February Garden

My winter garden is beginning to pop. We have bulbs flowering all over, and camellias, of course. The fall planted garlic, leeks, and beets are up, and cabbages are starting to recover from the duck attack.

My main focus in February is to plan the next season's garden, and take care of the nature that continues to live here. As always, I'd rather not go into the garden in the rain and the mud, but if I can be strong, get on my rain gear, and take a short daily tour of my garden, I find many simple things to do, without getting too muddy.

The best tip I've read in any permaculture blog is: Be consistent with 15-minutes a day, year round. I try to take a 15-minute walk through my garden each day, and I alternate the front and back gardens so I don't feel rushed. The consistency of the 15-minute daily visit keeps me connected to my garden even when I don't accomplish much. As Amy from 10-Acre Farm says, "It helps me to enjoy 'being' in the garden, rather than always focusing on the 'doing'."

Agenda:

1. Read "A Comfort of Crows"

2. Garden plans

3. February tasks

4. Pepare to plant

5. Make potting soil

1. Read "A Comfort of Crows":

I'm loving this pretty book by Margaret Renkl (2023), subtitled "A Backyard Year"; it includes a reading for each week of the year; this week is Winter - Week 10, The Crow Family.

First, she voices my own opinion of the late February garden: "My flower beds are nothing but a jumble of dried stems and matted clumps, a collection of dead vegetation. Even remembering the purpose behind this untidiness, I take no comfort from my garden in February."

She goes on to talk about corvids - blue jays and crows - who she says are "uncannily like us in unexpected ways", such as holding a grudge against a human who scares them, using tools, and appearing to play in the snow. Crows live in multi-generational families who work together to find food and fend off predators. 

2. Garden plans:

I am continuing the fun work of planning my garden. I've got the veggie garden mapped out, and I've got some of my veggie seeds, as well as millet and sunflower for my new bird garden.

My next planning tasks are to:

1. Update my planting schedule: I need to determine the date to start each thing, and put it onto my planting spreadsheet, and my calendar. Hardiness zones are shifting, and first and last frost dates are less predictable than they used to be, but we are typically in USDA zone 8b. Some say our last frost date is May 15, and some say April 20 - I'm going stick with April 20 for now, which is 10 weeks out.
2. Update my monthly checklists: I'm going to use the Second Breakfast Garden monthly guides this year to update my checklists, because they are in zone 8b.

3. February tasks:

My list of garden tasks in February:

1. Continue to care for my ducks - cleaning the coop a little more often to keep it dry.
2. Clean the bird feeders and put them away.
3. Add soil amendment to the pea and onion beds: Sprinkle the beds with an organic fertilizer, cover that with compost, and cover that with a layer of old leaf mold, from under our hawthorns. (I won't dig it in until just before planting.)
4. Dig up some raspberries to thin plants to 2-feet apart. 
5. Repair or replace boards around some beds.

Leave the stalks and stems be: There could be beneficial insects still hibernating in them so it’s best to leave them alone until early March after the bugs have emerged.

4. Prepare to plant:

2022 Pea bed and tepee.

Since I can't predict the weather, I always turn and prepare the pea bed on a clear day some time in advance of pea planting day (February 22), to be ready. 

I loosen the soil with my fork without turning it, then sprinkle the bed with an organic fertilizer, cover that with compost, and cover that with a layer of old leaf mold, from under our hawthorns. (I won't dig it in until just before planting.)

As I loosen the soil in the pea bed, I remember that plowing is a sacred act of connection to the Earth Spirit, and to my farmer ancestors back in time.

5. Make potting soil:

I've heard all about the negative environmental impact of potting soil (This post has a pretty complete discussion), so what can I do?

One suggestion is to make your own.

Most potting soil is very lightweight compared to soil in the ground. This helps it retain water and makes it easier for tender roots to easily break through the growing medium. Also, it's usually sterilized so it doesn't contain insects or diseases, or spread seeds unintentionally.

1. Gather some things to use as substitutes for peat and vermiculite: Some options are -

• Coconut coir is a byproduct of the coconut processing industry. This lightweight fiber has the ability to hold water and add drainage to DIY potting soil. Coir is usually sold in compressed blocks that expand when moistened.
• PittMoss is made from recycled paper. Its lightweight fibers evenly distribute water throughout the mix, discourage runoff, and encourage root growth.
• Wood chips or pine needles are natural substitutes for perlite or vermiculite. Both woody alternatives will break down eventually but will add nutrients to your soil as they do.

2. Next, gather and sift some compost from your bin, and sterilize it in the oven: Put about 4 inches of soil in a baking pan, cover with foil, place a meat or candy thermometer into the center, and bake at 180ºF for at least 30 minutes, or when soil temp reaches 180ºF. (Anything higher than that can produce toxins.) Remove from oven and allow to cool, leaving the foil in place until ready to use.

3. Mix together 2 parts compost, 2 parts coir or PittMoss, and 1 part wood chips or needles, and store in a tub or bag. 

4. When you are ready to plant seeds, fill a tub with seed starting mix and add water, mixing just until the soil medium clumps together. It should feel like a wrung-out sponge: If water can be squeezed from it then it’s too wet. To remedy, add more soil. 

If you have some left over, let it dry out before storing it.