Old Wisdom
As I look out my window and more snow and ice that fell on Wed/Thurs, I’m thankful that I waited a little later than usual to start my seedlings. I had a feeling that spring would be long in coming.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the old wisdom that told you to plant things when other natural elements were at a certain stage (aka phenology). This is much better than the current “8 weeks before last frost” that most gardening books and seed packets give.
A few that I have heard are:
“Sow corn when the oak leaves are the size of mouse’s ears”
“Once the forsythia are in bloom, it’s time to direct sow your cool-season crops in the vegetable garden. These include: spinach, lettuce, peas, carrots, chard, beets, and radishes.”
“Plant potatoes when the first dandelions bloom”
“Plant tomatoes when lily-of-the-valley are in full bloom”
What planting wisdom have you heard?
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Quote of the Day: Garden Structures
Organizational structure is essential to the garden’s functional and aesthetic success. The paths, arbors, hedges, and other elements that create it are the garden’s bones. They hold the garden up, define it’s form, expand it’s possibilities and bring it to life. They are the framework on which the garden grows.
Linda Joan Smith (Smith & Hawken Garden Structures)
My previous garden waiting 6 years before pathways and hedges started to form a framework. I was hoping to get things going sooner here, but I’m still trying to figure out exactly where everything will be. This isn’t something you want to rush either since many of the features that add form to the garden are rather difficult and expensive to change.
Defining the form in a garden, it’s something I think about all winter as I look at the garden around me. Not only is it a good time to do it because there aren’t any plants to distract you, it’s also a good time because you have time.
What kind of framework do you have in your garden? Is it something you notice & appreciate in winter? Do you need to add features that add framework to your garden?
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Quote of the Day: Susan J. Bissonette
“An optimist is the human personification of spring.”
~ Susan J. Bissonette
My garden is still covered in a blanket of snow, but it won’t be around for much longer.
I must say, for a while I was rather dreading the end of winter. There was still much needed rest on my mind. It seems I’ve finally rested up and I’m starting to get giddy with excitement for spring. Perhaps it’s because I started my first seedlings this week or maybe it’s that I’m finally tiring of winter. Either way – I’m starting to get excited for spring!
I want to see bare earth and the beginning shoots of green. I want there to be smell in the air and softness to the wind. Most of all, I’m ready to feel the warm sun on my back as I push seeds into the cool dark soil!
Are you still waiting for spring or has spring already come in your garden?
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Building Our Communities Through Food
We can feed our hunger for connection by eating seasonally and also by buying directly from small farmers at the farmer’s market. Forming relationships with the people who grow our food, and taking up opportunities to visit their farms, is a healing practice. It is important for the farmers as well. The majority of small farmers are not in it for the money – farming is no longer lucrative. They do it because they have a love of independence, because they love working with the land, and often because they believe in building a food system that is based on relationship. They get immense satisfaction when their customers take an interest in their farming practices and in how and why they grow their produce.
Jessica Prentice – Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection
As I was at the farmers market on Friday morning I was thinking about why buying local is so important to me. It’s about a lot of different things, including health, but most importantly, it’s about directly supporting small farmers and producers in my community.
The truth is that many things I buy at the market could be grown in my garden, now that I have more than enough space, but I want to invest in the local food web not just for myself, but for others who can’t grow their own. I want to get to know the person nurturing the chickens that produce the meat I purchase for our cats and dogs. I want to chat with the lady who makes the cheese. It’s very important to me to encourage those that have taken on the burden of growing good healthy food for those in their community even before they had customers to purchase them.
Personally, I believe we’re heading down a dangerous path with our food in this country. Far too many people are expecting the government to draft legislation for the changes they want to see happen with the food system. What it really takes to spur change is for people to put their money where their convictions. We’ve chosen to invest in our community and it’s good to know that there are others out there like us. I know that should anything ever happen the folks at the local farm will continue providing milk for those of us who purchase from them. We won’t have to worry about not having cash to pay for it. They in turn know that if they ever need our help, we’re willing to step up as well. This is what community is all about and I’m certainly happy that we embarked on this road a few years ago, it certainly has been rewarding!
Are there any changes you’ve made in your life over the past couple years that you’re starting to see the rewards from?
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Love My Job
I always enjoy my job, but twice a year I really love it. February marks the beginning of the school year in Colombia and that means I’m sending out scholarship forms to sponsors. Each year I see these faces on my desk. These are kids that are being sponsored to receive a great education.
They also write heartfelt thank you notes to their sponsors, which I love to read. These kids know how valuable this gift is, not only for them, but for their families as well. With a good education, these kids will be able to bring their families out of the depths of severe poverty. It’s an opportunity that they don’t take lightly. Most of them start in preschool and continue through graduation (which is grade 11 in Colombia).
I’ve been working with this program for 20 years, not only by finding sponsors for them, but also by being involved in other ways. I’ve worked raising funds to buy microscopes, computers and other supplies for the school. I’ve also helped raised funds to build classrooms so they can expand and teach more kids. My parents have been involved with this charity since it’s inception back when I was a kid. It was started by Colombians as a way to help the poor in their community and has make a huge impact!
There’s nothing better than knowing the work you do makes a huge impact in someone’s life! Doing these scholarships are a highlight of my work year.
Are you involved with any charities?
