Read it here: http://www.jandjacres.net/2013/12/23/garden-preparation/ Here in East-Central Mississippi it is already time to start thinking about our next planting season! A week or so ago I asked a group on Facebook if they thought I could plant another crop of Turnips, and they advised not to. However, I was also told that in January I should be planting English Peas and Potatoes! So, it is off to the planning board! Winter Garden Some things have managed to live and grow through the cold. Our own Black Seeded Simpson Lettuces (grown from our own seed we harvested this last summer) are growing extremely slowly, but are growing. One of the Red Romaine Lettuces is still growing as well. The Bunching Onion is doing just fine too - plump for the eating, but not growing any. I hope that they might bolt in spring so we can save some seed from them! I also have another plant growing - though of course my previously poor record keeping has my scratching my head. I think it is a cabbage, but darn if I know! Vegetable Garden Preparation I spent some time pulling out the old plants and raking the wood chips around in order to pull out some weeds. The wood chips seem well decomposed as there is only a light covering of visible wood chips any longer. We will now start laying down more rabbit manure over the next month to help build the nutrients back up before we sow the seeds. We are also going to plant some potatoes, but those will be planted in a large tub. I was so frustrated with the grubs getting to our potatoes last year that I want to grow them in a more controlled environment this year. Not using any insecticides or herbicides can be daunting, but it is worth it. Vegetable Garden Planning I really want a larger garden this year, but for now it is time to focus on the next plantings. Rabbit manure needs to be laid, wood needs to be chipped and spread. But most importantly a trellis of some sort needs to be built for the peas to grow on. Thankfully we are already in a nice sunny area that runs from East to West, so there should not be any problems with location. The hardest thing for me is to remain focused on this season of growing and not try to build a trellis big enough to feed the county. We still plan to use wood chips as a covering, Back to Eden style. So stay tuned for the 2014 version of our garden! (And cross your fingers that come the end of the season our fruit trees decide to give us a little fruit for the first time as well!)