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January 1, 2003

Happy New Year!
Here it is the first day of 2003 and all I can think about is getting some rain.  We left Maryland this morning after spending some time with Kevin's family and it was raining cats and dogs!  After we arrived back in Kansas city I spoke to Kevin's mom and it was still pouring there and they had already received an 1½ inches.  Boy, doesn't that sound great?  For now all we can do is to keep watering when the weather allows (yes, I am tired of hearing myself say that) and hope that some moisture of any kind will come our way soon, like tomorrow!

This is the time of year when Kevin and I publish our New Year's Resolutions for Gardeners.  We always have fun with this and it is always interesting to look back at last year's resolutions to see if we followed through with any of them.  Just like every resolution made some make the priority list and others don't.  The following list is what we have come up with.  Make sure to create a list of your own and if you would like to share it with us, we would love it!

~ Shelly  

New Year's Resolutions for Gardeners
2003 

  1. Keep a Gardening Journal
    Don't keep putting this off as you wait for a perfectly cute "coffee table" journal to fall in your lap.  Get a cheap spiral bound notebook and start taking notes.  Write down the weather, soil, and plant conditions on different days.  Make notes about what's working for you and what's not.  With any luck your new note-taking habit will become an integral part of your everyday gardening routine.

     
  2. Start Something From Seed 
    This has been here before but it's worth repeating.  Seed starting can humble any gardener but it is so rewarding to take your little seedlings out into the big garden world and see them thrive.  So, use some of your spare time this winter to prepare yourself an indoor planting area and plan on starting some plants from seed! 

     
  3. Extend Your Growing Season 
    Through the clever use of cold frames and hot beds you can add many weeks to the front and back end of your gardening season.  Need some help?  Read all about it right here...  
       
  4. Conserve Water 
    Without hurting your garden!  A few simple steps can dramatically reduce your water use and improve the health of your lawn and garden.  Drip irrigation for your garden beds for instance is inexpensive, efficient, and saves you lots of extra work.  Watering during the early morning on hot days is another simple step.  Keep reading our newsletter and we'll give you tips on watering all year long!
     
  5. Grow Something Indoors  
    Gardening isn't just for the great outdoors you know.  There are all manner of interesting and wonderful plants that can and should be grown indoors as well.  Whether it's herbs, tropicals, succulents, or anything else that strikes your fancy find some time to start growing them inside this year..
     
  6. Teach A Child About Gardening  
    Whether it's your own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or neighbors, take time to teach them some small things about gardening.  Get them interested now and they may enjoy your hobby for many years to come!
     
  7. Buy Locally
    We like gardening catalogs too but we've also discovered that the best local nurseries are more likely to sell us plants that may actually survive our challenging growing conditions.  They are also a wellspring of great (and again, local) gardening advice - at least for the stuff you didn't get from us.
     
     
  8. Plant Something Where Nothing Has Been Planted Before 
    Is there a nook or corner in your yard or garden that is begging for a shrub or some flowers? Make the most of your landscape.  Try planting in new places; areas that have not been planted before, areas where the grass might not be doing well or there is too much shade or too much sun.  In 2002 we successfully introduced some Boston ivy to a spot in our garden in front of our chimney (believe us, the chimney needed some ivy).
      Unleash your imagination and be creative.
     
  9. Tell 10 People About Savvygardener.com 
    OK, here is an easy challenge!  Kevin and I would like every one of our readers (over 5,300 of you) to tell someone you know about Savvygardener.com!  We are very thankful for all the new subscribers that have been referred by our readers but there are still some area gardeners that haven't found us yet. Give them a nudge.  Here's an easy way to do it...


     
  10. Have Fun
    Really.  If your gardening is more chore than fun then you must be doing something wrong.  We don't mean stop gardening - just figure out what aspects of gardening you really enjoy and figure out how to do more of them. 

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