Winter has definitely arrived in Philly. January 21 will be the coldest day yet (this year) with a scheduled high of 17 degrees Celsius!!! The ground will be frozen and it seems like it has been forever since I’ve been able to harvest my own vegetables and herbs.

But, in a couple months, temperatures will start to rise and it will be time to get the earth ready for this year’s planting. One of my favorite things to do is plan out my garden ahead of time. Since 2017, I’ve been using The Farmer’s Almanac online garden planner. What I love most about it is that it has a built-in plant rotation function, so I know the best spots to plant each year. You don’t want to plant your veggies in the same spots as last year because that leaves them more susceptible to diseases, and also depletes the soil faster.

Last year, I didn’t plant zucchini and I really missed having those. I will be planting them again this year. Here is my first draft of my veggie garden. The long rows bordering the main plot are actually cinder blocks that I started adding last season. Those will contain herbs and flowers.

I’m also in the process of going through the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalogue to see what I want to order from them for planting.

Do you have a veggie and herb garden? Have you started planning already?