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Create an "In Box,"
A better life January
January One of the most common office organizing issues I have discovered from working with corporate clients is the lack of a real "In Box." If you do not have a defined In Box, i.e.: a specific and contained location for receiving mail and documents, your colleagues and mail personnel are most likely using your chair or the top of your keyboard to deliver important papers to you when you are not there. So, when you return to your desk, you end up moving the papers to a random pile or corner just to sit down and work. Important information often gets lost in this very manner. The solution: Create a bona-fide In Box in your office or at your desk. Tell others about it, and ask them to use it instead of your chair or keyboard. Next, to really make this system work, you must go through the In Box every day and move the contents into the appropriate places on your desk, i.e., bins or piles labeled To Do, To File, To Pay, Pending, To Read, Recycling, or Trash. I recently assisted an elder client of mine by being with her at the moment her older sister passed away. Even though my work as an estate organizer has presented me with many opportunities to observe the grieving process in my clients in the past, I had never been this close to the experience. Witnessing the death of my client's beloved sister threw me into my own grieving process, something I had not expected. I know loss comes in many forms and grief comes right along with it. Sometimes we pass through it quickly, within minutes, sometimes it takes days or years, depending on the vastness of the loss. Common wisdom on the grieving process identifies three distinct, yet overlapping stages of grief: 1) shock / denial / numbness, 2) fear / anger / depression, and 3) understanding / acceptance / moving on. Each stage of this process is natural, necessary, and part of healing. I found through my experience that it is best not to rush the process and to stay aware of all the stages whether you are experiencing them yourself or trying to support someone else through their grief. For more information on loss and grief, I highly recommend the book How to Survive the Loss of a Love, by Melba Colgrove, Harold Bloomfield, & Peter McWilliams. We all have loose change, in a jar, in a box on the dresser, behind the couch pillows, all over the floor. Remember how fun it was to sit for hours as a kid and roll coins? Have you tried it recently? I don't find it particularly enjoyable anymore, and I can't even pay my nephews to do it for me. So when I found out about Coinstar, I was in heaven. Coinstar machines are located throughout the world (usually in grocery stores). They're really easy to use, you just pour the coins into the machine - you don't even have to sort them first! - and the machine prints out a voucher that you to take to the register to exchange for cash. The machine will deduct a small percentage of your total for the service fee. That's it! To find a Coinstar location near you, visit www.coinstar.com or call (800)-928-CASH. We all know that efficiency is key to working smarter, and that disorganization is the time stealer. Becoming more efficient means setting priorities, delegating tasks, and managing your time. Here are a few simple, straightforward, and creative methods you can use to increase your work IQ. Make a Smart To-Do List daily. Each day, take a few minutes to write down everything you would like to accomplish. Now, to make this list smarter, read over your notes and categorize the tasks into three sections: "must do," "want to do," and "would like to do if I have enough time." Focus on the "must do list" first, and stay with these tasks only, until all of them have been addressed or completed. Then pick items from the "want to do" and/or "would like to do" lists, using whatever extra time you have remaining. Delegate tasks to save you time. If you find there is a task that you are consistently not able to get to, or that a certain time-consuming task could easily be done by someone else, then you might be ready to delegate it. Housecleaners, accountants, assistants to stuff envelopes or maintain your database, or the wash and fold service at your local laundry mat are just a few examples of the kinds of help you might want to employ. If you add up how much time you are spending on these types of tasks, and if you could be increasing your income - or increasing your energy for life - by using those hours in other ways, it may be time for you to spend money on hiring these people. You can also consider bartering. For example, I have provided organizing and small business coaching for a housecleaning company in exchange for their services. Use one calendar: I mean, really use a calendar, and just one. We all have the same 24 hours each day, so how is it that some people get more done than others? Well, some people may just have more energy, but most are also managing their time well. Here are a few Smart Time Management techniques: Write down your commitments in one (and only one) calendar so you can easily see what time slots you may have available for scheduling other activities. Also, plan your daily trips to include errands on the way to or from appointments. Be realistic about how long it takes you to get something done, and when in doubt, give yourself a little extra time.
