Rain and wind have dominated the past several weeks. In our neighborhood alone, more than a dozen fir trees have toppled, leaving firewood on the ground and holes in the sky: Spring this year will see more sunlight making its way to the ground, for certain! The trees in the hedgerow will put on even more growth. Our alder and sitka spruce, perfectly acclimated for wet winter pasture, are standing firm and tall. Please consider native plants for your landscapes, and if you have seasonally soggy places, select appropriate material: some plants love these conditions.

January is a good time to review what has worked in the garden, and what needs attention. Are you facing weather-related construction or drainage projects? Will you need to move or modify garden beds or pathways? Try to include garden changes involving plants into any hardscaping changes, before the growing season begins in earnest. Existing plants can be dug and kept safe and out of the way in heeling-in beds; talk to your landscaper about a plan.

For some, this year’s evaluation can lead to cutting back on projects instead of creating new growing spaces. If so, perhaps your vision of scaling back is to make paths wider, safer and easier to maintain, or to create paved or graveled areas for a bench, or table and chairs instead of resource-intensive beds or lawns. (Be sure to put down barrier cloth before the gravel.) Graveled areas are good locations for collections of potted plants, and are easy to change with the seasons.

This month is perfect for planning, planting, pruning, for shrubbery and perennial bed overhaul or renovation, and for ongoing cleanup chores. You can continue to work on the edible garden, bringing in soil amendments, and working on increasing soil fertility. Are you a seed starter? Get your potting shed or greenhouse cleaned out and ready for the new growing season. Clean and sharpen tools. Repair or replace cracked or broken handles. Try something new from a garden catalog or from your favorite garden center. Sharpen your pencil, get out the graph paper, try a new garden layout or rotation and start ordering seeds.

Coastal Northwest gardening

Even though it feels cold and dreary outside, because of our mild winters, we live in what is termed a “banana belt.” That said, we have growing opportunities available that are rare in other climes. According to Seattle Tilth’s wonderfully useful book, “Maritime Gardening in the Pacific Northwest,” success in unlocking your garden’s production well past the typical May to October time frame lies with the following four secrets: Grow appropriate seasonal varieties, use aids to extend the growing season, use planting succession strategies (there are several) and use transplants – from your own seed or purchased ready-to-go. We will explore these directives in the weeks to come.

Garden center watch

In coming weeks, look for the new crop of spring perennials: primroses, pansies, violas and more. The summer bulbs in packages or bulk will begin showing up, as will the bare-root fruits and veggies like berries, rhubarb clumps and asparagus roots. And be sure to start baiting for slugs and snails if you notice damage on leaves and blooms; try the new iron-based pet-safe products. Or try ducks!

Becky Hart calls herself an artist, garden-maker and plantswoman. She has worked in nurseries in Portland and on the coast, in retail and wholesale sales, and in horticultural publishing and writing for more than 20 years. She invites your questions about gardening on the coast and sustainable small farm practices, a new passion. Please send comments and gardening news to “In the Garden,” The Daily Astorian, P.O. Box 210, Astoria, OR 97103 or e-mail garden@dailyastorian.com

Did you know that for every 100 square feet of roof surface, one inch of rain produces 62 gallons of water? That means a 30-foot-by-30-foot barn roof (900 square feet) produces 558 gallons of roof runoff for each inch of rain!

– WSU Extension and Small Farms programs