You had a little success in the garden this season, and it may be going to your head. The late lettuce you planted is still growing, and it’s past the middle of January. Maybe you got lucky. Maybe it’s because you planted local seeds. Who knows…

Pat yourself on the back anyway, and start planning this year’s garden. OK, so it may be a bit early, but we’re having all this nice mild weather. What’s a little frost in the morning? Now it’s close to 70 degrees out, and you feel giddy.

Reign yourself in and pull up some of those skeletons that used to be marigolds. Yuck. Don’t they look discouraging in all this sunshine? Ignore the last of the tomatoes that have become moldy rotting globs in the next planter. Maybe the next storm will take them out.