Well right now I am swampped with orders to be filled for Christmas. Once the holidays are over and everything is put away I will start wintersowing my seeds for next spring. I already have all my containers filled with soil just waiting for me to sow the seeds and set them outside for their long winter nap.

Penny

Lots of winter sowing to do around the end of January. I'm going to hopefully buy some seed flats to grow more plants indoors this spring. Then I'll have to spend lots of time figuring out where my new babies will go!

Tracy

Well right now I am frantically trying to finish up handmade Christmas gifts. Once Christmas and New Year's is over, I will start my wintersowing. Then I will catch up on reading my gardening magazines. I've gotten 4 this month alone that I haven't even opened. After that, I may go thru some past issues looking for specific ideas. Then I will start planning out what I want to change or add to my gardens for next year and any other outdoor projects that need to be done. I have a walkway I want to do as well as improve the drainage in our back yard. In late March or April I will be starting some annuals indoors, which is a new thing for me, so wish me luck! If there is any time left I plan on making some new garden art and painting some birdhouses that the DH has made.

I've got a ton of seeds to cold stratify. I'm also growing some stuff indoors under shoplights this year--lettuce and mandrakes. And a couple lavenders someone gave me. The mandrakes are doing great. I think they prefer shoplights to natural light.

Got the snowshoes all tuned up and ready to go. Cut a trail down the cliff behind my house this summer and I wander down it to watch the creek freeze up.

Indoors, I'm baking all my bread, trying to make good bagels and eating all my garden vegetables.

Well, first I need to tackle all the HOUSE cleaning that I avoided all spring, summer, and fall because it was "garden season". The piles of clutter have taken over. Then:
- clean out the barn
- clean out the garage
- clean out the cellar
- clean out the attic
- paint my bedroom and bath
- make curtains
- catch up on correspondence
- winter sow seeds
- transplant houseplants
- frame and hang pictures
- sharpen my garden tools
- build snowmen with my 2 preschool kids
- lots lots more

Oh,hmmmm, did you say WANTED to do, or WOULD do?
Hmmmm, that list looks remarkably like last year's list.
I wonder if I forgot anything?
How many more months do I have?
Anyone want to help?

gottagardem.

Your list looks like the list Of what I SHOULD BE DOING! In fact we will have to do some of it today if we want to decorate a tree for Christmas this year. My house is in total chaos!

Penny

Well, around taking care of my family and home schooling our son, I'm planning on wintersowing again, and trying to make my first solo (i.e. w/o Mom's gracious help) quilt. And, of course, reading garden books and daydreaming about next year's garden. And working on a family genealogy book with my mother and sisters. And somewhere in here I desperately need to paint my dining room. . . . Somehow the gardening sounds MUCH more fun than the dining room.

Laurelin

Writing a book on wild plants...organizing my flower photos,,,planing out kayak and hiking trips to take next year.,, planing improvments for my garden,,.make curtains for back porch,,,and mabe finish up my theology degree. - kim

Planning trips to warmer places...Tucson, for one

Swing dancing

sewing

dreaming over garden catalogs

Lots and lots of winter sowing. I'm addicted. Some indoor growing under lights too. Did I mention I'm addicted?

~Deb

Gottagarden---I have gone over your list, even checked it twice and I have decided to help you, I have decided to help you build a snowman with the children, I have not done that in years!!! The cleaning part-you are on your own!!!
So get in touch when the snow packs real good!!!
Sounds like winter sowing is a go after the holidays. I have tons of seeds saved and I looking forward to that also.
I did it last year and it was a nice winter fix. Had pretty good luck.

who can I get to do my Christmas shopping and cookie baking which as of right now I have done neither.

Penny

Gee, Penny, it's kind of late for shopping . . . and it's kind of early in the morning to be posting . . .

Buy gift certificates online and email them! I just did that 5 minutes ago, I got Netflix certificates and emailed them and I'm done and I didn't even need to get a stamp.

Cookie baking, hmmm, hopefully someone else did it and you won't have to.

Mulchy - ok, will call you when the snow is good packing. You can be making a snowman with the kids, and I'll be inside cleaning the garage - hahahahahaha! Somehow I think even in those conditions, cleaning the garage isn't going to be at the top of the list.

Gee Penny, you only have about 24 hours left to shop!!! I just finished mine this afternoon. It is tough this year!! I wish I had all my grandkids toys!!! Have a nice Christmas everyone!!!

Well we managed to get all the shopping done by 1:00 on the 23rd. (had a list in hand and went right down the list). Went to Red Lobster for lunch and came home and wrapped everything. Spent Christmas eve morning baking cookies and brownies and doing the last load of laundry and still had time to meet the inlaws for a Christmas concert at their church at 3:30 in the afternoon. This year really cut it close and I told DH we weren't waiting until the last minute again...we'll see what happens next year.

Now I am back to work filling orders and getting ready to start some winter sowing as time permits.

BTW, I did do the gift cards for out of state gifts this year and got those mailed in time to arrive before Christmas.

Here's wishing everyone a happy, healthy and very prosperous New Year.

Penny

I am recuperating from a knee replacement [planned it for this time of year so I would be good to go by spring!]
I did some winter sowing before the surgery, and will do more soon as I
traded lots of seeds!

