2012 garden plans

in typical fashion, it's only the beginning of march, and i'm already feeling a little behind here. without a real winter, i'm having trouble realizing that it finally is almost springtime. i'm hoping to sit down and start working on my real garden plan and seed inventory (and ordering!) in the next week or so, but in the meantime, i have started thinking about a few bigger goals for this season...

:: set up our rain barrels. it's ridiculous, i know, but we purchased some beautiful repurposed wine barrels two years ago and still haven't set them up! they even came with a spigot and filters (a rain barrel kit) and we just haven't gotten to it. this year's the year, after such a dry fall and winter, i'm hoping for a wet summer and i want to best use all that rain water.

:: expand my front yard garden. i'm hoping to plant more perennial herbs and maybe some greens. it's a partially shady spot on a little hill, but i'll be happy to not have to mow that spot and make the front of our home even more beautiful (and functional).

:: i want to plant more medicinal herbs, plants to use for dyes, and flowers. this is a continual goal of mine. last year i planted some herbs and flowers to use for dyes, but never had the time to actually use them. i'm hoping to learn how to make more body care products (especially soap) soon and hopefully i can grow more medicinals to use in these projects. last summer i came to love having freshly cut flowers in my kitchen and i'm planning on planting more of these as well.

:: put in a patio in our backyard. this isn't exactly garden related, but i want to make our backyard more of a living space. i want to spend more time outside just hanging out in our garden and putting in a patio in the shady section of our yard will help with this. i'd love to plant some creeping thyme in between the pavers too, kind of like this or this.

:: my last big goal for this season is to plant less variety. i know that might seem weird, but last year i planted so many different things, i felt like i couldn't focus on anything. last year i planted tomatoes, peppers, dry beans, fresh beans, cucumbers, summer squash, kale, chard, radishes, peas, garlic, onions, strawberries, raspberries, and potatoes. not to mention all the herbs and flowers. i'm the first to admit that some of these were more successful than others and year i think i'll focus on the more successful plants, plus a few new ones i'd like to try. i'm happy to rely on the farmers market and our csa (i think we're signing up for the first time ever this year!) for the rest.

i'm so happy to be posting here again and look forward to sharing my gardens and yours over the next season. what are your goals as you start planning your garden this season?