Well, what a rollercoaster of a year 2020 was! We started 2020 off with the excitement and nervousness of finding out we were expecting our first child, then covid came along creating concern and anxiety for us. In September, we welcomed our son Leomaris which has bought so much joy, happiness and a whole new realm of learning. 2020 in the garden was a good year and we had set a goal for last year to try and become self-sufficient in greens. This was the first time we had set a gardening goal like this and it taught us many valuable lessons.
So 2021 is here and we have looked back at our goal from 2020 and have come up with 4 goals for the coming year, to be self-sufficient in greens, self-sufficient in staples and become more water-wise. In the kitchen, we are aiming to reduce our food wastage.
Why is to be self-sufficient in greens on the list again?
Last year we did not achieve complete self-sufficiency in greens, as there was a lack of succession cropping and for our brassicas, they were planted too late, which caused them to be harvested late.
So how do we plan to become self-sufficient in green and staples this year?
The plan is to become better at succession cropping, improve the soil, grow a wider variety and preserve more for those times when we may getting a lack of produce from the garden.
What are we doing to become more water-wise?
Our plan for this is to finish off installing the rest of the garden with drip irrigation, improve the soil further, top dress the lawn with a layer of organic matter, create more core garden beds, use plenty of mulch and introduce self-wicking pots in our yard.
How will we reduce waste in the kitchen?
We aim to communicate better about what produce will soon be ready so that it can be included when meal planning. We are also learning more about how to preserve the produce we harvest and experimenting with new recipes and ways of eating old favourites.
Have you set gardening goals for 2021?
Remember when setting gardening goals to make them achievable and realistic for your time and space. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Learn a new method of gardening
Raise your own seedlings
Become a organic gardener
Learn to make your own sauerkraut
Grow a herb garden
Increase your biodiversity in your garden
Try a new recipe each week
Utilise your gardening space better
Start composting all of your kitchen scraps
What are your goals? Let us know, and good luck with them in 2021.