Here is some info on planning for a garden next year. Please add more useful tips and info for those who are new to gardening or want to try for the first time.
I know this isn't the time of year most people think of gardening but you should. Quite a bit of work can be done now in prepping the garden for next year. Most of them are low cost and very effective organic methods.
I just mulched all of our leaves that fell this fall and dug them into my garden beds for compost. The worms will feast, the soil will be ready in the spring and I no longer have a yard full of leaves. I will mulch the beds down with straw for the winter to keep things warmer for the worms to work and for the soil to warm up faster in the spring. In the spring the straw comes off and goes into the compost pile. I will need to test the soil and add any nutrients the soil needs. Then loosen with a pitch fork and I'm ready to plant.
This winter I will plan the lay out of the plantings and hopefully build some cold frames. I have a small yard with 3 raised beds that I plan on having crop rotating from March to November next year. I will also do some container gardening on the deck. Flowers and herbs will go in the beds in the front of the house. The beds in front still need a lot of work which will get done in the early spring since I still have flowers blooming. They will need and inch or two of compost spread over the whole bed.
This gets mixed in to the top couple of inches to improve the soil and feed the plants. Some of the compost will come from what I made this year and the rest I will purchase.
I plan on starting my plants from seeds to keep costs down. I used solo plastic cups with hole punched in the bottom to grow the seedlings in. This was very effective and low cost. I put them in plastic tubs so I cold move them in and out of the house easily. I watered them by pouring water in to the bottom of the tub to keep the seedings from getting too wet. Most seeds if stored properly they are viable for more then one year. I picked up a bunch on clearance this fall. I paid as little as $.10 a packet.
Check you transfer station for plastic pots. I have seen stacks of then for free. You need to go look now before it snows. The will need to be washed with water and bleach before you use them. 10 Parts water to 1 part bleach. There are plant diseases you don't want in your garden so always wash you pots. For large cheap pots get use plastic tubs that hold kitty litter or cut 2 litter soda bottles in half. Drill holes in the bottom and you are good to go.
Use sterilized potting soil for your seedling to minimize plant diseases. I purchased some on clearance from the big box stores and have it sitting in the basement till I need it late winter. The very large bags are a better deal than the smaller ones. Shop around for the best price.
The town of Hudson has a Technical high school with a farm and green houses. Is a self funding school. They have a plant sale in early may with great deals on seedlings. The prices run $1 to $1.50 per container of plants. The selection varies from year to year based on what the students decide to grow. I purchased cooking herbs a dollar a plant. They made great mothers day gifts and house warming gifts along with filing my garden. They also had vegetable 6 for $1.50 which I filled my garden with and then gave extras away.
Local people will sell perennial plants in the spring for a buck or two a plant. This is way cheaper than the nurseries sell them for. Check Craigslist and look for signs along at People's houses. For those who don't know perennial plants come back each year. Quite a few flowers and herbs are perennials.
I suggest reading up on gardening now instead of waiting till spring.
My new favorite gardening book.
The book was given to me by a Free Stater that had an amazing crop of veggies this year.
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by ED Smith.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160342475X/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1580172121&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=013JH4VQQQERAC9CA860The author has his garden in north east Vermont. So what he does is very applicable to NH.
Great information for all levels of gardeners. He is very easy to understand and it full of really good information.
Another good book for those of us with very little room is All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space by Mel Bartholomew.
He talks about raised beds, container gardening and maximizing the space you have.
Kate
