<p>We’ve reached the end of another gardening year. Maybe your garden was spectacular. Maybe it was just so-so. Maybe it was an absolute disaster in certain beds and you’re still a little salty about the squash vine borers.</p><p>However it went, this is a powerful moment in the gardening calendar.</p><p>Today we’re going to slow down and talk about taking time to reflect on the past season, reset your expectations, and reimagine what you want from your garden next year.</p><p>Extension programs and planning guides consistently recommend end-of-season evaluation, note-taking, and mapping as key pieces of long-term garden success. Research on goal-setting shows that specific, challenging, and meaningful goals help people follow through and actually change their behavior. </p><p>So, in this final episode of the year, we’re going to weave those two ideas together:</p><p>1. Why the end of the year is the best time to reflect on your garden</p><p>2. What goal-setting research can teach us about making better garden goals</p><p>3. Turning reflection into 3–5 clear, realistic goals for next year</p><p>4. A healthier mindset for handling “failures” and unexpected seasons</p><p>By the end, you’ll have a framework to close the book on this year’s garden and open a new one with intention.</p><p>Let’s dig in.</p><p>References and Resources:</p><p>Iowa State University Extension – Yard and Garden. “Garden Journaling.”: <a href="https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/garden-journaling" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/garden-journaling</a></p><p>Locke, E. A., &amp; Latham, G. P. “Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation.” American Psychologist, 2002: <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12237980/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12237980/</a></p><p><strong>Just Grow Something</strong>: <a href="https://justgrowsomething.com">https://justgrowsomething.com</a></p><p><strong>Just Grow Something Merch andDownloads</strong>: <a href="https://justgrowsomething.com/shop">https://justgrowsomething.com/shop</a></p><p><strong>Just Grow Something Gardening Friends Facebook Group</strong>:<a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/">https://www.facebook.com/share/g/18YgHveF5P/</a><strong>Check out how you can become a patron on Patreon</strong>: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething?fan_landing=true">https://www.patreon.com/JustGrowSomething</a></p><p><strong>Bonus content for supporters of the Podcast</strong>: <a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething">https://buymeacoffee.com/justgrowsomething</a><u></u></p><p><strong>Amazon storefront</strong>: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething">https://www.amazon.com/shop/justgrowsomething</a></p>