Okay, so your home or office is not a total disaster, or maybe it is. A good way to begin organizing without getting overwhelmed is to start from a positive perspective. As you survey a designated area, identify at least one or two aspects that are working well for you. Really study them. Ask yourself: What about these areas works for me? Take mental notes, or actually write down a description of how these areas work. This will be your blueprint for creating your personal organizing style in other areas. If you replicate tactics that have already worked well for you in the past, you are likely to "take" to the new systems you are setting up. Next, make an inventory of the areas that aren't working; your trouble spots, or hazardous zones. Are there ideas from the areas that are working that you can implement here? Once you start getting organized, it's important to stick with it; don't give up until the whole area is clear and functioning well. As long as there are still lingering regions of disorganization, they will continue to effect or infect your newly organized areas. Let each stage of success energize you. Stay focused and have a plan to fix all the troublesome areas on your list. Importance of running your family like a small business One thing I have discovered in working with my residential clients is that, at home, most people do not have a system, a set of tools, a routine, or supplies to handle the paperwork that comes with living: i.e., insurance papers, health records, mortgages, bills, school records, or financial papers. Every home needs a desk (even if it's a corner of the kitchen table) where you keep all the supplies that your desk at work might have, such as a stapler, tape, scissors, paper, stationery, stamps, rulers, good lighting, and a flat, clean surface to work on. You also need your filing cabinet, box, drawer, basket, or whatever you choose to use to manage these papers when you are not working on them, nearby. If you keep all these things in close proximity to each other, you'll be more comfortable working there, and that comfort will enable you to more easily pay bills on time and more quickly locate important papers when you need them. Your family is a small business, and if you give "the business" the dedicated space it needs to function well, it will be successful. No time to organize your office? Does it seem like you have no time to organize? Did you know that every minute you spend organizing saves you up to six minutes of work time? Sounds like a good return on investment to me! What if you spent 10 minutes a day, sorting, tossing, putting away things, planning and previewing the day's work? You could save up to 60 minutes! Now you may be thinking: "Great, but when am I going to spend 10 minutes doing this?" If you find it difficult to get any quiet time, try arriving at the office just a few minutes earlier to peacefully plan or organize for your day. Every closet in your home should be assigned a specific, unique function. First, go through your home/office/apartment and give each closet its "job." Then, one closet at a time, go through and remove any items not related to its newly-assigned function. As you clean, create three boxes for the outgoing clutter: donation, throw away, and sell. One tactic I suggest is to remove everything in the closet first, and sort items as you are putting them back. (Make sure you give yourself enough time to complete the task. It takes at least 2-4 hours for a coat closet, if fully-packed, and 4-8 hours for a fully-packed bedroom closet.) But before putting everything away, stop and ask yourself: Does the closet need painting? Airing out? Vacuuming? Do you want to install another shelf? Repair the rod? How about adding a double clothes hanger and increasing your short hanging space? Or robe or hat hooks on the internal walls or door? Do you need a shoe rack? Is there enough lighting? Once you have matched the contents to their assigned closets, you are one step closer to making items easier to locate when you need them. Next, put your most frequently used items near the front of the closet - this is your Ergonomic Storage. Store items that are rarely used in the backs of closets or in areas that are harder to reach - this is your Seasonal Storage. Also remember to group "like items" together within the closet, such as sports equipment, cleaning products, or hats and gloves. Have you stopped buying clothes because there is no space left in the closet, or are you thinking of moving to a new home, just so you can have a bigger closet and finally buy some new clothes? Before you resign yourself to a lifetime of out-of-date fashions, or before you put your house on the market, try these suggestions for clearing out the clutter and creating more closet space. Every couple of years or so, you should go through all of the clothing items in your closet and dressers and evaluate them. To do this, first, remove all of the clothing from your closet and place it on your bed. Pick up each piece and decide whether to keep it or not: Ask yourself, is it still in style? - if you don't know, ask someone else. Does it fit? Is it worn out? Have I worn it in the last two years? Create a pile of those items that no longer serve you and donate