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Winter doldrums? More like winter wonders! Winter is the time to dream, plan, and yes, plant! Now is the time to plan that spring/summer garden, map out garden scapes, order seeds, and prepare for the new gardening season.

Planning a new garden doesn’t have to mean a full-scale landscaping project.  It can be as simple as designing some new containers for your patio. Container gardening can be a wonderful way to start your garden adventures because really, it’s a small garden! Succulents, cacti, roses, bulbs, small trees, vegetables, you name it, can go in containers. Tomatoes and herbs do particularly well in containers; the only caveat is that you have to be a bit more diligent about watering them as plants dry out faster in containers than they do in raised beds or in the ground.

How you start these mini gardens is up to you. You can always buy seedlings or “starts” at a garden center or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can start from seeds! Now is the time to buy your seeds. Most big-box stores sell all the seeds and seed starting supplies you will need, but I particularly like to order from local companies that grow their seeds in our region. Favorites of mine that I use for Springmont's gardens are Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Sow True Seed, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  

Indoor seed starting can start any time in the winter with a view to planting the seedlings outside after the last frost which, in our area, is predicted for March 23.  Your seeds will need heat and light while they are inside. At Springmont, we are lucky enough to have an indoor greenhouse complete with heating pads and grow lights to support the seed’s early growth. Middle School students start seeds during these first few weeks of the second semester. Plants will stay in the small, indoor greenhouse for several weeks and then be moved to the bigger, outdoor greenhouse. 

This year, students will be planting with a view to supplying classroom vegetable gardens with seedlings and, with any luck, a spring plant sale. We will be starting tomatoes, peppers, catnip, borage, milkweed, sweetpea, Calendula, Zinnia, eggplant, and summer squash. Later in the spring, students will direct sow corn, squash, and beans.

So, while our outdoor gardens lie quiet, now is a wonderful time to start planning for spring and summer, whether that's a container, raised bed, or backyard garden. Happy planning and planting!