Making lists

I have to admit to being an obsessive lists person. When my mind is all jumbled up and I need to feel organised, I like to sit down with a notebook and pen and make a list. Whether it's making a shopping list , working out how I'm going to do a job, or making plans, it always helps to calm me down.

I make lists for everything, shopping,  jobs to do, holidays, Christmas.  And Christmas has sub lists, like cleaning jobs, things to make, things to bake, things to buy, who to send cards to.  I also do gardening lists.  That's another one with sub lists. There are allotment jobs lists, garden jobs lists, things I need to buy. I even made a list recently of jobs for my husband to do. He didn't mind and he's already done some of them.

When I'm reading garden blogs and magazines, I love the bits which say 'jobs to do this month'. I do find them helpful, especially when they appear the same as my list. Then I can see that I'm doing all the right things. But  sometimes I get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of work which needs doing. That's especially so at this time of year as the growing season gets underway.

This week I've been working on the flower borders, tidying up the dead foliage and fallen leaves, weeding and mulching with compost.  I thought I was doing really well until I remembered there were still all the other borders yet to sort and then there's the front garden too. *Sigh*. And as I worked I could see other jobs which would need doing like perennial clumps which need digging up and dividing, roses which need pruning,  the vegetable plot and seeds which I needed to get on with sowing. 

You never really get to the end of a gardening list. The list grows and grows. As you cross jobs off there are others added to it.  Ah well, I'll plod on, but first I'll update my garden jobs list.

Do you make lists?

My gardening jobs for February

 

I've been making lists, that's a thing I do a lot. This list is about my gardening jobs for February. As I haven't been able to do much in the garden yet, at least I can plan what I will do when the weather gets warmer.

At the allotment:

• sort out my seeds from last year, see what's still ok to use, plan what we're growing this year and order more seeds
•  buy  onion and garlic sets and get them planted
• prune the autumn fruiting raspberries
• harvest the leeks and brussels sprouts
• dig over any remaining bits of ground

In the garden:

• clear the borders of dead plant material and leaves
• mulch with whatever I can lay my hands on
• prune the apple tree--it's got some odd shaped branches 
• cut back the grasses

Indoors:

• sow seeds of lettuce, beetroot, broad beans and anything else I can sow this month, maybe leeks, cabbage,  sweet peas

As we're now nearly half way through the month that's probably enough to keep me busy for the time being.