them to charity. (Note: you should itemize the list if you plan to take the donation as a deduction on your taxes.) Next, sort the remaining items into categories: everyday wear and evening wear, and arrange them according to type, i.e., shirts, pants, blouses, skirts, dresses, jackets, and suits. If you have a double hanging-rod system in your closet, you can hang shirts and blouses on the top rod, and pants folded over trouser-type hangers on the lower rod. If you have a traditional one-bar closet, put your most often used items near the door opening and your least frequently used items in the harder-to-reach areas. Next organize your dresser drawers. Again, begin by removing all items and separating out those which no longer work for you. Then, go through the keepers and sort all like items together. Now place them in the drawers in order of how often you use the items. For example, underwear, stockings and socks should be located in the easiest-to-use drawers, followed next by PJs, foldable shirts, exercise wear, sweaters, etc. Other items like jewelry, ties, belts, and hats can be organized on racks on backs of doors or side walls of closets. The bottom of your closet is a great place to put shoe organizers. Remember to put infrequently used items in the backs of closets or shelves and leave the front of the closet for the items you use on a daily or weekly basis. Garage organizing is one of my most favorite types of organizing! Depending on the design of your home, your garage can be one of the largest storage areas you have. Are you using it efficiently? An orderly garage can help keep the inside of your home better organized. To organize your garage, start by sorting items according to activities. You might use categories like gardening, home repair, automotive, barbecuing equipment, or sports. Next, assess which areas of the garage are the most convenient to access and assign to these areas the stuff for activities you practice the most. Don't overlook your ceiling and walls for storage. You can hang bikes, lawn mowers, tools, or other sporting equipment, saving valuable floor space. Build shelves along the walls to store smaller items, and use old dressers or cabinets for storing other equipment or supplies. If you have exposed studs, you can nail two-by-fours across them, and install nails or hooks to hang gardening tools, drilling holes in wooden handles and attaching short leather strings if needed. Organizing supplies to have on hand When you begin an organizing session, whether you are working alone or with the assistance of a professional organizer, prepare for success by having supplies on hand before you start. Depending on the project, this could includes trash bags, recycling bags, sorting and storage boxes, manila and hanging file folders, labels, and marking pens. The Alameda County Waste Management Authority distributes a great recycling guide listing locations where you can drop off everything from aerosol cans to yard trimmings. The comprehensive list includes addresses and phone numbers of recycling vendors. Visit the ACWMA web site www.stopwaste.org to request the guide or (if you don't live in Alameda County) to view the list of phone numbers for surrounding counties. Look under "How and Where To Recycle in Alameda County" in the navigation bar. Every year, over 200 million inkjet cartridges find their way into landfills. By recycling your cartridges, you can help to protect and preserve our fragile environment. According to www.webuyempties.com, 38,000 tons of cartridges will be recycled this year alone. You can help. To send in your used cartridges, visit www.webuyempties.com, fill out their recycling form, and mail it with your empties to: We Buy Empties, 810 S. Commerce St., Las Vegas, NV 89106, or call (888) 527-3724 for more information. They will refill and resell the cartridges at a substantially lower price than the original manufacturer's price. And not only that, they will pay you anywhere from $.50 to $2 for each of your cartridges, and reimburse you $5 for shipping on 10 or more. Visit the Resource Center for the "5 Areas of Storage" - www.theorganizedone.com/resources.htm Recycle or donate old computers In your household or office, do you have a "computer bone yard?" You know, that pile of obsolete equipment: the old keyboard that doesn't really work anymore, or the monitor that went on the fritz last year and you still haven't gotten rid of it because you don't want to add to the local land fill? If you want to create more space, and let go of broken and nonworking items responsibly, you can recycle your old computer and its parts. Here are a few local organizations to contact: Oakland/Alameda County Computer Resource Center (510) 434-1325, Pleasant Hill/Computer Renaissance (925) 827-1200, San Rafael/Renew Computers (415) 457-8801, and San Jose/RAFT Resource Area for Teachers (408) 451-1420. "The less you need, the freer you become." - E.F. Schumacher We all yearn for a better life, but often the trappings of success are exactly that -- trappings. Before we know it, we are caught in an endless cycle of activity, acquisition, and maintenance that requires more time and money than we realize. The things we WANT to do get pushed aside to make room for the things we HAVE to do in order to keep up our hectic lifestyle. If we choose