March * Clean up the wintered-over garden. * Prune back woody herbs like sage and lavender....they're not dead, they just look dead. * Find the "Hot Spots" at your house and imagine a garden there. These are the places where the snow is first gone and make the right environment for micro-climate gardens of plants that need extra heat and shelter. Likewise look for your "cool spots" where the snow is last to go...there you could have mini gardens of lettuce in the heat of summer. * All about trellises for peas * March is the time of good intentions: Don't bite off more than you can chew...or hoe...or mow
April
* How to plant peas and shallots * Direct seeding carrots, beets, and spinach takes time and practice. * Herbs for the windowsill and those that are hardy enough to go outside now...yes many herbs can take a hard frost. * Wild-crafted greens * Bed prep for direct seeded crops * Bed prep for transplanted crops * Cold frames and season extension * All about row covers * This is the time to plant strawberries for next year. * How to tell when you can till the soil. * What happens to your soil when you till too early? * Is your freezer still full? Start to eat what is left....make mental notes about freezing what you like to eat, not what you think you should eat. * All about mulches
May
* Planting: o Herbs o Lettuce o Arugula o Mustard Greens o Bok Choi o Strawberries in containers o radishes * Recipes for salad dressings * All about pansies * How to freeze spinach * How to transplant * How to divide easy perennials * Plant gifts for Mothers' Day
June
* Harvesting: o Herbs o Lettuce o Peas o Spinach o Strawberries o Fennel o Napa Cabbage o Scallions * Garden planning now for fall crops * Summer cover crops for fertility and weed control - buckwheat, oats, etc * How to plan now for the August vacation so that the garden does not suffer * Flea beetles and the crops eaten by them. * How to cage or trellis tomatoes * Replanting cukes, summer squash and zukes for a longer harvest. * I want more melons
July
* Harvesting: o Basil o Cukes o Zukes and summer squash o Beans o Favas o Garlic and onions o Okra o Peas o Early Potatoes * Weeding techniques - the right hoe -- is it a hand job or hoe job? * How to harvest onions and garlic - when are they ready? * Strive for simplicity in kitchen * Recipes: o Pesto and its variations o Fennel - roasted/grilled o Beans - pickled o Cheddar scallion breakfast muffins o Marjoram and summer squash saute
August
* Harvesting: o Tomatoes o Peppers o Eggplant o Sunflowers o Potatoes o Melons o VT Peaches and Pears and Plums o Blueberries and Raspberries * Disease pressure and pests * Canning and Freezing * Swimming vs. Gardening * Getting ready for vacation
September * Harvesting: o Winter squash o Melons o Apples o Fall Raspberries o Tomatoes o Eggplant o Peppers * The reappearance of cool crops like lettuce, radishes and spinach * How to make time for canning and freezing * Drying herbs * Slow roasted tomatoes * Putting some of the garden into your child's lunch boxes