Organic Gardening @ MindSay 
An Icy Mist on a Sunday Evening
Coming Soon, fresh vegetables.
Since it was a pretty terrible day to be outside, around these parts, I decided to dedicate my Sunday afternoon and evening to making plans for the local Community Garden. Emily came over and we spent about six hours working on the plans and drawing up the design.
With a good plan in place it will be much easier for more people to become involved with the project. The main goal is to teach people about and to help provide healthy and wholesome organic foods for the community. Everyone is welcome to join in on the garden and it is totally free for people to come and be a part of.
The plans are set up to have four large bedding areas. Three of the area will be planted and the fourth area is a fallow area. We also drew up designs for a large area for a medicinal and cullinary herb garden. And set aside areas for fruit and nut trees and for composting. In the future we hope to also have vermicomposting beds and free range chickens. And possibly camels.
In all it seemed like a nice way to spend the day. Doing something that is good for the environment, good for the community and good for the spirit.
January Thaw - Preventing Damage In The Garden
The garden has been covered by a thin layer of snow once again, and the January thaw, this one at least, seems to have ended. It appears though, it may warm up again. An odd winter, or perhaps this is the new normal! February can be a very cold time of year but we have seen thaws then too! A series of freezes and thaws through the winter can produce some difficulties for perennials and garden inhabitants.
Preventing damage to plants that overwinter isn't all that difficult but requires attention long before the snow flies. In the fall, as the ground becomes too hard to turn, a layer of mulch, applied around the base of less-hardy plants or plants located in areas that tend to be damp is the best protection. If the winter doesn't include thaws the mulch will still be a benefit to the garden, as it breaks down to add nutrients and improves the soils' tilth.
Mulch materials can vary and I often try to make use of what's available free from mother nature and locally available - dry leaves and grass clippings make good mulch when chopped slightly to prevent them from sticking to each other. Ground beetles and lady bugs love to over-winter in the leaves, earthworms love it too. Usually lots of maple leaves are available in the fall, but perhaps other types will work too. I also purchase several bags each year of a cedar mulch which I apply "on demand" throughout the summer, to keep the weeds down and help the soil retain moisture, with a last top up in the fall. Cedar helps to discourage some garden pests like earwigs and moths...
Why does a thaw kill some plants? The main culprit is the water from winter rains and melting snow. If you have a good look at any outdoor garden area - you'll notice that the ground is not as hard or as frozen directly around the base and roots of individual plants. Yet soil only a foot away is very solid. Rain and melting snows must flow somewhere because the ground, frozen, cannot absorb this excess moisture. Finding it's easiest path, water will flow into the softer areas of the ground and seep around the roots of the plant. If the water is excessive and persists for a week or more it can rot the root of the plant and kill it. Irises are often prone to root rot because their roots are so close to the surface of the soil. Adding insult to injury; if the water freezes around the roots of a plant, the action can heave the plant up out of its' bed. Water expands as it freezes, that's why winter produces huge potholes in our roadways in early spring and the same can happen right in the garden.
I'll be out in the garden over the next few days watching how well things are going. If another thaw does present itself I have some old leaves, bagged and tucked away in a corner of the garden as well as more cedar mulch to top-up any beds that appear to be having problems. This effort is to keep the garden frozen through the thaw and allow it to continue to rest until REAL spring arrives. At that point new growth will peak up through the mulch to grace the garden with its presence once again.
And while I watch the gardens progress through the winter challenges I still get to enjoy the sweet little carrots picked just the other day when the soil was willing to yeild and release the garden's bounty - like a little mid-winter gift! And I know, hiding under the thin blanket of snow, my swiss chard is still "hangin' in there and will likely give us a nice meal sometime in late March. That and a good dandelion tonic will fix us up for the begining of a good season.