to simplify our lives, we gain the opportunity to reconsider where we are going and what we are doing. The more extraneous material goods we are able to live without, the more time and money we will have to pursue the hopes and dreams that matter most. -- Excerpted from "Simplicity," by Cedco publishing. An attitude of gratitude, time to give thanksWhat is essential to your happiness? Can you differentiate between what you truly need and what you want? Most of us buzz through life on overdrive, so consumed by all the "doing" that we forget about simply "being." By simplifying our lives we allow the time and the space to listen to what is in our hearts. By eliminating what we think we want and focusing instead on what we need, we develop the ability to live with less - less clutter, less debt, less stress, less sensory overload. When we approach life with an overflowing heart, we find that we need fewer material goods to fill up the empty space inside ourselves. So how do we flood our hearts with joy? Try this: practice an attitude of gratitude. Instead of focusing on what you don't have, take time to appreciate what you do have. Learn to sit quietly and reflect on your many blessings: good health, caring friends and family, a warm bed. We take these comforts for granted without realizing that everything we treasure can disappear tomorrow. Stop now and appreciate what you already have. You'll be glad you did. -- excerpted from Cedco's "Voluntary Simplicity" calendar. Authenticity"All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience." - Goethe Living an authentic life means sorting through what we have come to accept as truth simply because it is familiar, and finding instead the light that guides each of our lives. Living an authentic life means enriching our experience by letting the truth of what we really love sustain and nurture us every day. Living closer to our truth allows us to appreciate the beauty in everyday living: a leaf dancing in a gentle summer breeze; the light of a full moon shimmering on the water; the laughter of a child at play. What would it take to live closer to your truth? The simplicity of the answer may surprise you. --excerpted from Cedco's "Voluntary Simplicity" calendar. Being present"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each." - Henry David Thoreau Being present is deceptively simple. It means slowing down enough to enjoy what is happening in the moment, instead of worry about some future event. Being present means empathizing with people around you instead of always running your own agenda. It also means knowing how it feels to be you at any given moment. Most of us are so busy rushing from here to there and back again that we forget to savor the moment that is happening right now. Look out your window, notice where you are and how it feels to be here right now. Take the time to cultivate presence in your own life and grow to enjoy the simple wonder in every moment. --excerpted from Cedco's "Voluntary Simplicity" calendar. Voluntary simplicityRichard Gregg coined the term "voluntary simplicity" in 1936. He wrote: "Voluntary simplicity involves both inner and outer conditions. It means singleness of purpose, sincerity, and honesty within, as well as avoidance of exterior clutter, of many possessions irrelevant to the chief purpose of life. It means an ordering and guiding of our energy and our desires, a partial restraint in some directions in order to secure greater abundance of life in other directions. It involves a deliberate organization of life for a purpose." "Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day." - Anonymous Few among us will be called upon to serve the world with the same unwavering dedication as Mother Theresa, but that doesn't mean that our contribution, no matter how plain, has no value. We are of service in many small ways: offering a word of encouragement to a discouraged child, disposing of a piece of litter from the sidewalk, smiling at a neighbor. By offering one simple gesture every day, we can each help to make the world a better place. How much does "having it all" really cost? Do you spend the majority of your life acquiring and maintaining stuff? What would it really mean to simplify your life? You don't have to move out to a cabin in the woods, trade your car for a horse and buggy, or give up electricity and read by candlelight. To simplify your life means to learn what is essential to your happiness. We are surrounded by mass consumerism, a culture that produces anxiety, depression, discontentment, and which results in a world with quickly depleting resources. We can be satisfied with less. It takes a conscious effort, but the payoff is in creating more time and space for the things that really matter to us. "I long to accomplish a great and noble task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as thought they were great and noble." - Helen Keller Most great and noble tasks are entrusted to a few select individuals but that does not mean that the rest of us cannot add enormously to the greater good of the world. Integrity means adherence to a principle of morality that guides our thoughts and actions; to honor one's values and to live honestly. Every day we have the opportunity to accomplish small but meaningful tasks as though they were great and noble by meeting these tasks with a spirit of integrity. - Excerpted from "Simplicity," by Cedco publishing. "To have more, desire less." - Anonymous Here's a great exercise - Go through your entire home and create a pile of everything you don't absolutely need or love. How big is your pile? How many "life hours" did you exchange for the money to buy these things and take care of them? Are you shocked? Is it time to let go of some of these things? Donating or giving them away can be a liberating experience. By letting go of the clutter, you make space for the things you love, setting them apart and creating room to appreciate them. This is the secret of simple abundance.