Unfortunately, I've been having surgeries too. But it is winter, and I will also be good to go by spring. So, I am home staring at the computer a lot. I am attempting winter sowing for the first time. Hopefully, I am successful.
Mulchy, I was just out with my Godmother/cousin and I'm not sure what bought it up maybe good gifts, but I told her that if I got bags of mulch for my birthday(April) I would be the happiest person on the earth. She thought that it was a horrible gift,lol. Non-gardeners just don't understand.
Remy

Remy, sorry to hear that you have been having surgeries! But glad to hear you'll be good to go in spring!! There is nothing wrong with "Mulchy Gifts". My hubby bought a dump trailer and he gets me loads of mulch all spring and summer.I'm real happy with that. Good luck with your winter sowing,==you should have tons of plants for the exchange this summer!!!

Another surgery victim here, too! I've been dead in the water since July, believe it or not. I see the snow melting and underneath is the fall clean up that never got done. I actually contemplated going out into the muck today to start getting it cleaned. I hope we get a big storm this weekend so I don't have to fret about it until I can get out there!

Lots of gardening plans/interests for the up-and-coming year. My planner is all filled up as IÂve just been sitting here dreaming for the past 6 months. If I can get half of whatÂs on the agenda accomplished IÂll be a happy camper. I still have to get last yearÂs garden in order! I'm also planning two brand new gardens this year - a veggie and a shade bed. Both places need quite a bit of prepping. I also have a nice compost site on the horizon.

That said, IÂve spent quite a bit of time lurking on the Compost forum and am really getting into it! IÂm not over the edge yet but itÂs becoming a nice winter project. ItÂs really astonishing how much garbage I donÂt toss into the weekly trash now. On the nice days I take out my collection and set it in a pile for when IÂm ready to start my new area. As soon as I get my compost site together in the spring IÂm crossing over to a compost freak! Right now, IÂm just saving up my food scraps and coffee grounds for greens and all the junk mail/cardboard stuff for my browns. Keep those credit card applications coming :) It used to bug me getting two in the mail every dayÂ

I just started reading about the square-foot-gardening for veggies. It seems a little bit technical for a plunk-and-go type of gardener but I think the veggie garden is really something that needs to be planned out on paper??? ThereÂs got to be an easier way to go but IÂm giving it a read anyway.

I have a seed box filled to the brim and havenÂt gotten one pot winter sowed! I have a feeling itÂs going to be a lean year. I got some awesome shade seeds in a swap so IÂm going to get them going first for my shade garden. One pot at a time, IÂve just got to get myself started after the holidays.

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Janet, Remy and shimla,
Here is wishing you all a full and speedy recovery from your surgeries.

You still have plenty of time to do some wintersowing. I haven't sown the first seed yet and won't until later in January as this is a real busy time of the year for me.

Penny

Thank you for the well wishes, Penny!

I have started preparing my WS pots with their plastic covers and have made up my tags over the last couple of months. It is taking me forever but at least when I'm ready to start I will have everything in place so I can do a marathon of seed planting.

It sounds like your winter hobby is keeping you busy! Are you making soaps with ingredients from your garden? A couple of years ago there was a couple of girls interested in doing the soaps over in the seed exchange area. It seemed like it would be a lot of fun! Something to do in the kitchen beside prepare food! I'm very envious of you artsy folks that have these special abilities!

I would like to learn how to make tea from my plants. Anne-Marie and I took a tea class at HVCC last year which ended up being an in-person infomercial! It's not something I'd feel comfortable experimenting with and would really love to have someone show me exactly how to do it and what is safe to consume.

Is anyone taking any interesting classes over the winter? A few years ago I took a flower arranging class over at Colonie High School. We made some wonderful, fresh cut arrangements. It was a very refreshing activity for the winter months.

My winter is going to rough. But thoughts of spring and renewel will get me through. My Mom went on home hospice in Oct. and died 12/5/05. The three months to day Mom got sick dad was found to three kinds of cancer including pancreatic. So I expect he will go on home hospice on Tuesday. They both live with me and I am the primary caregiver.
All this won't keep me from dreaming over seed catlaogs and dreaming.
Jeanie

Jeanie,
Just take long deep breaths. I know this is really a hard time for you and your family. My prayers are with you all and continue to think spring and better days ahead.

Shimla,
No I don't make soap or anything really botanical. I have my own website for my custom made quilted home accessories. However the past couple of years I have been growing extra shrubs, plants and hanging baskets for sale in late spring for the local market.

Penny

hope you guys have all managed to find time to relax a little during these holidays. we've all got plenty of things to keep us busy --- even though we are not out in the yard where we'd like to be. it seems a lot of us are at least looking forward to the spring. i know that this past spring/summer, we've done plenty of planting --- so i can't wait to see what comes back. i'm also putting lots of thought into the future projects. planning the plantings.

we had our first christmas up at the house and managed to transform it into a holiday wonderland in just one day... the tree, decorations, cooking, cooking, cooking... it made me understand why people leave the tree up for so long after the holidays. but we did take our's down on the 2nd of january.

now we'll be busy with work in the city and won't be able to get back up to the house until sometime in mid-february. but i can find time to visit the ol' gardenweb and plan my orders for the spring.

keep warm!
--robbie--

Reading, ordering thru catalogs, dreaming. The days are already growing longer. . .

Given this warm weather, I think I'll be working out in my garden this winter! I've spent the last few days cutting back mushy hosta leaves and peony plants, and weeding! Not sure if I am really, really late for fall, or really really early for spring. Whatever, I'm loving the weather. It looks to last for the next 5 days at least, so I will be outside every day. Tomorrow I'm going to start moving my rockpile, and Wed I'm going to cut down rosa multiflora, and Thu . . . .

Jeanie, I'm so sorry. I hope thoughts of your gardens and plants help a little bit. Be sure to buy some pre-planted and blooming bulbs (like hyacinths) to help lift your spirits.