A new year!  Most gardeners feel a little refreshed by a couple months of garden "down" time.  This is a good time to prepare for the new gardening year! 

Make a checklist of everything you want to grow this year.  Either from transplants or seeds.   Seeds should be ordered as soon as possible to make sure you get your pick as later in the spring some seeds might be limited. The early bird gets the worm!  If starting your own transplants, make sure you have all your growing mediums, pots and fertilizers to get you off to a good start. 

Get your tools ready!  Clean, sharpen pruning tools and tune up power equipment.  If new garden tools are needed, purchase now before you are in a pinch for them.

Add soil amendments on nice days!  Getting sun is great for beating those winter blues!  Improve your soil for the best garden.  Compost is always a great choice.  It adds nutrients that were used up the previous year, adds tilth and overall health to the soil.

If you had problems with plants "not doing so great" last year, it might be a good idea to test your soils nutrient and pH level.  Simple, inexpensive at home test kits can help you with this chore.  They are simple, quick and easy to use.  Check with your local county extension office for more extensive soil testing.

Clip, Clean and Rake!  Last years beds may need a good clean up.  Remove any left dead debris and add to the compost as long as it was not a diseased plant last year.  Pests can overwinter in old plant matter and populate when temps begin to warm up.  Old debris can also harbor diseases which can cause havoc once summer comes.  An ounce of prevention...... 

Plan your Garden!  This is the best part.  Grab a piece of paper, a pencil and maybe some garden books to give you ideas and plan away.