In the spring and summer, gardening is on many people’s minds. Frantic preparing, planting, and pruning go on for several months, and by the time the last flowers have bloomed and vegetables have been harvested, you may feel relieved that you have some time off from gardening.
In fact, however, keeping up with gardening chores throughout the year will make spring and summer gardening so much less hectic that planning your garden calendar is well worth it. For example, while you may be ready to stop pulling weeds after the harvest, thoroughly weeding your garden beds after the growing season will save you a great deal of time the following year.
Much of the spring planting rush can also be reduced by work in the fall. Late fall and winter (before the ground freezes) are an excellent time for planting hardier trees and shrubs, as well as other plants which can withstand cold temperatures. During these times, most plants are dormant, which means that there is a greatly lessened risk of transplant shock. So not only will you have cut down on work in the spring, the plants placed will have a higher chance of survival.
By keeping these little tasks in hand year round, gardening during the busier seasons will be far more pleasurable.