For the last few days I have been reading through the seed catalogues and checking the planting charts to figure out how to make the magic happen this spring. Usually, I make a planting plan and as soon as it gets sunny and warm I go outside and plant whatever I have in any space available. Then in late July I end up with 28439 pounds of green beans and kale and have no place to plant squash or zucchini. Like I say to myself every year, this year will be different:
This year I’m going to stick to the plan
This year I’m going to stick to the plan
This year I’m going to stick to the plan
This year I’m going to stick to the plan
This year I’m going to stick to the plan
This year I’m going to stick to the plan
The plan is based on a number of critical assumptions:
(1) the seeds will germinate;
(2) I won’t forget to water the seeds planted inside;
(3) The seeds planted outside won’t all be eaten by slugs.
I wrote out this year’s plan on a separate page, Planning for 2013. Check it out and if you have any good suggestions, please let me know…..
kalegrower 
Any recommendations around preparing my veggie garden for amazing veggies? I’ve got some manure coming on the weekend (not my own) and was trying to think what else I can do to create a fertile garden.
I am very glad you are not using your own manure. One garden expert I spoke to swears by mushroom manure. I also heard that if you rotate your crops around each year it will prevent the nutrients from getting completely depleted. Others recommend planting beans or peas with an innoculant (available from West Coast Seeds) to help fix nitrogen in the soil. I tried to use lime and bone meal to adjust the pH of the soil, but didn’t have a lot of luck with that approach (or at least, it didn’t really make a difference).
I love meeting another optimist. I chant the same mantra every year…and after almost 3 decades of gardening I have to confess…it doesn’t work. I carefully lay out my garden plot every year. I order seeds to match the lovely growing areas marked off then I grow way too many plants of all types and have to move, space, shove or otherwise shoe horn plants into every possible corner of the garden. But this year…I’m going to follow the plan. Good luck!
Thanks Pat! 🙂 You too!!!