Getting things in order for Spring

There is so much to do before Spring here on the homestead. I am hoping I get to everything on the ever growing list that needs to be done, not to mention in the right order for those that are more time sensitive.

Here is our urban homestead to do list for this years Winter going into Spring:

1. Make a seed starting station.
        What I mean by that is more than just my germination station containers I like to use. I want actual shelving with lights and heating.

2. Sort seeds.
      I need to sort seeds by season they are started, by whether they can be started indoors or out.
      I need to make a list of what I need to stagger for seed saving (As in I cannot plant more than one tomato at once unless I isolate the flowers or the seeds will not be pure)
   
3. Garden planning calendar.
  A list of seeds for each month with the space needed for each to go into the garden calendar and layout.
  Harvest dates need to go into the calendar.
     Expected harvest amount needs to go into the calendar so I can compare with the actual harvest amount.
   I need to put down dates for seed starting indoors & direct sewing. Dates for consecutive staggered sowings will also need to be dated.
    Which seeds will reseed themselves, and which need to be replanted.

4. Measure the garden area.
      The whole area needs to be measured and put onto graph paper for the garden design process.

5. Design the garden layout.
    This is more complicated, since I have to actually make 3 years of garden layouts *Modifiable of course* But this is needed so that I don’t plant something somewhere that will hinder me in the following year. My garden size will expand onto the present lawn eventually, so the plans will probably evolve as my usable garden space does.

6. Check the compost pile.
    This is my first year composting, and I am not sure the compost will be ready for use in the garden this year early on or not.

7. Check into natural bug elimination.
   I will be using all natural home made pest control options, as well as I was told diatomaceous earth is wonderful for getting rid of those pesky bugs.

8. To till or not to till?
   I need to decide what actually needs tilling and what can be no till zones.

9. Treat the soil.
    Our soil has either not enough nutrients, or it may just be the bug problem, but I plan on livening up the soil at least some this year, with progress on it every year until it is to my liking.

9. Slope steps.
   There are areas on the slope that are not easy to walk around either due to steepness or the cheat grass not giving much footing. I have slid down it a couple of times due to this. We need to build steps and possibly level out certain areas for gardening.

10. Move new strawberry plants.
      Last year when my strawberry plants put off runners I let those runners take root in pots. I need to cut the runners from the mother plant (Oh how alien sounding) and put them in their final location. I literally had strawberries developing on the new little plants into November. I just did not have enough sunlight for them to turn that vibrant red.

11. Get a hose.
      Since my last hose burst, I will need to purchase a new one and seriously consider how water will be moved to various areas of the garden that are not easily gotten to.

12. Seed germination tests.
      I have some seeds I am not sure of the viability for. I need to run some germination tests to see if they will be going into the garden or not.

13. Plan out other months of my calendar year.

14. Think about upgrading the freezer.
     I like to freeze, as well as can, and dry, so having a non working chest freezer is not good. When looking into it, it seems that a freezer that gets power to the light, but is not getting cold, is going to be a more expensive fix than just buying one. I am putting this here because it is something I have to think about during Winter/Spring, but may not get right away. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/much-run-freezer-per-month-67647.html This website explains how much power a freezer uses. I am hoping for a energy efficient freezer. I may consider turning the old one into a makeshift root cellar, but I am not sure yet.

15. Gas furnace.
     We have to see if once we renew our health insurance, and account for all other expenses, if financing a new gas furnace is possible. Having all electric heat has posed some issues this Winter, and we would need to start planning ahead for it now, if we plan to do it before next Winter. Basically we need to see if realistically we can do it this year or if we have to wait.

16. Plan for alternative cooling options.
     While we use our AC during the warm months, we would like to use it less, and utilize other means of keeping the house cool.

17. Clean the house.
    This will be during both Winter and Spring.

18. Clean up the spent plants.
   There are plants that did not make it into the compost pile that need to be removed from their spots. The strawberry patch needs to be de-weeded as best we can.

19. Harvest roots.
   Any roots I did not get to, or happen to be useful as I clean up the garden, will be cleaned and dried for later use.

20. Make garden markers
  I really have to decide what kind of garden markers I will make this year.