Hiya Rural Sprout readers, I’m happy as a clam (how do we know clams are happy?), as I have tiny green sprouts popping up from my seedling trays. There
are robins in my sweetie’s backyard. And I sat outside to work and wore a t-shirt with no jacket this week. Okay, some of these statements make me more nervous than
happy. I shouldn’t be able to wear a t-shirt with no jacket in the middle of February. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop because I know it will be a snow boot. This kind of weather,
this early in the year, is dangerous for gardeners. It creates an irrational elation that leads to throwing frost dates and hardiness zones to the wind—the warm, gentle wind of false spring. Suddenly, you find yourself standing in your garden with a trowel and a packet of seeds two months before your last freeze date with the naive and hopeful notion that the weather will hold. Not that I have personal experience with this kind of
spring fever.
I’m behaving myself this year. My seeds are packed away in a closet now that I’ve finished starting seedlings. Instead, we’re using this unseasonably warm weather to set up some polytunnels. I want to eat some of the brassicas I grow rather than continue to feed the local imported cabbageworm population. Although, there are members of my family who would, I’m sure, be willing to sacrifice the kale. What pre-planting chores have you been up to? Do you have any gardening ventures you’re particularly excited about this year? Are any of you going to join me in growing espaliered tomatoes? Our chickens have been digging up and eating insects in the
garden for the past few weeks. I’m curious to see if there will be a correlation with our pest numbers this year. If so, I’m buying those hens a truckload of black soldier fly larva treats. The garden feels rather haphazard this year. I’ve usually got it all planned out on paper by this time. But we’ve had a rather hectic couple of months as a family. You know, dealing with the kinds of things that leave you scratching your
head, wondering where the time went. I’m nervous as I’ve already started seedlings without a clear idea of what we need—brilliant planning on my part. Eventually, I’ll grab the wrapping paper and plan my garden. I’m sure it will all work out in the end. Gardening usually does. What? You don’t use wrapping paper to map out your garden. (Psst, wrapping paper
with cutting lines on the back makes excellent graph paper for garden planning. Just sayin’)
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I'm quite fortunate as a gardener. My partner and I have a large no-dig garden out at his place. But…
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There's something uniquely special about trees. Trees give us cool shade in summertime and…
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Hydroponics often bring to mind complex setups in someone's basement with fancy grow lights and rows…
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Raised beds are great, aren't they? Even if you have terrible soil where you live, you can still have…
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It all starts with one plant. It's a gift from someone or a plant that catches your eye when you're…
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Did you miss a newsletter or want to go back and read a few for inspiration - Click this link. Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates. That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
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Sincerely, Tracey Besemer Editor Rural Sprout
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