With a fresh year in front of us, I thought we could take some time today to review a strategy for planning your spring garden. We will also talk about three minor changes you can make this week to set yourself up for a great year. It’s a great time to tap into your perception of a fresh start to change just one thing. We often underestimate the power of how a few small changes can have a long term impact for the better for us, our families and those around us.

What mother nature is providing

• Water and snow (Duck Story)
• Oyster Mushrooms - frozen solid
• Stinging Nettle
• Carrots!

Tales from the Prepper Pantry

• The weekly squash - week 3:  Sauteed Spaghetti Squash Olive oil, garlic, basil --- add parmesan and salt at the end.
• Using left overs - Venison Stroganoff: 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 3 cups diced fresh mushrooms, flour, oil/fat, white wine, milk, cream (or stock and sour cream)
• Cow Update - It fit! And we had the easiest processing ever - here is what we did
• Cabbage and grated sweet potato salad - tastes great!
• Starting Sauerkraut

Stories from the Holler

• The greenhouse roof - GRRR
• Spectacular Walks - but wear orange

Three changes you can make for a great year

1. Decide the 1 thing you want to do best this year
2. Set a weekly time to reflect on your progress and set a small, attainable forward step
3. Remember the small things are the most important.

Lessons learned from Toby Hemenway

Book: http://amzn.to/2i79w6x

This week: P 21-35

The Problem is the solution

1. What battles are you fighting?
2. How can you change your approach to tap into Nature’s natural progression?

The three ecological principles The niche, the succession, biodiversity

Succession

1. Pioneer plants
2. Perennial plants
3. Young forest
4. Old forest

What will I do here?

• Abandon tilling (already done here)
• Mulch
• Plant communities

Next week: P 36-67

Garden Planning Strategy - Go big, then back off

1. Find all the things you want - then take time to get real.
2. Shared buying advantages for seeds
3. Bed preparations - for real man
4. Sharpen, polish and otherwise assess your gardening tools

Make it a great week!