Month-by-Month SS to-do-list, organized

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I'm a scatterbrain. I do good to remember to start tomato seeds in January, or lay down more compost on the garden ... ever! So I thought maybe we could all put our heads together and come up with a little somethig to print out and help us be organized. I'll add your comments under the right month (this is for the northern hemisphere) when I get a chance.

And, of course, this will just be a loose thing: not all of us will have a garden, or breed our goats, or even have a frost! Plus we all live in different zones so obviously wouldn't apply to everyone. Just take the bits and pieces you need, and maybe add a few I've forgotten.

Thanks!

January
-order chicks for Spring arrival


February
-make newspaper starter-pots
-start leeks and onions
-start lettuce and other greens in cold frame

March
-prune fruit trees
-prune grape vines to no more than 4 fruiting canes with 7-10 buds each
-start tomato seedlings
-do your bare-root and tuber orders
-start cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower seedlings in mid-March; set out 6 weeks later
-feed spring bulbs


April
-plant peas, early April
-sow spinach and other greens, early April
-start seeds for summer squash, etc; set out 6 weeks later
-make seed tapes (like carrots, radishes, greens, etc)
-top-dress garden beds with composted fertilizer
-get this year's garden and livestock journal ready and going
-prune roses just as buds begin to push


May


June


July
-order enough propane for winter
-start Fall garden (carrots, radishes, greens, beets, peas, swiss chard)


August
-get enough hay for winter


September
-clean chicken coop in prep for winter
-clean out chicken nesting boxes on sunny day; allow sunshine to "disinfect"
-harvest chickens, ducks, etc.
-clean goat pen in prep for winter
-clean out those garden beds that are done; add cardboard/newspaper and muck

October
-harvest winter squash (before first frost)
-harvest corn dried on the stalk (before first frost)
-breed goats to kid in March
-make crafts to sell in November for December holiday money
-finish cleaning out garden beds; add cardboard/newspaper and muck/compost
-review your garden and animal notebooks

November
-add more compost to garden beds and/or rototill
-find place to sell crafts for December holiday money
-take advantage of holiday food sales to stock up on potatoes, onions, etc.
-inventory leftover seeds
-order seed catalogs (should you do non-gmo?)
-clean tools and put away until next year

December
-plan next year's garden / order seeds


Running out of time today! I'll add more as I think of them. Meanwhile... your input?


ETA: more!

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I ran out of time again today but did get some more added. I'm partially using: http://awaytogarden.com/category/chores-by-month (only up to April) ... but also my own notes. I really feel like I'm missing some big things. What are they?

 

[Denim Deb]

Just remember, what works in your area may not work in others. Plus, some of it depends on what you have in the way of animals. For instance, w/the horses, it will probably be early October when I can stop buying hay. Can't afford to get it all sooner than then, but don't want to get it later because the price really goes up in the winter.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Good point!

 

[hwillm1977]

Yep... it won't work in every place... every gardening zone will be different.

If I were going to start lettuce in a cold frame in February it would still be -30C outside and I'd have to shovel 4 feet of snow off the frame First of June is our frost date so that's when I can start putting most warmer loving things outside, but I can usually start peas, carrots, onions, lettuce etc, at the first of may outside.

Having chores listed by month is a good idea though, and I think I'm going to try to make my own list of stuff here... I really need to get more organized.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Absolutely meant to write that this list is for generalities ... you move things to the month that's appropriate for where you live, and take out (and/or add) what is just for you!

I'll try to add more later. My mind is fuzzy this morning, and I'm not thinking clearly.

 

[ORChick]

I grew up surrounded by my mother's zone 10 garden (flowers and herbs). My own first garden was in zone 9, and I lived there for 20 years. And now I am in zone 8 for the last almost 10 years. When I first moved here I thought "its only a minor difference; I'll just do things as I've always done, but maybe a bit later". Needless to say, my garden those first couple of years wasn't terribly successful. Finally I started a garden journal, mostly to keep track of daily high and low temps, and what was blooming/ripening at any given time. I have it as a document on the laptop - I just write a few lines about what is important for the day, as well as the temps. Because all my notes for (say) August 1st for the last 7 years are all together in one place I have a better understanding of what my mini-climate here is like, what has done well in the past few years, what I have messed up, and what I should be doing NOW. Since I got the chickens they have also got their notes in the journal. If I had goats and had to worry about hay, that would also be in there. What I'm trying to say is that this is a huge continent, and we all have different needs, and even a seemingly minor difference, like 1 USDA agricultural zone makes a large difference. A list is a great thing, but it would be best, in my opinion, to tailor it to individual needs and circumstances.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

My mistake. I'll ask to have this deleted and continue working on it for me alone.

Sorry.

 

[hwillm1977]

I don't think it needs to be deleted... I think it's a great idea and I'm going to tailor one here to my own needs, but I'm using yours as a starting point for ideas

 

[calendula]

I don't think you need to delete it either. I thought maybe this link would help: http://www.humeseeds.com/projndx.htm