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Chores Calendar If you keep a Garden Journal like the one below, it will help you put together a Chores Calendar for next year. Next year you’ll be organized and ready to tackle each step with confidence and patience. Use your 3-ring binder or a notepad and leave at least 4 lines to record the chores you need to complete each month. Highlight things you want to remember to do differently next year. Example of a Chores CalendarMarch - April: Plan this year's garden. Choose new plants to try and read up on them. Order mail-order catalogs and seeds. May: Check soil type in the garden. Slightly clay but balanced pH. Till and mark rows. Make row labels and plant seeds for cool soil. Pre-germinate annuals in the nursery. June: Soil warmed by the 18th. Harden off seedlings and plant seeds in the garden. Mulch with carpet and hay. Thin first carrots and flowers by month end. July: Weed, thin, check for bugs, and fertilize corn silks. Harvest ripe vegetables. *July 21-28: Garden Assessment Week: garden well-marked and labeled. August: Thin carrots again and thin flowers. Harvest ripe vegetables: enjoy delicious baby carrots. Apply mineral oil to new corn silks. *Select best plants for Junior Show Competition. Submit registration. September: First frost warnings on the 19th. Harvest vegetables and prepare cut flowers for Junior Show on the 28th. Pick the last of the harvest. Compost plants killed by first frost on the 25th. October: Remove dead plant material. Add leaves and compost to soil. Clean up the garden. Store carpet mulch in the shed. Winter: Order mail-order catalogs and two gardening books.  Time to dream big and plan well. Even if you model your Chores Calendar on the one above, it will be a little different to reflect your selection of plants and vegetables. Customize it however you like. If you do your chores as quickly and efficiently as possible, you will have more time to enjoy your garden. | ||
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