St. Dorothy's Day

St. Dorothy lived in Caesarea in central Turkey, around the year 313 AD. She was tried for refusing to worship idols, and a mocking lawyer asked her to send him fruit from the garden of Paradise. In response to her prayer, an angel appeared and presented three roses and three apples.

"And then said the holy virgin with a glad semblant: Do to me what torment thou wilt, for I am all ready to suffer it for the love of my spouse Jesu Christ, in whose garden full of delices I have gathered roses, spices, and apples."

Because of this, she is the patron of gardeners. Also of brides, and brewers.

Agenda Today:

1. Read "The Serviceberry"

2. Garden visualization

3. February tasks

4. Prepare to plant

5. Make potting soil

6. Make Persian Spiced Apples

1. Read "The Serviceberry":

Today I'm reading from "The Serviceberry", by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2024). I got this sweet little book for Christmas. 

"It pains me to know that the old-growth forest is 'worth' far more as lumber than as the lungs of the Earth. And yet I am harnessed to this economy, in ways large and small, yoked to pervasive extraction. I'm wondering how we fix that. And I am not alone."

2. Garden visualization:

The winter garden is a mostly blank canvas, good for visualizing colors, shapes and composition. Most years St. Dorothy's Day is when I begin to plan for changes. Today I took a notebook outside, walked around my entire yard once, and examined it in a non-critical way. I wrote down these ideas:

• Far west fence corner: Permanent tepee spot. Plant herbs. Clean up rubble.
• Expand sand pit and build a counter for mud kitchen with sink. Flag stone edging perhaps? Saw horse for tarp?
• Solution for English ivy problem???
• Ned new layer of mulch for paths.
• Plant winter wheat and oats along duck fence (in garden beds).
• Better fence for duck cafeteria and plant more comfrey! 
• Plant a new serviceberry tree in front yard - and native ground cover around it.
• Sanctuary garden: Pick another tall bush to add to shield the front; move hollyhock. Add an umbrella?
• Hummingbird garden - plant more flowers: Aquilegia formosa (western Columbine), Lupinus polyphyllus (bigleaf lupine).

3. February tasks:

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'."

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. Continue to feed the birds, and keep the feeders clean.
3. Clean my tools and oil them (if I haven't already).
4. Dig up some raspberries to thin plants to 2-feet apart.
5. Prepare the pea and onion beds (see below).
6. Repair or replace boards around some beds.
7. Fern Maintenance: Dead fronds should be left attached to the plant through the winter and then removed, if desired, in February, just prior to the appearance of new growth.

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:

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.

5. Make Persian Spiced Apples: 

You might like to make this exotic treat from St. Dorothy's homeland. The recipe is here.