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Look! A bluebird and a woodpecker at my bird feeders.

I am a non-linear thinker. I am a gestalt learner. I am frequently an agent of chaos. How do I get any meaningful work done? I make a plan. I suppose I could call it “setting goals” or “making a resolution”, but I do not like the pass/fail connotations of these labels. To me, a “goal” puts me on a path I can not leave to reach an end that must meet specific criteria for success. A “plan” is a big map I can wander around and explore. I can change, rearrange, re-prioritize and reorganize a plan as much as I need to. The most important part of a plan is documentation. Here are my garden plans for 2026, in no particular order and subject to change.

  1. Finish rebuilding my raised beds. I rebuilt the four which were in the worst shape back in ’24. The other four are now in need of work. Exactly how this will be achieved is still to be determined. I rebuilt the first four from some composite decking Mr. Food It Yourself and I got from neighbors who were taking down a pool deck. It was free, which is the best price. We do not have enough of that decking to rebuild the remaining four beds. I have an eye on our local Freecycle group for more decking. I am also looking out for inexpensive raised bed kits, which often become available in mid-to-late winter in our area.

Once you eat a home-grown strawberry you will never want a store-bought one again.

2. Move the lemon thyme. My supervisor gave me a division of her lemon thyme a few years ago. I planted it in one of my front yard beds. This thyme has now spread quite a bit and is encroaching on my front yard strawberries. I am going to move it to help with the next two parts of the plan.

2.a. Get the front yard strawberry bed in shape. The soil is depleted. The strawberries are doing poorly. There is poison ivy growing in the beds. I pulled most of the strawberry plants last summer. With the lemon thyme out of the way I will be able to remove the poison ivy, add plenty of compost to the soil, and have excellent beds for new strawberry plants in 2027. I may also investigate how to better prevent chipmunks from stealing my strawberries.

2.ii. Continue to pursue alternative ground cover around my fruit trees. I have been on a long-term plan to reduce how much grass is on my property. A few years ago I started to replace the grass around my fruit trees with creeping thyme and Corsican mint. The thyme took, the mint did not. I will use the transplanted lemon thyme to further my efforts.

C. Try to grow kabocha squash. This winter squash from Japan is delicious and when it comes to winter squash I would rather eat kabocha than butternut. Therefore, I shall attempt to grow my own. Thank you for listening to my TED talk.

How much of this plan will I complete in 2026? I have no idea. However, even if none of it is completed I will not feel like a failure. Looking at the snow-covered, frozen ground it is easy to decide on actions I can not take for months. Perhaps other aspects of my multi-faceted life will take me away from working to complete this plan. That is just fine. Priorities shift frequently. Some days the best you can do is make it through the day. I like to have the map in front of me, however, so no matter where 2026 takes me I can keep the big picture in my sight.

What are you planning for 2026? Share in the comments!