I will definitely make the following adjustments while dreaming about spring:
1. I will not be lazy about double digging the soil before planting carrots. The way you do is that you take a shovel and remove (blade's length) one layer of soil and then you remove a second layer after that. Then you put the soil back in the row, but now it is loose so that the carrots have a place to grow down, otherwise you end up with short, stocky carrots, which still taste good but not big enough sometimes for winter storage.
2. I will not plant tomatoes too close to each other. I found out that after 5 years of our garden being worked on, the soil is very rich and the spread of each tomato plant was very wide, this had an effect on the leaves, which resulted in my plants getting the blight. Also, I will have to say that "caging" the tomatoes is the easiest way to trellis the plants if you are not a farmer.
3. I will not germinate a whole packet of kale seeds. Our whole garden was taken up by these guys, it looked as though I had trufulla trees societies in the garden. However, I did dry a lot of it (which is excellent in rice) and has provided some winter snack for the goats as well. In addition, the kale was host of the cabbage moth, which makes me hesitant to grow Brocolli, Brussel Sprouts and Cabagge this year. Regardless, I think I will give it a try.
4. I will remove more of the raspberry plants that are growing at the edge of the garden. I think the garden needs more aeration since our garden is in the middle of the forest. So that certain fungus doesn't have the moisture it needs to live in some plants like tomatoes, potatoes and squashes. It all depends on the weather too. Last summer had sunny and damp days.
5. Plant the onion sets in the sunniest spots of the garden.
6. Plant leafy greens in rows not in a scatter way. That makes it easier to pick and more desirable to eat. Last year I randomly scatter the seeds of arugula and other mustards and just enjoyed their presence in that plot rather than picking the leaves to eat.
7. Protect the raspberry canes, blueberry bushes and apple trees from deer and goats. Last year, I was so excited after I pruned the raspberry canes. Later that week, we had deer come in and give the canes a second cut. I was upset, but it also got me thinking that maybe the deer know that if they prune the canes then the plants will grow more in the season. It was just a thought since they didn't eat the canes. Now, this winter, we might have a dead apple tree in the spring...Our goats ate the bark off one of the apples trees in the front of the cabin. They didn't make a ring all around the trees' trunk, which I hope gives the apple tree a chance to heal and grow this year. Otherwise, we have to get another young sampling for that spot. 8. More beds in the garden. There are a lot of potential spots for new beds this year, which I am sure will involve tree removal, rock removal and compost addition.
9. Designate a better area for the herb garden. A pleasing and ornamentally organized array of herbs and flowers. It has to be closer to the cabin and I have to be better at collecting and preserving these essential plants.
10. Don't wait too long to pick the last of the root crops. I kept procrastinating about digging the last planting of beets. Winter came in swiftly and frost made it impossible to dig them out. Eventually, I dug them out one night when the temperatures were above 32 F. I had to dig them with my bare fingers and it was very painful. I brought them in the basement, took the leaves out and let them acclimate to room temperature. After a couple of days, the beets were moldy and soft. I estimated, it lost probably 5-7 pounds.So, there is a lot to think about the garden these days. It is never too early to plan for your food and my suggestion is that you start with a simple list of veggies that you would like to grow and definitely plan your beds ahead. I am a visual person, so I like to draw the garden and label plants.
More soon...
