It is hard to imagine that Spring is just right around the corner with an arctic chill on the horizon here in New Jersey. The reality however is, spring is just 78 short days away. I am especially excited for the spring this year. It will be year two of my small space (balcony) garden. While I do consider the inaugural year of my garden a success, I am looking forward to a better, not bigger of course, garden this year. I have to admit that I was so gung-ho to get started last year that my lack of planning hindered my results. I did have a nice assortment of plants and vegetables, but I am going for a more cohesive look this year.
With this in mind I will use these cold bitter days before spring to my advantage. I will plan, plan and then plan some more. I have to remind myself constantly that gardens are based on principles, in other words rules that you must follow in order to see results. It is impossible to decide one day that you want to start a garden and then miraculously have one the next day. Planning, along with timing and hard work are critical to the gardens’ success, especially a small space garden. With limited space it is essential to choose the plants that will perform their best. Each individual plant you choose to be a part of your small space garden will carry with it its’ own inherent principles in which you will also have to follow in order to obtain optimal results.
I have drafted my small-space garden on a piece of graph paper. It is nothing fancy, but it does give me an idea of the type of plants that I will need to consider and materials that I may need to purchase. I will use this to outline my next steps and create a gardening calendar indicating when I need to do what. If you would like to see my diagram please see the post entitled My Small Space Garden 2009 – (Balcony). I suggest you develop your own draft and plan too. Remember that it does not need to be fancy, but a little planning can go a long way. Let the countdown to spring begin!
Tennille