Your home may be your biggest investment and paying attention to the small details will help you to maintain its value and give you peace of mind. January is the rainy season and a good time to winterize (if you haven't done so already!). This means checking and clearing rain gutters and downspouts of leaf clutter and debris. While you're up there, check for leaks and adjust or caulk as needed. Is the weather stripping around all your doors and windows secure? Look for tiny openings that may allow cold air inside and adjust and replace as necessary for an airtight seal. Check the exterior trim on your windows too: if the caulking bead has pulled away from your windows, reapply it today. Not only will you be warmer and drier inside, but you'll be prolonging the life of your heater and the exterior life of your house, too! February House Maintenance Tips As Winter wraps up, it's time to prune back those shrub and tree branches that have been rubbing against the house during the windy weather. February is a good time to inspect the crawl spaces through the outside house vents to make sure that you do not have any standing water near your foundations. If you are ambitious enough to crawl under the house or into your attic (depending on where your heater is), it's also a good time to inspect your heating ducts and insulation to make sure that they have not been dislodged. Spring is coming, and since the house has been closed up for a number of months, and the heater has been running, you might be noticing the results: an accumulation of lots of dust and particles. You can especially see this on your bathroom fans. Now is a good time to clean them. Lint and moisture bond to the blades causing a glue-like barrier that prevents the flow of air, an issue that becomes more critical as the weather gets warmer. While you're at it, also clean your kitchen hood and filters to prevent fire danger. Some filters can be placed in the dishwasher to make the job easier; however, as always, consult your owner's manual for directions in proper cleaning. Good house maintenance keeps expenses down on home repairs and costly emergencies. Sometimes we have no control over or warning of impending repairs but we can always try to stay one step ahead of them by doing routine checks. If you have not looked at the rubber hoses on your washing machine in the last three months, it would not hurt to do a quick visual check. While you're at it, make a note on your calendar to do this again in three months. Another idea: to avoid getting stuck empty-handed in the case of a sudden roof leak, make sure to keep a supply of plastic roof patch. An emergency could happen in the middle of the night or on a holiday when the stores are not open. Do you keep paint records? If you have not been doing so already, it's a good idea to start. Paint records will help you keep track of what to buy, or which can to use in which room, if you should need to touch-up. These records, in addition to any left-over paint you may have, will also be a great boon to future tenants or owners, if you should ever decide to move. What exactly should you be recording? Keep a list of the paint colors used in each room, including on doors and trims. List the brand name, product number, color name, and if it is a particularly unusual brand, where purchased. Don't forget to include whether the paint is flat, satin finish, or high gloss. Sometimes writing the information on the can will suffice, but a back-up record is a good idea, especially if the can is kept anywhere where it is exposed to moisture - later on you may discover that your notes have faded or rusted away. If you have any leftover paints that you no longer need (for example, after you have redecorated), or any empty paint cans, be sure to recycle them with your city. Contact your local waste management board or recycling center for details. Another May maintenance item: You probably have not built a fire in a while, so now is the time to inspect the fireplace and/or wood stove flues and chimney caps. While you are up on the roof, look for loose shingles, cracked tiles, or bubbling in tar and gravel roofs. If you keep good records of your roof history, you will know its life expectancy, and when to call a professional to inspect it. We're coming up on summer, and in most places that means the heater and fireplace have been retired for the time being! If you used your fireplace on a regular basis this year, now is the time to vacuum out the ashes and clean the hearth. If you have not had your chimney inspected and cleaned by a professional in the last five years, I would suggest you do that now too. Creosote and other