The Garden Made Me Do It — A Week In My Life Outside

This blog is about interrupted plans, quiet work, and the lesson winter keeps teaching me:

You don’t control the season—you move with it.

Garden season kickoff

It’s still the beginning of the year.

That means garden season kickoff:
making plans, pruning, applying dormant oil.

From mid-January to early March, we care and prepare for growth we won’t see for months. 👈 That’s a WORD.

We manage a lot—
more flowers, fruit trees, berries, evergreens, and ornamentals than I can count.

Yes…it’s a lot of care.
But a whole lot more joy.

Weather, waiting, & winter lessons

✅ My husband ordered seeds and plants.

✅ I pulled out his dormant oil schedule from last year.

✅ We got a quote to prune some of our taller evergreens and pecan tree.

The quote and payment agreement were as far as we got.

Because rain kept showing up in the forecast. 🌧️🌧️

Fresh pruning cuts need time to seal,
— about three days or less.
(NC State Extension backs this up—link here)

Non‑stop rain doesn’t allow for that.

So, we waited.

Then the forecast shifted again.
A winter storm. Oof.

In North Carolina, a winter storm means:

Snow… maybe.
Ice… more than likely.

And ice doesn’t just weigh branches down.
It can snap them.

So, I changed my focus.
Knowing when to pull back—
And when to pull forward—matters.

First: protect and prevent

First things first.
Time for a garden walkthrough.

I walked the garden.
Checked for exposed roots.
Sometimes water shifts the soil or our chickens🫠.
Added soil to cover those roots.
Mulched over the fresh soil.

I grouped containers together.
This helps insulate their roots.
Moved some into protected spaces.

I checked limbs.
Looked for anything weak.
Anything ice might break.

Everything looked solid.
So, I left our trees alone.

The calm before the storm

Then came a gift.

Fifty to sixty‑degree days.
Quiet.
Calm.
Right before the storm.

So, I worked outside some more.

DAY ONE

• Removed Bermuda Grass from a garden path.
• Then, added soil and pine bark fines.
• Top-dressed a fig tree with compost-manure mix.
• Started weeding around the peach tree.

DAY TWO

• Mulched some garden paths.
• Finished weeding around the peach tree.
• Top‑dressed the peach tree.
• Laying a layer of compost‑manure mix.

Why I top-dress our fruit-bearing plants:

• To feed the soil.
• To help clay drain better.
• To support future growth.
• And future fruit.

Tending to what pays me

Day two ended with…

My husband and I doing chicken chores.

We knew we wouldn’t be outside for a few days.
And the birds needed clean, fresh coops.

So, we cleaned them.
Spread organic pest control and coop refresher.
Refilled their automatic feeder.

After that,
I was done.

The garden was good.
The birds were good.

I prayed for protection.
And waited for the storm.

Two days later,
I woke up to this…

Final thoughts

January reminded me:
you don’t control the season—you move with it.

I protected what I could.
Prevented what I could.
Prayed.
And waited.

Now, I’m praying, preparing, and waiting for North Carolina’s next winter storm.

When’s the last time something interrupted your plans—how did things turn out?