A Cold Sunday, Dreaming of Spring

It's a cold, snowy day here on the farm today. Not too much snow, just a dusting so far. Cold enough to make more work with the chores. That's one thing I've learned and remember from my childhood - chores are more difficult in cold weather than in the hot summer.

I don't let the cold keep my spirits down. It's almost mid-January, which means spring is really just around the corner. I can begin thinking about and planning for my garden this year. Here in Missouri, that will mean sometime in March. After a sad attempt at one last year and even sadder results, I hope to have learned something. It's not really a failure as long as you learn from your experience and apply those lessons for the next year.

For me, as I think about my garden for this year, here's what I have learned:

• Spring is a busy time with the animals, so only plan for a garden that I can handle. Work on expanding it over time.
• It's better to get an early start on early vegetables. They have a better chance, and you can replant if it fails the first time.
• Focus on fewer vegetables until you see what you have success with. You can always add new veggies in future years.
• Start on your garden well before planting time so you can prep the ground.

With these lessons in mind, my first decision will be on what kind of garden I'll have. I'm considering a combination of a traditional till garden with rows and a couple of raised beds. Once I see how the raised beds do, I'll know whether I want to add in more another year. I also have to figure out what I want to put in those beds. I'll have more control over the quality of dirt in the beds, but they will take time to set up, so I'll start with just two for this year.

I also have natural fertilizer with the animals on the farm, which should help enrich the ground. I think poor ground quality was a big reason I had poor results last year.

My next decision will be to decide on what plants to raise for this year. I still want potatoes and tomatoes. I'm going to try squash, onions, carrots, peas and beans again. I'd also like to have some herbs in containers. That sounds like enough for this year.

Along with my garden, I will have baby goats, which means goats to milk. I plan to add a few more chickens for eggs to sell next winter as well, which means another coop to build. I'll be putting in fencing for the heifers and the goats, so I must keep my garden work realistic.

I'm more realistic in my expectations this year. I know I probably won't have a bumper crop, but I hope to at least enjoy some fresh produce and maybe even have a few things to can. Someday, I want to have enough from my garden to feed my family all year, but that will come with time. If anyone has suggestions, please add them in the comments. I'm always interested in learning from the guidance of others.