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Newsletter Archives
December 2009
Wrapping It Up
November 2009
Prepare the Pantry
October 2009
Costumes & Decorations
September 2009
Enough
August 2009
Help for the Home Office
July 2009
Getting Crafty
June 2009
A Better Bedroom
May 2009
Eco Organizing
April 2009
Getting Ready to Garden
March 2009
The Path To Clutter
February 2009
Easing Into Downsizing
January 2009
Organizing For Renovation
December 2008
Organizing For Next Year
November 2008
More Of My Favorite Organizing Tools
October 2008
Making Life Easier
September 2008
Clearing The Closet
August 2008
How To Let Go Of Stuff
July 2008
Managing Medical Records
June 2008
Road Trip Organizing
May 2008
Collections Instead of Clutter
April 2008
Getting Ready for Tax Time
March 2008
Where to Begin
February 2008
When You Want to Help
January 2008
Top Ten Causes of Disorganization
December 2007
Organize for Air Travel
November 2007
Organize for Small Spaces
October 2007
When Life Happens, Reorganize
September 2007
Bathroom Organizing
August 2007
Paper Organizing
July 2007
Uncluttered Kids' Rooms
June 2007
Top Ten Organizing Tools
May 2007
Grapple The Garage
April 2007
Managing Your Time
March 2007
Spring Organizing
February 2007
Help for Caregivers of Aging Parents
January 2007
National Get Organized Month
December 2006
Year End Organizing
November 2006
Give Thanks for Being Organized
October 2006
Holiday Kitchen Organization
September 2006
In Case of a Weather Emergency - Organize!
August 2006
Back to School Organizing
July 2006
Declare your Independence from Summer Clutter
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ORGANIZING TIPS OF THE MONTH: APRIL 2009
Getting Ready to Garden
Hurray! The days are getting longer, the seed catalogs are in the mailbox, the daffodils are up. It is time to focus on organizing for gardening. Send me your questions or suggestions about a better way to garden.
- Take a Look: Before you even put a trowel to the ground, take a walk around your yard and see what areas need attention. Make careful notes about tasks and purchases you need to do.
- Reframe It: Be honest about your gardening desires and abilities. If your enthusiasm or abilities have changed, concentrate on the areas you see daily rather than planting 5 areas of annuals. Large planted pots have a big impact and are easy to maintain.
- Prioritize: You can’t bake a cake before you prepare the batter—you can’t plant a garden before you prepare the soil. Make a list of gardening priorities in sequential order.
- Prepare the Tools: You have heard it many times before, the proper tool makes work easier. Inventory your garden tools. Fill in with new ones to replace those that are broken or missing. Sharpen the blades of your pruning shears, spades, shovels, and trowels. Clean and oil the surfaces.
- Contain your Hand Tools: It is so much easier to garden when you can grab a container that holds your favorite tools. Get a bucket, canvas carrier, or trough to hold your trowel, pruning shears, scissors, weeder, gloves, plant stakes and ties.
- Hang your Handled Tools: A tangle of shovels, rakes, and brooms is a recipe for frustration. There are many systems available for you to hang your long handled tools. You can even drill a hole toward the end of each handle and hang the tools on heavy duty finishing nails hammered into wall studs. No wall space? There are free-standing racks for garden tools.
- Your Calendar is a Tool: Write your schedule of garden tasks on your calendar. No more forgetting about when to fertilize or plant.
- Remember Indoor Plants: Some indoor plants benefit by spending warm months outside. After the last frost, ease them outdoors starting in dappled shade until they become acclimated to the light.
- Get the Motors Ready: Take your power mower in for an oil change, tune up, and blade sharpening. Save yourself the frustration of trying to start a mower that has fouled spark plugs. Clean and check the condition of your other power garden equipment to make sure they are ready for the season.
- List the Winners and Losers: Prepare for next growing season by keeping a list of plants that thrived and those that became premature compost. Make a note of the placement of the plants in your garden. If you plant vegetables, especially tomatoes, note where they were planted so you can rotate crops next year. Always try to keep one step ahead of insects and diseases.
©All Sorted Out, 2009 All Rights Reserved
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