Comments on: Planning for a year-round harvest (or How I went from slacker to Serious Planner)

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:39:17 +0000

So I guess a MS Project Gant chart would be way too nerdy? :) Planning is the only thing you can be sure of in your garden. Then nature does what it does.

By: Sara Bearchell

Sara Bearchell — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:42:19 +0000

I really like the iCal idea- why didn’t I think of that?? I might even try putting my dates into my iPhone this year so I get buzzed in the ass if I forget.

To figure out my timing, I’ve been using the West Coast Seed Catalogue planting chart for a few years with great success. It’s particularly useful for Vancouver gardening, although I’d push my dates back by about 2 weeks this year. Brrrrr! I’ve got a link to it here if you haven’t seen it before: http://www.sarabearchell.com/2009/04/when-to-plant/

Can’t wait to hear about that course….

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 17:12:26 +0000

OK, that is freaking impressive. I need to take a class like that to galvanize me – as it is, I’m stuck in the random/impulse mode you mentioned. Plus it’s only April and I’m already feeling behind! It almost makes me want winter back… I like your chart idea, hope it works and you get great harvests in every season!

By: Willi

Willi — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:37:20 +0000

Oh my gosh. This is just what I needed to read. I was out in my garden on Sunday planting and I thought, I should really be more organized. I am totally going to use the chart. Yay! Thanks!

By: tifanie

tifanie — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:21:46 +0000

i can’t tell you how i aspire to be in this place!! i am working my way in that direction. this is very helpful. i’ve started to put fertilizing dates in my ical and pruning dates. i am to get incredibly organized with it. this is very inspiring. thank you! the charts are helpful to. maybe i’ll have time to sit down with this more later…

By: Li'l Ned

Li'l Ned — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 18:22:29 +0000

Thanks for the photos! I too am Getting Serious about succession and fall/winter plantings. My biggest challenge is that all but one of my garden beds is a weird shape, so it’s really hard to know the real square footage of any of them. The nice, tidy succession charts in books never actually work out for me.

I invariably soak too many seeds (pea commenter, I feel your pain), plan too many different things for the space I’ve got in any one bed, or fail to do follow-up plantings throughout the summer. Well, mainly I buy too many seeds.

But I’ve been poring over Eliot Coleman’s ‘Four Season Harvest’ and making lists and charts, and now that I’ve seen yours (thanks so much for PHOTOS!) I am going to make another attempt to get The Plan down on paper. With colored pencils.

By: Katie

Katie — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:33:52 +0000

The plant-grow-harvest matrix is a great idea. I’m going to try it as well because I am terrible with empty spaces in my beds. Thanks!

By: Andrea Bellamy

Andrea Bellamy — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:03:19 +0000

Gardengrrrl – I know! I like to be spontaneous too. But I’ve learned that it’s the enemy of a productive garden. So I save my impulsiveness for random shoe purchases. ;)

Deb – Good luck! Let me know how it goes.

Sarah O – LOL. Check out Kiss My Aster’s Star Wars garden craft week: http://www.hortmag.com/kissmyaster/

Rachel – Oh, great idea. I’m stealing that one.

Knox Gardener – That’s inspiring! Like the box idea too.

Deep – Impressive! I like it.

Milkybeer – don’t think I haven’t considered it!

Becca – I feel your pain. I do that all the time. Gardening is trial and error. And more error.

Melinda – Yay! Good luck and happy gardening.

Nancy – hey, I have that imaginary 20 acres too! I have tomato seeds if you want to swap.

Cool – thanks!

Germi – gotta love the volunteers. And if they’re in your way, make ‘em into a salad!

Georgia – thanks! I find it very helpful.

By: Georgia

Georgia — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:46:17 +0000

Farmer Rin’s/ your plant-grow-harvest chart is great!

By: germi

germi — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:53:13 +0000

WOW – you put me to SHAME! I am without a doubt the most disorganized, accidental vegetable gardener ever. My veg beds get no sun at all over the winter months, so I just composted, added minerals, and let them sit since November. But now I have a ton of lettuces, arugula, and chamomile that volunteered themselves – of course, they are all in the pathways and my ornamental beds rather than in my designated vegetable plots – but whatever! I am so happy to be collaborating with nature on having a year-round garden. Even though it looks like hell.

XO!