Am I planning my garden too early?

by Daniel
(Spring Grove, IL. )

Last year I started sowing my seeds in February around Valentines' day, because for my birthday I received some Jiffy planting trays from my wife. I almost immediately started planting seeds and setting up the domes.

I knew a few things about gardens, but this was just dumb luck or following what the "Farmers' Almanac" informed me to do.

Now I didn't have many experiences when I was a child around plants and gardens, because my family was so nomadic that we never grew roots of any kind.

But now, I get this urge to start growing things right around January, right in the middle of my hibernation when there is a foot of snow on the ground. I felt this urge and purchased my first "Farmers' Almanac" and starting reading it from cover to cover and I must have retained some knowledge for my Valentine plantings.

When I informed my experienced gardening friends, they mostly chuckled and heckled me for my eagerness which last all season.

Well I wound up with the last laugh last year. I had a excellent garden that produced good quality all season long. The only plant that I placed too early were the "Peas". But I was so proud of my success I wanted to share my bounty with everyone.

Really didn't take that much work through the season to maintain this success.

I look back at it now and believe that my good planning and preparation had a lot to do with my gardening success. I constructed and prepped the soil which made a difference in allowing for my early planting to survive such a schedule, so that by the end of season I had those heckling friends asking me when I started my seeds and others now attempting to garden again this year.

So I am happy to say that I now have gained confidence in gardening skills which has opened up my reasons to explore more opportunities in a simpler lifestyle. So "NO" I am not planning too early nor is it late to start doing.