Other topics coming over the next couple weeks: 1, identifying "volunteer" plants and determining if they stay put, are transplanted or discarded, 2, starting seedlings indoors for spring planting, and 3, if the weather cooperates I'll cover the picking and preparation of some "tonics" that can give the body a good spring boost.
As our garden is a living experiment I am in no way claiming to be expert in these things. Rather I learn as I go and sharing what I'm learning seems a very worthwhile endeavor! If you have any questions about gardens or plants don't hesitate to leave a comment here or at my wiki. If it's something I'm familiar with I'd be happy to try and help.
Preventing damage to plants that overwinter isn't all that difficult but requires attention long before the snow flies. In the fall, as the ground becomes too hard to turn, a layer of mulch, applied around the base of less-hardy plants or plants located in areas that tend to be damp is the best protection. If the winter doesn't include thaws the mulch will still be a benefit to the garden, as it breaks down to add nutrients and improves the soils' tilth.
Mulch materials can vary and I often try to make use of what's available free from mother nature and locally available - dry leaves and grass clippings make good mulch when chopped slightly to prevent them from sticking to each other. Ground beetles and lady bugs love to over-winter in the leaves, earthworms love it too. Usually lots of maple leaves are available in the fall, but perhaps other types will work too. I also purchase several bags each year of a cedar mulch which I apply "on demand" throughout the summer, to keep the weeds down and help the soil retain moisture, with a last top up in the fall. Cedar helps to discourage some garden pests like earwigs and moths...
Why does a thaw kill some plants? The main culprit is the water from winter rains and melting snow. If you have a good look at any outdoor garden area - you'll notice that the ground is not as hard or as frozen directly around the base and roots of individual plants. Yet soil only a foot away is very solid. Rain and melting snows must flow somewhere because the ground, frozen, cannot absorb this excess moisture. Finding it's easiest path, water will flow into the softer areas of the ground and seep around the roots of the plant. If the water is excessive and persists for a week or more it can rot the root of the plant and kill it. Irises are often prone to root rot because their roots are so close to the surface of the soil. Adding insult to injury; if the water freezes around the roots of a plant, the action can heave the plant up out of its' bed. Water expands as it freezes, that's why winter produces huge potholes in our roadways in early spring and the same can happen right in the garden.
I'll be out in the garden over the next few days watching how well things are going. If another thaw does present itself I have some old leaves, bagged and tucked away in a corner of the garden as well as more cedar mulch to top-up any beds that appear to be having problems. This effort is to keep the garden frozen through the thaw and allow it to continue to rest until REAL spring arrives. At that point new growth will peak up through the mulch to grace the garden with its presence once again.
And while I watch the gardens progress through the winter challenges I still get to enjoy the sweet little carrots picked just the other day when the soil was willing to yeild and release the garden's bounty - like a little mid-winter gift! And I know, hiding under the thin blanket of snow, my swiss chard is still "hangin' in there and will likely give us a nice meal sometime in late March. That and a good dandelion tonic will fix us up for the begining of a good season.
Other topics coming over the next couple weeks: 1, identifying "volunteer" plants and determining if they stay put, are transplanted or discarded, 2, starting seedlings indoors for spring planting, and 3, if the weather cooperates I'll cover the picking and preparation of some "tonics" that can give the body a good spring boost.
As our garden is a living experiment I am in no way claiming to be expert in these things. Rather I learn as I go and sharing what I'm learning seems a very worthwhile endeavor! If you have any questions about gardens or plants don't hesitate to leave a comment here or at my wiki. If it's something I'm familiar with I'd be happy to try and help.
Community Garden
It was such a nice day out today, that we decided it would be a good time to get the Community Garden in shape for the winter. We loaded up one of the tractors from the farm and drove it into town, so that we could plow up the the dead summer growth and plant a winter cover crop of cereal rye grain. A few ladies showed up to help, so I set aside a small area to plant a few winter crops like collards, lettuce and radishes. It was a nice way to spend the afernoon, doing something that will benefit that entire town.
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