2012 Garden Project Review

It's that time of year again!  The end of the old and the beginning of the new.  It's at this time of year that I like to review my project list to see how well I accomplished my goals.  Every year I come up with a list of projects I hope to complete in my garden then review it at the end!  My 2012 garden projects are listed below followed by my analysis and evaluation.


2012 Garden Project Review


It seems my vegetable garden will never be done! It will continue changing and evolving as I garden. I have some new ideas for raised beds I'd like to incorporate into the garden which may mean the garden's layout has to adjust again. I'll never stop tinkering and as long as I realize that I can maintain my sanity.  The parterre style is still where my garden is going but the makeup of the beds (the materials) will be different!

Juniper Berries
The privacy hedge line is a work in progress.  It takes time to propagate the pyracantha and grow them.  No I'm not making excuses why it isn't done yet - or maybe I am!  I've adjusted this idea a little as well.  I've found several juniper (Eastern Red Cedar) seedlings growing in my yard which make a perfect privacy screen plant.  As an added bonus they're a native tree.  I'll keep the pyracantha privacy screen project but I'll add the junipers to it.  Having an alternative line of evergreen plants and orange berries in the winter is just the thing our mostly deciduous property line needs!

Since I said this would be a mulit-year project I don't feel so bad in saying my pathways are still a work in progress! I've kept the hillside pathways clear of weeds and brush this year and sowed some cover crop clover to help feed the soil.  I also added a couple viburnums to the property-line side of the natural area.  These viburnums flank the walkway into the paths.  Next door to us is a house for sale that was foreclosed on and there is no telling how long it will be until we have new neighbors - or even if we'll have good neighbors like the others on our street.  The viburnums can be trimmed to allow a pathway through or can be left untrimmed to close in the pathway.  We'll save that decision for later - good hedges make good neighbors!

I bought a small 6'x8' greenhouse that is under construction in the backyard behind the vegetable garden.  I'm going to use it for growing the plants for my edible garden business.  Right now I have most of the frame up and need to attach the panels.

My garden business began last year with two divisions.  One I called The Home Garden Box where I delivered collections of heirloom vegetable plants for home gardeners.  The other was Blue Shed Gardens which was more ornamental in nature and participated in our local farmer's market.  I hope to continue both avenues and merge them into one solid business plan this year which I'll tell you about soon.  I have some more ducks to get in a row first!  The good news is that I didn't lose any money and made a small amount of profit last year.  It certainly isn't a financially sustainable business yet but I am hopeful that it will grow and propel our family toward a family owned business that not only will fund our lives but can be left for my children to run when they are ready.

There were a number of projects that I didn't foresee that popped up too.  Like the Lowe's Creative Ideas projects that ranged from a Shade Garden to a fancy Birdfeeder Light Post.  I also put together a raised bed for plant propagating back near the shed made with old materials like deck wood and a storm door.

Each year brings new ideas, new challenges, and new opportunities.  While we don't always accomplish the goals that we set, the important thing is that we enjoy the experience of trying to accomplish great things.  I highly encourage you to come up with a few gardening projects you want to take charge of for 2013. Will you start a new garden, build a raised bed, plant more natives, plant more trees, add an orchard of fruit bearing trees, or create a sustainable landscape?  The sky isn't the limit your imagination is! Make 2013 the year you turn your garden into a garden paradise.  If you've already accomplished that goal then help someone else do the same!

What are your project goals for your garden in 2013?  (Leave a link to your 2013 project goal post if you have one!)

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