Guided Season Wrap-Up
Before you get to planning for your garden next season, take a little time to reflect on what went well — and not so well — in this year’s garden. Grab your journal and your phone full of garden photos to jog your memory and answer the following questions.
What tasted best?
Anything just meh?
What was really productive? Was it too much? Not enough?
What do you wish you grew more of?
What was beautiful?
What looked bad? Or had boring points in its life cycle? Do you care?
What was fascinating?
What attracted bees and butterflies?
What didn’t produce at all?
Any ideas why? (think about sun, water, soil, pests, or diseases)
If you grow those plants again, what will you do differently?
What took a lot of time and effort? Was it worth it? Can you eliminate or automate this work?
What new plants, tools, or processes would you like to try?
What’s the state of your soil? Might be time to get it tested. And never hurts to add compost.
For you perennial plants, shrubs, and trees: are any in need of dividing, trimming, or pruning?
Do you like the height and size of your garden beds? Do you need trellises or other supports? Irrigation or a rain barrel? Did any tools wear out or did you find yourself needing a tool you don’t have?
Has your garden journal served you in this process? Do you wish you had more notes? More photos, certain data?
Overall, are you happy with your garden? Why or why not? what other feelings does the garden elicit?
If you want the questions on a printable worksheet format, click here to get a download.
Once you've thought about the good, the bad, and the plants you could've had from last year, it's time to use this knowledge to inform your garden plan for the next season. Use the notes you wrote here to help decide WHAT plants and HOW MUCH to grow, WHERE and WHEN to plant them, and what other SUPPLIES you need or PROJECTS you might want to schedule.
If you want help analyzing your garden season and planning a better iteration,
