On my garden to do list is to continue with the Coos County Master Gardener Program, part of the Extension Program offered through Oregon State University. This group of diverse gardeners has helped me laugh, learn, and even eat well. (They enjoy good food.) I also am looking into garden seminars offered through the program, as well as some offered through Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove. Garden shows help me avoid the winter blues. I’d like to attend the Seattle Flower and Garden Show, which is likely the best show on the West Coast, but may attend our local show or one in Portland or Eugene instead.

The internet is a great resource to obtain more information on all of these. Garden tools need to be sharpened. Garden furniture an be touched up or repaired right now. If you’ve got indoor plants, they may need your attention, but since I’ve killed just about every indoor plant I’ve ever had, I don’t write about them. (Had you noticed?) If you’ve got branches of forsythia or quince or pussy willow outdoors, you might try bringing some indoors to enjoy early. Some fruit trees will want pruning now. Resist the temptation between now and April to dig in the garden, which may destroy your soil structure. Most pruning will also need to wait.

Keep birdfeeders full, and recycle your Christmas tree. Make garden seed choices and garden plant maps now, keeping in mind the rotation of plants for the health of both soil and plant. Some seeds may even be started indoors now. If you’d like copies of directions on creating soil pots out of newspaper, contact me at 541- 396-1427. This is the absolute best time to evaluate your garden noting bare spots and general ugliness that need tending.