Winter Garden Planning for a Thriving 2025 Harvest
If you want a better harvest next year, your work starts now.
In this episode of The Soft Focus Podcast, I’m walking you through how to plan your winter garden so you can grow more food, with less stress, and feel rooted in the seasons ahead.
This is exactly how I approach planning at Late Bloomer Ranch and in my own kitchen gardens — and it’s made all the difference.
Why Planning in Winter Changes Everything
When the garden is sleeping, it gives you the space to think.
Winter is the best time to slow down, map out your space, pick your crops, and plan a season that actually matches your life — not just your dreams.
Without a plan, the garden will quickly overwhelm you.
With a good plan, the garden feeds you, sustains you, and teaches you.
Here’s What We Cover:
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Why most gardeners overestimate what they can handle — and how to avoid it
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How to figure out your USDA zone, first and last frost dates, and latitude — and why it matters
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How to choose crops you’ll actually eat (and feel excited to grow)
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Why companion planting is non-negotiable for natural pollination and pest control
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The power of growing your own herbs and flowers for food, medicine, and beauty
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Why trying new things seasonally builds resilience — even if you “fail”
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Tricks for short growing seasons: indoor seed starting, row covers, and succession planting
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How to choose plant varieties that actually like your climate (not the ones that just look pretty in catalogs)
You’ll leave this episode with a full list of questions to ask yourself before you ever buy seeds — and a clear starting point to plan a garden that fits your actual life.
Why This Matters
Planning a garden isn’t about perfection.
It’s about building a relationship with your land, your body, and your food supply — year after year.
Whether you’re growing in a single bed, a back porch, or a full farm plot, the way you prepare now determines what will grow later.
Brought to You by Late Bloomer Ranch
This episode is sponsored by Late Bloomer Ranch — your source for regeneratively raised pork, seasonal BloomBoxes, flower essences, and fiber goods, all grown and crafted with care for the land and for you.
We ship within the continental USA. Shop our offerings here.
Keep the Conversation Going
If you loved this episode (or if it sparked some ideas for your own garden), I’d love to hear from you:
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Subscribe to The Soft Focus Podcast
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Leave a review — it helps more people find these conversations
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Email me anytime: hello@latebloomerranch.com
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Follow along on Instagram: @latebloomerranch
The seeds you plant now — in your garden and in your mind — are the harvest you’ll see next year.
See you out there,
Corinne