by-products can build up on the inside of chimneys and flues creating an extreme fire hazard. Also, when was the last time you rolled the refrigerator out and -- if you have an older model -- vacuumed the coils? A build-up of dust causes the motor to run continuously. If you have a newer model, why not roll it out anyway and clear the cobwebs from behind and underneath it? In the summertime it is so much more tempting to pack the car up and head for the lake, or make a nice tall glass of iced tea and sit in a lounge chair under the oak tree admiring your freshly-mown lawn, than to do home maintenance projects! So this month I am suggesting only a few quick tasks: Twice a year you should check your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and change the batteries, so if you haven't recently done this, do it now. If you have not inspected the foundations of your home in the last year or so, by now it should be dry enough under the house to for a good going-over. Note any irregularities so you can recheck them on your next inspection. Are you running the air conditioner these days? If so change or vacuum the filter once a month or more depending on use, especially during the hot weather; you'll prolong its life and help it run more efficiently. Then just kick your feet up and have an iced tea for me! I know you would rather be vacationing than working on the house, but here are two quick projects to keep you on track for maintaining the house. First, inspect all the vents in the foundation area of your home, and keep them clear and open. Patch any holes in the mesh so critters can't get under the house and make it their home. Next, look in the bathroom for openings in caulking seams in showers, and around bathtubs and sinks. To fix any holes, first remove all old caulking that is near the opening and then apply new silicone caulking. With a little practice you can become quite adept in this process. A trick I learned from a professional tile setter: Use a wet finger to smooth the caulking. Keeping up on your caulking helps prevent water damage and dry rot behind the walls. September House Maintenance Tips Fall is in the air and now is the time to clean and inspect your furnace. If the manual gives instructions that are easy to follow, you can do this yourself; otherwise, arrange for a heating professional to do the job. Don't forget to replace or clean the furnace filter before winter and regularly during the cold season, you'll save wear and tear on your heater and you will spend less energy heating your home. October House Maintenance Tips As we make our way through fall and start nesting for the winter, now is a good time to take stock of the exterior of our homes. To ward off termites and other wood-eating insects, make sure that soil around the outside of your house is kept to at least six inches below the top of the foundation, and cleared of any wood. Termites like to burrow their way in through the soil, and they can create major damage in a short time. Cut back all vegetation from the house and windows. This makes house painting easier, inhibits mildew, and allows for clear windows in the event of a catastrophe or fire. November House Maintenance Tips With all the rain we've been having it's a good idea to regularly inspect downspouts around your home, and make sure they direct water away from the foundation. Also make sure the ground slopes away from the house, so as not to undermine your foundation. Place a splash block or gravel below each spout, or fit the spout with an extension pipe. Make sure that all storage areas in basements and garages have adequate ventilation and are elevated above the floor to prevent damage in case of flooding. December House Maintenance Tips I'm sure house maintenance is the last thing on your list this month, hiding somewhere behind gift shopping, cookie baking, holiday parties, and reflection. So here's two easy closet tips for year's end: Since this time of the year tends to be more moist than others, try leaving your closet door open occasionally, especially if the closet is located on an exterior wall or has damp coats stored in it. This should help reduce the chances of mildew. Also, replace incandescent bulbs with fluorescent, lowering your chances of fire from overheated bulbs in overcrowded closets. Gardening is one of my favorite hobbies, so each month I'll provide you with some of my favorite tips. January is known for its cold, damp weather, so tender plants need our attention to protect them from frost. Keep an ear on the weather reports and place sheets or towels over vulnerable bushes and trees when frost is predicted. This is the season to find good prices for bare root fruit, flowering and shade trees, grape and berry vines, strawberries, and roses. It's also time to set out transplants of pansies (I love these!), broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and lettuce (for a veggie harvest in April), and sow your sweet pea seeds. And don't forget to prune your fruit trees, berries, grapes, and roses. With cold afternoon winds, frosty nights, and rain, most of us gardeners are just biding time till the spring. There are still a few things to do this season to prepare your garden, like picking up camellia blossoms to control petal blight and pruning your fuchsias, hibiscus, lantana, and