Garden Keeping Journal - February Edition
Tips, Inspiration & Checklists for Zone-7 (and neighboring) gardeners
Not gardening in Zone-7?
No worries - you can easily adjust your email preferences anytime to skip the monthly Garden Keeping Journal and still receive all the other stories, reflections, and design inspiration from The Whiskey Porch.
Hello there, dear garden-keepers!
A quick housekeeping note before we dive in: while most of my letters arrive on Friday mornings, I’m moving these Garden Keeping Journals to the first Saturday of the month - it just feels better aligned with when many of us actually get outside.
Last year, about this time, I was chatting with a local friend who was sharing how she "could not wait" to get going with her annuals in her garden now that it was starting to warm up a bit.
I know the feeling! That's why winter here is typically so pleasant... even though we get those snow storms and cold, grey days we are blessed with these breaks where the sun shines and the air warms just close enough to sweater weather that you feel like spring is on its way.
This year, of course, has been a big exception to that typical weather pattern, so far anyway. It's been gorgeous, don't get me wrong. But it's time for some more winter.
It's only the first week of February. We will still have winter lows and weeks here and there of full-on winter weather for several more months. Because of our high elevation at 6,000+ feet, our last frost date is typically right around Mother's Day, that’s May 10th or so. (This surprises a lot of new high-elevation gardeners.)
It was hard to break it to my friend who was so excited, and had just moved here from Minnesota.
The consolation is that there is a ton of fun pre-season stuff to work on right now to get everything ready for the season.
During this "dormant" season, don't be fooled into thinking that there's nothing going on in the garden over the winter! In fact, while the pace slows down significantly, this is often the best time to build the basis for a hugely successful and healthy landscape in the coming season.
Plus, spreading out the work over several months makes it a bit less taxing on you.
About These Checklists
While we don’t offer garden maintenance services here at The Whiskey Porch, these monthly Garden Keeping Checklists are designed to help you stay on track and feel supported through the seasons.
Whether you’re handling everything yourself or working with a maintenance crew, you’ll find the tips practical and flexible - especially if you’re gardening in or around Prescott, Arizona, or in other Zone-7 and neighboring climates.
Each checklist reflects the rhythm I experience here in Prescott’s downtown microclimate, so your own garden may vary slightly depending on your elevation, location, and what you’re growing. Generally speaking, these notes align with USDA Zone 7b.
Of course, no two years are exactly alike, even in the same zone. Some seasons bring an early hard freeze in late October, while others hold off until December. Keep that in mind as you plan your tasks.
These guides are geared toward landscape gardens that include mostly perennials, with a sprinkling of annuals, veggies and herbs.
Let’s get to it…
