bookmark 🙂

First: Good Tools

Love my new tools

Take care of the tools you own, get them sharpened if need be. Was there a tool you wish you owned or that was disappointing last season? Are you a beginner and want to attempt new tasks? Go ahead and make your wish list, research the brands that promise to work best for you. There are loads of reviews like the one I wrote on my favorite weeder. Prepare your garden tools and remember what wise Abe Lincoln said:

“If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe”

Mowers, tillers, and other power machinery need to be readied for the season. Nothing is more frustrating than needing to do a job and the tools are ready to use.

The Soil

Do you know what kind of soil you have yet? What type of amendments to add? Make notes from your research. Remember that clay soils should not be worked while wet.
A few articles I’ve written on the topic:
A few articles I think are outstanding on the topic:
Get the soil right and it will go a long way to get everything you grow, right.
morguefile photo

Growing Techniques

From seed sowing to harvesting and canning there are how to articles and videos galore.
I think you could best benefit from all those riches by making your personalized list of what you intend to accomplish this year. Sort of a goal list, and then hone your techniques by looking at the videos and pinning the articles that will aid you in learning those skills.
I love Pinterest for article collection, not for videos. 
The reason to think ahead? You might have to gather the supplies to finish the task, and it is best to do something while the  instruction is fresh in your mind. Don’t create obstacles for yourself, the spring planting season goes too fast for that.
Examples (my own work):


Do What, When?

When to prune?

Monthly Chores

A major help to keep on track with the garden season is a monthly list of garden chores that are common for your area or garden zone. This is another Pinterest board possibility. Collect some good sources from online, or locate them in one of your garden books- many of my old books had such appendices and I used them as a quick checklist for tasks.
What are some major jobs?

Pruning

Pruning is a perennial task that sometimes is called for at certain times or a certain manner.

Hoeing and Weeding

The right tool and the right technique makes weeding and cultivating chores much easier.

In Sum

Get ready for the season with preparation.

Keep notes on what you grow and how you grow it.

Learn the most necessary skills, and then go forward and enjoy the great outdoors, the earth and sky, the growing things and the garden visitors.

Immerse yourself in the moment.. or as the wellworn cliche would have it: take time to smell the roses.

Learn what works for you and your garden… while putting basic skills under your belt. Work and pleasure can intertwine and there is no place better to understand that than in the garden.
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© 2015 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.