{"id":1580,"date":"2013-01-22T15:32:39","date_gmt":"2013-01-22T19:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.massaudubon.org\/blogs\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=1580"},"modified":"2013-01-22T15:32:39","modified_gmt":"2013-01-22T19:32:39","slug":"garden-dreaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/garden-dreaming\/","title":{"rendered":"Garden Dreaming"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/lucybridges\/7118712547\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright  wp-image-1590\" alt=\"Seeds copyright Lucy Bridges via flickr\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/01\/seedslucyb_22viaflickr.jpg\" width=\"403\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/01\/seedslucyb_22viaflickr.jpg 640w, https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/01\/seedslucyb_22viaflickr-300x201.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 403px) 100vw, 403px\" \/><\/a>Here&#8217;s a thought to warm up to: garden season is a few short months away. And if gardening is one of your goals for 2013, now is the perfect month to start planning.<\/p>\n<p>So take advantage of the long nights to dream about the longer days of the year, those sun-filled garden days&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Decisions, Decisions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The first step in garden planning is deciding what type of garden you would like to have. Among the choices:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Vegetable<\/strong>.\u00a0 Nothing tastes fresher than spring peas right off the vine or a sun-warmed June strawberry.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wildlife<\/strong>. Native plants, which make less demands on the water supply, provide food and habitat for birds and other wildlife.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Butterfly<\/strong>. By planting the right host and nectar plants you&#8217;ll get the chance to see the miraculous life cycle of these beautiful insects.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Flower<\/strong>. Invite essential pollinators into your garden while adding beauty at the same time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Gather Information<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now that you know what type of garden you want, it&#8217;s time to dig a little deeper and gather information and what to plant. Visit websites, flip through garden magazines, talk to friends and neighbors about what grows best in your neighborhood. All the while, keep these essential questions in mind:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>How much sun will the garden receive?<\/strong> If you&#8217;re going to grow vegetables or herbs, they generally need full sun. Full sun is considered to be six or more hours of direct light.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Do you have enough space?<\/strong> Trees and shrubs will grow and what is small in a pot today can grow, depending on the plant, larger than your house. Be aware of septic systems and electrical lines when siting gardens or plantings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Where is the best place to plant?<\/strong> Don&#8217;t be afraid to think outside the fence. If you have more sun in your front yard, grow the vegetables there. I have seen some beautiful, very appealing front yard vegetable gardens.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Make a Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Some people like to draw out the garden on paper, others prefer to list the plants on their computer. Whatever you plan out, cut it in half. While those five varieties of heirloom tomatoes would be lovely, do you really have the time, space, and the energy to water and weed all of those plants this summer time and preserve all those extra fruits in the early fall?<\/p>\n<p>Remember: a garden can always be expanded to fit in one more raised bed or another section of perennials, but it&#8217;s a lot more difficult to scale back mid-season.<\/p>\n<p>Spring will be here before we know it, and when that time comes stay tuned for more garden tips and tricks. In the meantime, happy planning. And do share what your garden plans will be for this year. \u00a0 \u2014\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.massaudubon.org\/blogs\/yourgreatoutdoors\/contributors\/\" target=\"_blank\">Kathi<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>Photo copyright <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/lucybridges\/7118712547\/\" target=\"_blank\">Lucy Bridges via flickr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here&#8217;s a thought to warm up to: garden season is a few short months away. And if gardening is one of your goals for 2013, now is the perfect month to start planning. So take advantage of the long nights to dream about the longer days of the year, those sun-filled garden days&#8230; Decisions, Decisions [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gardening"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-pu","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8745,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/in-your-words-butterfly-garden-team\/","url_meta":{"origin":1580,"position":0},"title":"In Your Words: Butterfly Garden Team","author":"Ryan D.","date":"March 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In Your Words is a regular feature of Mass Audubon\u2019s\u00a0Explore member newsletter. Each issue, a Mass Audubon member, volunteer, staff member, or supporter shares his or her story\u2014why Mass Audubon and protecting the nature of Massachusetts matters to them. The Butterfly Garden Team began in 2012 with the mission of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;In Your Words&quot;","block_context":{"text":"In Your Words","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/in-your-words\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Butterfly Garden at Stony Brook Wildlife Sanctuary","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/03\/Stony-Brook_Butterfly-Garden.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/03\/Stony-Brook_Butterfly-Garden.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/03\/Stony-Brook_Butterfly-Garden.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2345,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-mosquito-repelling-garden\/","url_meta":{"origin":1580,"position":1},"title":"A Mosquito Repelling Garden?","author":"Hillary T.","date":"June 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"If you have ever been to Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on Martha\u2019s Vineyard during the summer, there\u2019s a good chance you had an encounter with a mosquito, or 1,000. Turns out, these pesky insects love the wildlife sanctuary just as much as we do. It's one thing to have them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gardening&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gardening","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/06\/suesilvafn.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15841,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/ways-to-volunteer-this-summer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1580,"position":2},"title":"Ways to Volunteer This Summer","author":"Hillary T.","date":"June 1, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Looking for a way to get out and give back? Consider lending a hand at one of our wildlife sanctuaries. West June 11: Water Chestnut Removal by Canoe with Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton Water chestnut is an invasive plant that wreaks havoc on native plant and animal life, chokes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/IMG_8868-750x500-275cda65-a3be-4195-9823-211758d34812.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/IMG_8868-750x500-275cda65-a3be-4195-9823-211758d34812.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/IMG_8868-750x500-275cda65-a3be-4195-9823-211758d34812.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/05\/IMG_8868-750x500-275cda65-a3be-4195-9823-211758d34812.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15439,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-native-plants-that-pollinators-love\/","url_meta":{"origin":1580,"position":3},"title":"Take 5: Native Plants that Pollinators Love","author":"Ryan D.","date":"April 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"It's not an exaggeration to say that the biodiversity of our entire ecosystem depends on pollinators. Animals like birds, bees, bats, butterflies, moths, and other insects feed on plants, and in doing so, help 80% of the world's plant species reproduce. Over the last few decades, pollinator populations have declined\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gardening&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gardening","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Common Milkweed \u00a9 Laura Ferraguto","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/04\/4577Laura_Ferraguto33550.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8945,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/make-every-day-earth-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":1580,"position":4},"title":"Make Every Day Earth Day","author":"Hillary T.","date":"April 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Earth Day may officially be on April 22, but here at Mass Audubon we believe that every day is a good day to be kind to the earth. Looking for a few ways to put a spring-in-your-earth-day-step? Check out this handy Spring Checklist and share your own ideas in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Get Involved&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/04\/Mass-Audubon-Spring-Checklist-Cropped.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/04\/Mass-Audubon-Spring-Checklist-Cropped.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/04\/Mass-Audubon-Spring-Checklist-Cropped.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11104,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/be-a-garden-hero-grow-sustainably\/","url_meta":{"origin":1580,"position":5},"title":"Be a Garden Hero: Grow Sustainably","author":"Daniel Brown","date":"August 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Gardeners are well-suited to help fight climate change, but sustainable gardening requires putting aside some traditional practices that work against nature. 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