other winter-tender plants. And if you just can't wait for spring color, start early by putting in the hardiest annuals and perennials - pansies, snapdragons gladioluses, callas, and tuberous begonias. For you vegetable and fruit growers, get started planting artichokes, strawberries, onion, or garlic. I can't wait for Spring! I'm counting the days until Spring! But even after the equinox, I know that some cold days and chilly nights are still ahead. In preparation for Spring gardening, now is the time to buy azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias that are in bloom. You can also start your summer vegetable and flower seeds indoors to transplant outside when the soil warms. Get a head start on Spring color by planting annuals such as begonias, dwarf marigolds, and primroses. Don't overlook Summer-blooming callas, dahlias, and cannas. For those brave few, sow wildflowers. If vegetables are your thing, this is your last chance for cool-season peas, lettuce, and spinach from seed, and broccoli and cauliflower from four-inch pots. If you have always wanted an herb garden, plant it now. And set out your early tomatoes in a sunny spot. To guarantee an abundant crop, don't forget to nourish everything with a balanced fertilizer to encourage growth. Also, pull new weeds and dig a two- to three-inch layer of organic compost or redwood soil conditioner to improve your soil. I think my fuchsias would enjoy a good pruning this month too! Spring is officially here and with temperatures now reaching in the 70s, the soil has warmed, so it's time to plant your Spring/Summer garden. For a flowering Spring garden, plant annuals and perennials from transplants. Some of my favorites to start from seed are cosmos, nasturtiums, sunflowers, and hollyhocks. Unfortunately in my neighborhood, the squirrels love the sunflowers too, and since I was tired of having headless sunflower plants, I had to give up on them, but I still thoroughly enjoy them in other people's gardens! Looking to plant something different this year? Try tuberous begonias, dahlias, gladiolas, callas, and cannas. If you have a pond or water garden, plant water lilies. For vegetable gardeners, it's time to plant summer vegetables and herbs; but hold off on sun-loving cucumbers and peppers until later in the month. It's also time to feed your roses heavily for long blooming season. Don't forget to rotate snail and slug controls - bait, granules, liquid - to outsmart the pests, or if you're going organic, handpick relentlessly. There is a lot of activity going on in the garden these days. I have to remember that some of my plants are new and need a deep soak, not just a sprinkle. Now's the time you'll find the best buys on the sun-loving vegetables such as tomatoes (my favorite), eggplants, and peppers. It's also time to plant the hot-weather flowering annuals: marigolds and petunias. You'll need to pinch azaleas, fuchsias, and marguerites to encourage bushier plants. Now is a fine time to plant perennials and herbs too. Don't dismay if you haven't gotten your vegetable garden in yet, there is still time. For successive harvests of beets, beans, corn, and radishes, reseed every three weeks. Plant Halloween pumpkins and gourds now for a late fall harvest. If your Spring-blooming shrubs and vines have flowered, don't forget to cut them back. And for a healthier garden, build water basins around trees, shrubs, and roses, and use mulch to hold in moisture. Hello, summer! My garden has exploded into a profusion of color! I am in California in "Zone 16" (per the Sunset Garden Book) so my plants hardly ever see frost during winter, and receive lots of heat in summer. My 60-foot Coast Live Oak creates a great environment for shade-loving plants, especially coleus, begonias, and ferns. Oaks are subject to root rot, so only plant low-water, shade loving plants go in this area - I keep my impatiens in another area of the garden that can take more water. June is the month to plant cosmos, marigolds, petunias, verbena, delphiniums, and zinnias in your beds. To get a head start for late-summer color, plant dahlias, and cannas. It is still not too late to plant seeds of corn, squash, and melons, and transplants of eggplants, peppers and tomatoes - but you must have at least five hours of full sun for these plants that thrive in hot weather. With your first crop of spring veggies done, now is the time to sow more beans, beets, green onions, and radishes. This is a good month for starting an herb garden too. Also, thin or stake fruit on trees and vines so as not to break branches with the heavy harvest. And remember, while you're out there working, wear sunscreen! The vegetable harvest time has begun! With the hot weather, mulching, and my faithful watering, these days I get to have at least one fresh vegetable at each dinner! If you are into seed-starting, now is the time to plant your cool season vegetables, such as beans, beets, and corn, indoors. A note to you last-minute gardeners: July is your last chance to transplant tomatoes, peppers, and squash from four-inch pots. For my flower garden, I just planted four-inch pots of marigolds, anticipating a late-summer bloom. Other annuals such as zinnias and dahlias have an end-of-the-summer chance too. Later this month I will dig up and divide my oriental poppies and bearded