Gardening Resolutions & Best Intentions

By early February some New Year’s resolutions have already been compromised, or maybe they weren’t sustainable resolutions at all.  Some people make extreme promises to themselves with all the best intentions, but does cutting back on carbs really translate to never again indulging in a warm cookie—fresh from the oven?  Resolutions can be more attainable and sustainable if they are reasonable goals… sensible improvements to your current lifestyle. 

If your resolutions include eating more whole foods in the new year AND spending more time outdoors AND getting more exercise and movement into your routine, then YOUR GARDEN is ready to help you succeed!  Eating whole (minimally processed) foods can be incorporated into your current lifestyle and diet, even if the change is gradual. (All your garden produce can be considered whole foods.)

If you’ve grown culinary herbs in your garden in previous years, you already understand how satisfying it is to prepare a meal using freshly harvested herbs for flavor, color and nutrients.  If you’ve grown a few veggies in previous years, then a reasonable resolution might be to try TWO new varieties this season. (Try NOT to overextend yourself when planning your garden space… don’t plant more than you are able to care for!  If you do, gardening loses its charm and becomes a chore.)  February and March are perfect months to peruse magazines and seed catalogs to determine which varieties or cultivars will grace your garden space in 2023!

If your resolutions include getting more exercise and movement each day, then a gentle stretching session before heading to your garden is the perfect way to prepare your limbs and joints for tasks awaiting you.  Many gardeners approach their garden space with the intention of weeding; but when they arrive, they notice a few items ready to harvest, and several plants that need water or mulch.   Saying most gardeners are multi-taskers is an understatement!  While their HANDS are picking fresh herbs and veggies, their HEAD is planning how to serve them (or preserve them!) 

Among your gardening resolutions, you shouldn’t forget annuals, perennials and flowering/fruiting shrubs!  Each will provide enticing flowers or fruit to attract pollinators to your garden space.   

My Herbaceous Plants instructor taught it is ideal to get pollinators accustomed to visiting your garden space EARLY; 

planting perennials will invite pollinators to visit and linger in your space… pollinating along the way.  

Many annuals bloom continuously four months or longer, so these will keep bees and butterflies coming back often.

Resolutions are not exclusive to January 1^st.     

Resolutions pertaining to gardening are just getting started!   The most important resolution I can offer:  TREASURE THE JOY YOUR GARDEN PROVIDES AND SHARE THE EXPERIENCE WITH A YOUNG CHILD IF YOU CAN… DIGGING IN THE DIRT CAN BE FUN FOR “KIDS” OF ALL AGES!

M. Lynn Schmid, Master Gardener
A.A.S. Landscape/Horticulture/Arboriculture