5 Things To Do Now to Keep Your Garden Healthy and Vibrant For Next Year

Every experienced gardener knows that the secret to a good garden is to bank what you have this year for next year’s planting season. There are a few things that you can now that will not only make your garden even better next year, but also save you tons of money in the process. These are just a few ways in which you can “bank” next year’s bounty.

Gather seeds. If you planted cool weather vegetables and herbs in the spring, you are pretty much at the end of the harvest and that means everything is going to seed. I am sure you have wondered where those seeds for things such as lettuce, snow peas and cilantro comes from. If you take a walk around your garden you will be amazed at the amount of seed pods that are ripe for the harvesting this time of the year. So to take advantage of those seeds that are “free”, take out your gardening shears and cut the stalks that contain the seed pods and place in the sunlight to complete the drying process, and afterwards, harvest by placing in envelopes that have been labeled and store away until next year.

Compost. Build or add to your compost with any vegetable or flowers that are completing their growth cycle for this year. These are like gold and can add vital nutrients to the soil for your new seedlings next year.

Shop for Deals. Visit your local garden center or nursery for good deals on perennials, fruit trees and shrubbery. Typically as we approach the 4th of July, gardening centers are looking to clear out a lot of their inventory and will offer very good deals to help with the process. Don’t mind if the perennials are past their bloom cycle. Get these in the ground, water and give a shot of good plant food and be amazed next season.

Plan Next Year's Rotation. Lay out a rotation plan for next year’s vegetable garden. In order to keep garden pests under control and to avoid leaching the nutrients from the soil, be sure to rotate next year’s crop. For instance, if you planted tomatoes in a certain section of the garden this year, choose a section on the opposite end of the garden for your tomatoes next year. This is especially important for things like potatoes, carrots, or beets are there is a lot that takes place that you cannot see underground and the evidence of a problem usually happens when it is too late.

Water & Feed. Don’t forget water and food; even AFTER the flowers, trees and shrubs are past their bloom cycle. Keep in mind that although they are now dormant, these are living things and require food and water in order to stay alive and vibrant next season.

Because life should be good! How good is that.....Copyright Bonnie McDaniel, Farm Girl In The City™ 2017 All rights reservedI'm Bonnie McDaniel of Farm Girl In the City™ a contributor for Patch, writing about gardening, cooking, flowers, good living, urban gardening and more! Connect with me on social media on Twitter and Instagram for your daily dose of food and garden inspiration. You can also find me on Facebook, and check out my blog here. Stay tuned for the release of my new cookbook, the first of the Farm Girl In The City cookbook series, due out later this year! And coming soon, my online Farm Girl Market with all kinds of goodies for homesteaders and foodies.