We've had rain for most of the week. (If I could show the mid west what Californian's consider rain, you would have a good laugh), but we have had very high winds as well. With all this nasty weather it leaves gardeners trying to garden indoors. Here's a list of things that I do when it's nasty outside.
1. Daydream
I like to sip some tea and daydream of my Spring/ Summer garden. I usually start with my own seed collection and then look through seed catalogs that I already skimmed and carefully read variety descriptions to see if there is something that I feel is missing from my garden. The two physical catalogs that I have are Burpee and The Natural Gardening Company. I also like to Instagram to see what other people have growing on. I follow many Australian pages because when we're in winter and not much is happening, they are in full summer harvest mode. Some of my favorite Australian gardengrams to follow are @easycomeeasygrow @thecheekygardener @the.little.gardeners @rachm073
2. Organize
I like to take time to organize my seed box and list everything down that I have on a small piece of paper that I fold up and keep in my wallet, that way when I'm out shopping for new seeds, I make sure I don't double up on varieties I already have. You can read about how I organize my seeds here -> https://www.veryexcitedgardener.com/single-post/SeedOrganizin
3. Plan
Usually after steps one and two I begin to plan my garden. This usually includes me drawing out my garden plans based on the space I have which is mostly my 4x8 garden bed. Lately I've noticed that I am going through canning recipe books and such to plan my garden. My husband and I want to make sure this year that we grow everything we need to make home made salsa. Last year, with the surplus of tomatoes I made a batch, but had to run to the store for lime juice, cilantro and jalapenos.
4. Starting Seeds
Usually, but not always. I plan my garden before I sow seeds. Sometimes, I will start seeds because it's a new variety that I want to make sure ends up in my garden. Starting seeds at the beginning of a storm is great they should be ready to transplant shortly after the storm comes out.
5. Canning
Depending on the time of year the rain comes, I may or may not have things to can. This time of year I've done a lot of lemonade canning, read about it here -> https://www.veryexcitedgardener.com/single-post/2019/01/11/Shelf-Stable-Canned-Lemonade. Next Winter, I'm hoping to can some mandarins as well.
6. Garden
If your confused by this last one. Yes, on a last resort, if I'm not otherwise preoccupied I still go out to my garden (I use the cinder-blocks to stand on) during breaks in the weather. It's a good time to re-secure plants that may have toppled over from wind or rain. Also weeds are much easier to pull now that their roots are softened. If your lucky enough to have a greenhouse like my mother, I'd definitely be gardening inside with a cup of hot tea.
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