Now is the Time to End Your Gardening Year
Some herbs can be grown in pots inside during the winter, including chives, mint, fennel, lemon balm, lovage, parsley, rosemary, savory, and thyme. Sow seeds in pots with rich, well-drained, and sterilized potting mix. Cover the pots with plastic bags or clear wrap until germination occurs. Put the pots in a warm room, in a sunny, southern window and keep the soil moist. Installing supplementary lighting and providing periodic fertilizer, as well as monitoring for pests and diseases, is also necessary. Learn more through this book review of Gardening Under Lights—The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers, by Leslie F. Halleck from MGNV Extension Master Gardener, Susan Wilhelm.
As the holidays approach, it’s a good time to reflect on how you might want to expand your gardening efforts next year: Consider starting seedlings indoors, shifting the mix of plants you grow, expanding your composting efforts to include worm composting or a composting bin, building season extensions for year-round gardening, or getting additional tools and equipment. As the year comes to a close, assess what worked and what didn’t work this growing season in your vegetable garden. Consider which crops and/or varieties did well and what did not do well, and make changes to next year’s garden plan.
A great gift idea is a gardening journal—a place where you can record your successes and frustrations from year to year (rather than relying on memory alone). It will become a useful resource for you when you purchase seeds or transplants and design future gardens based on past experiences. Check out this excellent article on different types of gardening journals for some great ideas. MGNV has also put together an extensive list of books and tools that would make perfect gifts for the gardeners in your life!