Winter Wait

February is a tough month. The weather can be relentless, and those sunny days are few and far between. I sit at the window like a cat, gazing out at the gardens. Although it’s not too early to start some seedlings, it’s too cold to put out seed in the ground, and I’m tired of my household projects. Let me rephrase that: I’m tired of having to do projects to get me through winter. I want to get my fingers in the dirt, to feel the “freshening breeze” on my face and neck, I long to be one with the earth again. I have a bad case of spring fever.
So what do we do in late February to get by?

1. Plan your garden layouts.
2. Check all your tools. Take the mower and tools that need spring checkups and sharpening to the shop now, before the rush.
3. Spread chicken manure on the garden beds.
4. Make a list of the seed you need. Set up a Seed Exchange with friends. Don’t forget flowers!
5. Get your seedling pots and trays in order.
Mix seedling dirt.
6. Plant below-ground seed now: carrots, onions, turnips, garlic, beets, potatoes. They grow best if planted after the full moon.
7. Plant peas on February 28th, the full moon day

What do YOU do during the winter lull? How do you get through garden fever? Planning seems to be key. Also staying in touch with other gardeners. Blogging about gardening helps, at least I can talk about the gardens and dream about July, when the gardens come to fruition and the long winter wait will seem to be worth it.

Cinderblock Composter

A quick way to make your raised bed gardens is to use cinder blocks to enclose the garden area. Cinder blocks are about $1.30 each. I like my gardens to be small enough to reach across, so I used 24 blocks for a cost of about $30.

Line the bottom of the area and under the cinder blocks with thick layers of newspaper to kill weeds.

Fill garden area with compost, leaves, sand and soil. Cover with a landscape cloth that allows rain to run through. Allow the heap to rest for a week. Then pour a beer over the whole pile. Cover.

Fill the holes in the concrete blocks with garden soil and plant with herbs and flowers. Petunias and marigolds help repel pests and beautify the cinder blocks.

More Compost News

Your compost should not smell bad. When you pack it in the garbage can mentioned in the former post, you should be careful to pack everything loosely. I sometimes spread a little dirt over the top of mine, but I use dirt sparingly. I follow the directions I’ve given on my posts.

Recently our composting garbage can filled up with compost layers, so Alan built a square wooden frame for the next raised garden bed in the back yard. We lined the bottom of the frame with a thick layer of newspaper to kill weeds. The inks and soy in the paper decay and are beneficial to compost. Next, we upended the garbage can. Try to keep from tipping over the pile. Pour a can or bottle of beer over the pile. Cover the pile with a tarp to keep the rain from washing out all the ingredients. My tarp allows water to slowly seep into the compost pile, wetting it and keeping the enzymes active.

Love your compost pile. Rake through the pile after a week, then once a week rake the pile backwards and forwards. Gradually, miraculously, a rick dark earth will form.

Steps to Making a Compost Pile

1.       Cut the bottom out of a garbage can.

2.       Mount wire mesh across two pieces of wood to create a screen raised slightly off the ground.

3.       Upend the garbage can onto the screen.

4.       Cover the screen with a thick layer of newspaper.

5.       Spread a thin layer of kitchen waste on the newspaper.

6.       Mound a layer of dry leaves and dirt on top of that.

7.       Sprinkle with worm casings

8.       Make a second layer of kitchen waste.

9.       Cover with soil and dry leaves. You can also use dry grass cuttings from your yard.

Keep the compost loose.

Never add anything harmful to your compost. Some shrubbery is poisonous so don’t add anything except grass cuttings to your compost. Don’t use meat or meat juice. Shrimp shells are good. Eggshells are good. I do not use manure in my compost because I don’t have access.

If possible, grind up or chop up whatever you add to compost. This step creates more work for you in the beginning, but the end results are well worth it.

Boosts

Worms

Instead of using animal manure in your compost, try using worm castings, a super boost. Follow directions for making worm casting tea.

Leaves

Every fall I beg for leaves. I keep some of the leaves in bags to add to the compost. The rest I spread liberally in a thick layer on my garden beds. I tarp them down with landscape cloth that allows the rain to filter through. By planting time the leaves having decomposed enough to be turned into the soil.

Grass

During grass-cutting season, we let the grass on the back half of our land grow long. When it is cut, I let it lie in the sun until dried out before raking up to use in compost. Grass acts a green manure in your compost, eliminating the need to use animal wastes.

Beer

You can add a half bottle of beer per 2 bushels. The beer contains yeast which will ferment.

Charcoal

We have an outdoor fire pit. I dump the cold ash and charcoal directly into the compost. Be SURE you allow ample time for the ash/charcoal to cool.

Blood Meal

If you use blood meal, remember it is high in nitrogen and can burn your plants. It will speed the breakdown process in your compost. Be advised that blood meal is a slaughterhouse by product.

Herbs for the garden

Comfrey tea is a wonderful addition to compost. After making poultices and tinctures, always bless the herb and put it into the compost to go back to the earth.

Bone Meal

Adds phosphorus to the soil and can be used liberally. Sprinkle on compost.

Epsom Salts

Add magnesium to the soil.

Endgame
At the end of one month, I lift the garbage can off the compost pile and cover the pile with a tarp. Once a week I uncover the heap, stir the compost, then wet it down and re-tarp. I use a tarp so that rain doesn’t wash out all the nitrogen in the pile. With care and boosting, you can produce good compost in 3 months.  Just in time for spring planting.

Biodynamic Planting

I've begun to research biodynamic gardening. I've laid out all the garden beds (8). Inside the fence where the beds are more sheltered I plan to use plastic lean-tos to cover the plants so I can get started earlier. Below is a schedule of moon phases and my planting times. You can save yourself some time by consulting the Farmer's Almanac, which shows a schedule for planting indoors and out. I'll follow their recommendations which are very similar to my own research listed below. I'm getting started earlier than usual because I am experimenting with covered beds.

Capricorn- An earth sign. Productive and dry. Good for planting potatoes and other root crops, and for encouraging strong hardy growth. Cut back plants damaged by cold. Good for grafting, and pruning to promote healing, and applying organic fertilizer. December 22 to January 19

Jan 30 – full moon
Jan 15 – new moon
Jan 16 Start petunias


Aquarius- An air sign. Barren and dry. Harvest root and fruit for storage. Cultivate, destroy weeds and pests. Good for planting onion sets. January 20 to February 18


Full moon Jan 30th
New Moon Feb 14
Feb 15 Start lettuce, cabbage, kale, spinach, basil, thyme, cilantro
Jan 31 Start carrots indoors.


Pisces- A water sign. Very productive and moist. Second best sign for planting and transplanting. Especially good for root growth and irrigation. February 20 to March 20


Full Moon Feb 28
New moon March 15
March 16 Transplant to outdoors: lettuce, spinach seedlings, plant snow peas, artichoke, broccoli
use mini greenhouses
Feb 29 - seed onions, carrots, radishes, beets in back bed. Transplant carrots. Cover with greenhouse
Start indoors: Yolo peppers, tomatoes, winter squash indoors, zucchini and cukes, more lettuce, cabbage
Start marigolds and zinnias indoors.

12 Things You Can Do To Be Healthier

Each year during the holidays, Dr. David Eifrig publishes a list of his top-12 tips for dramatically improving your health – and life – in the coming year. In brief, they are:
1. Enough sleep
2. Sun on your body every day
3. Movement
4. Massage
5. Eat more fruit
6. Meditation
7. Aromatherapy
8. Aspirin –one low-dose aspirin/week
9. Wine – small doses
10. Don't share items that carry germs
11. Take an antibiotic once a year
12. Music