April 1, 2013 – I was going to try to force myself to write
about the new EPA emissions rules, but I just can’t get my mind off
gardening. It’s April – tra la! Warm weather simply has to show up soon –
hurrah! Eager young sprouts will
magically burst forth from the earth, which will get on with her business of
sustaining life - in spite of us. Better
to work with her, on the side of life. The
glories to be savored are endless. And
as usual, there’s plenty to be done!
April is clean-up time, first and foremost. Trimming, pruning, pulling early weeds. My husband left the grass way too long last
fall, and I’m getting the distinct impression he thinks we should go ahead and
fertilize, without cutting away the thatch first. A word about my husband: he hates yard
work. A word about fertilizing: I use an
integrated pest management approach. Two
years out of three, I use organic methods that encourage green grass and hinder
weed survival. By the third year, the
weeds are winning, so I break down and use a chemical weed-and-feed. This happens to be a third year.
Next, April is seed-starting time. I indulge in those seed-starting kits you
find at Wal-Mart, with the peat pellets and the clear plastic lid. Yesterday, I planted three kinds of tomatoes,
oregano and borage. I’m soaking some
nasturtium seeds, which I’ll plant tonight.
I’ve never tried growing nasturtium indoors, so I’m very curious to see
how it goes. (As you may know,
nasturtium seeds are so big and hard that they need a boost in getting
started. I nick mine with a knife, and
then soak them overnight in water. They
germinate more reliably when I take the time to help them along.)
I’m not starting any Roma tomatoes (the kind you make tomato
sauce with); I’ll buy them at the school garden sale in June. It’s supposed to warm up by next week, so I’m
thinking I’ll get my snow peas, lettuce, spinach, and potatoes (if they’ve
arrived in the mail, by then) planted.
Onions, too. I’m going to plant
my potatoes in purchased top soil, along with oodles of organic
fertilizer. I’ll be using lots of comfrey
tea this summer, as well as human urine.
I also purchase an organic vegetable fertilizer from Gardens Alive! (There’s not really an exclamation point at
the end of that sentence; the name of the company includes the exclamation
point.)
At some point, I plan to plant some blueberries and
raspberries. According to the workshop I
attended in February, blueberries like rich soil, preferably on the acidic
side. I need to find out what
raspberries want. The elderberry bush I
moved from under a pine tree into a garden bed did a great job producing last
year, but the berries tasted like grass.
I’m going to replant the bush in topsoil, into which I might toss a
handful of Epsom salts; I haven’t decided yet.
My re-thought out approach to my apple and paw-paw trees will be to kill
them with kindness – er, actually to GROW them with kindness. Translated, that means endless amounts of
fertilizer. Four foot trees are just not
going to produce any fruit!
That’s where things stand now. I can’t wait
to see the first traces of my tomato plants. Now if I can just keep the cat from nibbling
on them …
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