Once winter sets in and you’ve put your garden to bed, our deer fence company knows there’s not much to do except wait until the ground warms up and spring shows its face again. While you wait to start gardening again, here are some things you can do to keep busy:

Monitor staked plants.

If you have any staked plants, monitor them regularly to make sure the stakes are still strong and upright. Many people think plants die in the winter, but they simply go dormant, which means a damaged or disturbed stake can put your plants at risk. Check your stakes after each winter storm.

Plan your spring garden.

Dedicate the extra time that you have to planning your spring garden. Page through seed catalogs and do some research online to see what kinds of vegetables, fruits, and flowers you’d like to try. Then, create a diagram of where each plant will go and how often you’ll have to tend to them.

Inspect your gardening tools.

Your gardening tools probably got a lot of use over the year, so take some time to inspect them well. Make sure there are no loose or cracked handles, rust, or broken pieces, then clean them. They’ll be shiny and ready to be put back to use come spring.

Start an indoor garden.

Instead of counting down the days until spring, bring the garden inside. Grow herbs like basil, bay, and chive that you can use in your everyday cooking, or try some vegetables like avocados or carrots. You can also grow fruits like lemons or mandarin oranges, or simply plant some flowers to add color to your home.

Pick up a new hobby.

Take the time you would be spending tending your garden and put it toward learning a new hobby. Try knitting, crocheting, needlepoint, learn a new instrument, baking, painting, quilting, or something else you’ve always wanted to learn. You’ll pass the time and it will be spring before you know it.