It may seem like Spring will never come again around this time in the winter. It seems that the north gets a bunch of snow and the South is huddled in the cold just glad we don't see much of the white stuff. But...Spring will come again and like every year it is upon us SUDDENLY and I will find myself unprepared again. The reason it feels so sudden is that there are so many false starts. So many signs that it is here...That sunny 70's weekend where the wood stove doesn't need to be lit ...the stores are filled with seeds, summer bulbs, vegetable transplants and all the tools we need...and then bam...back in the 20's at night. Deceptive and teasing...Mother Nature. So what can you do Mid February when there is only Winter? Start your seeds to transplant.
This year I plan on planting as much of my own food as possible. I always plant a ton of tomatoes and this year plan on upping that number. I realize that tomatoes are the base for so many of my recipes and go through them very quickly. AND...with the slightest bit of care they are a sure bet. I will also always grow cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash and peppers, occasionally I will grow green beans and corn also. But this year...this year is going to be different. As I have said in previous Posts...I have closed my business and am ready to be a "Food Growing Machine". Self Sufficient!
This fall I threw in a fall garden. Broccoli, Cauliflower, Red & Green Cabbages, onions, garlic, Swiss Chard, Brussel Sprouts and Collard Greens. Per usual, I was down there weeding, watering and trying to get bugs off of the stuff the best I could. It is always disheartening when you spend all that time and effort and expense and you are battling to get ANYTHING to give you food. This Fall I was raking under a bunch of trees in the corner of my place...I think it may have been raked once in 12 years...and saw all that leaf mold and thought..."why am I burning this stuff?" So I started putting it in the Wheel Barrow and bringing it into my fall Garden and PILING IT DEEPLY around all the vegetables. The Back to Eden method with a twist I guess. There were no weeds, grass or actually anything growing under the trees I was raking under soooo...SUCCESS!!! The most prolific, self sufficient garden I have ever had. I didn't need to water it once even when we didn't get rain for almost 2 weeks.
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| A Little Panoramic view, made it look squat. |
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| Broccoli Heads were Huge! |
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| Red cabbage was small heads but the Green...Wow! |
Back to Upcoming Spring! Start some seedlings. You can use cut Paper towel and toilet Paper tubes as little planters. I like to start my little seeds on a wet paper towel and let them soak for 2 days before putting them in soil. With my goal to be self sufficient as humanly possible, I want to really pay attention to what I should be planting when. Some Summer Vegetables need the soil to be warm to grow. Corn for instance. I remember one year spending almost an entire day planting corn and nothing for weeks...I had to replant when it got warmer. So, spring...Peas,(regular and snow peas for chinese food) lettuces, onions, garlic, radishes, Potatoes, carrots, beets, Kale and more of the same I planted in the Fall...and also will be planting perennials, like more strawberries, rhubarb, Asparagus, Horseradish. I also ordered over the Winter, which will be delivered by Burpee in a timely manner. 4 Tea Plants (need that morning drink since I can't grow coffee...just trying to be prepared) Currants, Elderberry, 2 Marion Blackberries, 2 More Raspberries and dozen more Strawberries.
Considering how many Tomatoes I want to grow this year, transplants from the nursery are out. I need to grow more by seed, and use as many heirlooms to start saving seeds year to year. I am just starting to investigate what tomatoes are best for Pastes, sauces, juices etc. I also want to try my hand at Canning Ketchup, Barbecue Sauce and salsas...maybe my own V-8 Juice.
So, start with a plan...what do you eat? I know we eat some sweet Potatoes in a course of year, so those will be planted but we eat a TON of Irish White Potatoes...I plan on having several plots of those. We eat some Green Beans and I will pickled dilly beans, but we eat a bunch of squash and eggplant, so will plant accordingly. Just make a list of all the vegetables and fruit you buy on a regular basis and start with those. You also don't want to set yourself up for failure if you try to much to take care of.
1. Start with a plan...What do we eat the most?
2. Where in your yard or property gets the most sun?
3. What Zone do you live in to find your last frost date
3. Either start your own transplants or buy from the nursery when they become available. Tomatoes and Peppers were what I always bought as transplants as they were easier but corn, summer squash, cucumbers and the larger seeds always worked out great for me directly sowing in the ground
4. Look up ways of composting...this really does become a necessity in the self sufficient arena...might as well get a handle on that as soon as you can also
This is meant to be a primer and will get into more details in future posts.
Have a good one...and Think Spring...I keep telling myself I will be complaining about the heat in just a few months.
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