Visualize!

Now is the time to visualize your garden for the Spring....
Take out a piece of paper, some colors, and paint the picture of what you will create in the Spring/Summer growing season.....
How often i have done this with great results...sure the gophers and birds may come to share your bounty...so be sure to come up with a strategy for them as well. With gophers a shield effect will be helpful by placing hard wire on the bottom of your boxes. Netting over your fruit trees will cut down on the bird action. Spraying a little dish soap concoction on your veggies will discourage the insects.
Think ahead too for the coming weather. In our area this means cold until May.
It may also mean lots of rain in this particular year, so be aware and plan accordingly. This is great for your newly planted trees and the cover crops, as long as there is mulch in place to protect the tender roots.
Remember that there is always something to do in every month! February will be the time for me to turn the piles of compost, weed out the weeds that have grown into the garlic beds, mulch with these weeds around the garlic, and plant some early lettuce. I will probably put up some seedlings in the window sills for the things to come in Spring....greens, squash and tomato starts.
If you have not put out your flower seeds (wild and domestic) now could be prime time to get those little roots established for the spring bloom.