irises. Remember to keep on top of weeds, as they steal important nutrients and moisture from your much more valued plants. Similarly stay vigilant of snails, slugs, sow bugs, and earwigs, especially around new seedlings. July is also a good time to invest in a new garden hose as many stores have them on sale. It's summer at last, a pleasurable experience for most of us, but the hot weather with its afternoon wind will suck the moisture from your precious plants. To combat this, use water basins around trees and shrubs. Deep soak the trees once a month and shrubs every two weeks. For the smaller, more tender plants, install a drip irrigation system or use a soaker hose with a timer. If you are itching to be out digging in the garden in this heat, plant fast-growing flowers from four-inch pots, including asters, celosia, impatiens, marigolds, and zinnias to see you into fall. You can also squeeze out a quick harvest of beans, radishes, lettuces, and peas. To get that last boost of growth on your tomatoes, fertilize them. Take out spent vegetables and improve the soil for the fall-winter planting by digging in compost. This is the hardest time of the year for your lawn, so keep watering and mowing. Deeply irrigate and fertilize established trees. And for the last bloom of color you can give your final feeding to camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons, and fuchsias. Use a hose or a heavy stream of water to wash aphids and red spider mites off roses and other plants. And oh, don't forget to sit down and enjoy your garden at least one day each week! I'm enjoying my last-of-summer harvest, those juicy vine ripened tomatoes, my neighbor's squashes and lemon cucumbers. Just this weekend, I started to plan my fall-winter crops. Right now, in stores, spring-flowering bulbs are usually good buys. Even though some days may be cooler, don't let up on watering. It's time to plant snapdragons, coneflower, sweet peas, calendula, primroses, pansies, and Iceland poppies which can be easily obtained in six-packs or on the seed racks. I'll be trimming my bearded iris foliage to six-inch fans for another healthy bloom in the spring. Deadhead your roses and feed them for their last bloom cycle. Some ideas for your fall crops are: broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, beets, spinach, lettuce, peas and chard, as well as onions and garlic. This is the perfect time to plant new trees, shrubs, ground covers, lawns, perennials, and vines. The cooler weather and the upcoming rains of winter and spring will give these plants plenty of time and good conditions to settle deep roots. For early morning exercise and stretching, get outside and clean up garden debris. Fertilize the lawn after the middle of the month and divide and replant perennials. Have you been looking at a dead lawn all summer, dreaming up plans for a new yard and garden? Well, now's your chance. Fall is the best time of year to start major landscaping projects, so new lawns, tree and shrub roots can be firmly established by spring. Fall is also a good time to put in your hardscapes (patios, walkways, water features), build fences, or finally install that irrigation system you've been dreaming about for years. Don't forget to harvest the last of your summer crop and pull up and compost plants. For early winter color, plant snapdragons, coneflower, sweet peas, calendula, primroses, pansies, and Iceland poppies; these all enjoy the cool growing season. Now is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs and sweet peas too. For you vegetable lovers, sow or transplant cool-season crops (lettuces, radishes, beets etc.), along with artichokes, established herbs, garlic, parsley, and onions. Don't forget to protect your jade and cactus plants by moving them indoors or under shelter as soon as the rains start. Expect frosty nights once the winter's chill sets in, with wind, rain and some snow in the mountains. Now's the time to get good deals at clearance sales on fall garden stock. The late winter blooming plants you planted last month: calendulas, Iceland poppies, fairy primroses, pansies, snapdragons, and violas, along with winter sweet peas, will see you into spring. Did not get around to planting all the bulbs you bought? This is your last chance to plant tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils for a spring showing. When all the chrysanthemum have finished their blooms, cut stems to three inches from the soil. Four-inch pots of cold-season vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli can be planted anytime during the winter, but you'll get the best results in early spring if you plant them this month. While you're out there chopping wood for the fireplace don't forget to rake the leaves for your compost pile. We've hit the freezing point more than once already this season, so if you have been lucky enough to not loose your tropical plants due to frost, you still can protect them by draping a sheet over them when frost is expected. If you missed giving your plot a good turning over, you'll have to wait until we've had a week or so of dry weather. Don't dig the soil when it's waterlogged.
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Copyright Meg Connell Estate, Corporate & Residential Organizing.
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