Along with your New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, get more exercise, get organized, quit smoking, or whatever else is on your list, consider adding some gardening resolutions. The best part is you don’t even have to think about them for a few months yet!
Resolve to cut down or eliminate the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Learn about organic gardening, working with Mother Nature rather than doing battle with her. Be kind to the earth and its creatures.
Resolve to learn which plants are invasive and eliminate them from your property no matter how pretty they may be.
Resolve to conserve water. This could take the form of drip irrigation, spot watering, a rain barrel, using kitchen waste water to irrigate plants, letting the lawn go dormant when rain is scarce, or catching water that would go down the drain when waiting for it to warm up for your shower.
Resolve to look first to native plants when buying new plants. Natives are adapted to local conditions and need less water and fertilizer. They provide more food for insects, birds and small mammals than do alien ornamental plants.
Resolve to start or add a compost pile. You can buy ready-made compost bins, build one yourself, or just dig a hole or trench in the garden and throw in food scraps, egg shells, and yard waste.
Resolve to keep ahead of the weeds in May and June so that you can relax about that task in July, August and September. At the very least, make sure you don’t let the weeds go to seed. Removing them from the soil entirely is best. Chopping them to pieces with a hoe may result in resprouting from each little piece of root.
Resolve not to get too stressed about weeds. A few weeds don’t hurt anything and many provide food and cover for wildlife.
Resolve to keep your tools clean and sharpened. This makes work easier, keeps plants healthier and prevents injuries to the gardener.
Resolve to make a sincere effort to design your landscape or vegetable garden to be of a size that you or your family will reasonably be able to care for. If a plant needs constant attention in the form of watering, deadheading or fertilizing and you can’t provide that attention, you’ve wasted your money.
Resolve to plant something new, first learning about what conditions the plant prefers and making sure your landscape provides those conditions.
Resolve to keep your body strong and healthy over the winter so that when spring arrives you’ll be ready to get out and garden.
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