There are still a few spaces available for the 2012 summer vegetable CSA. I will extend the due date for applicants past the Feb. 1st deadline, until the CSA is full. At that point I will start a waiting list. So, if you are thinking it would be nice to get a weekly assortment of farm-fresh vegetables and herbs, grown naturally and locally, give me a call – 519-599-5363. I am happy to field any questions and even organize a short tour of some of next years’ gardens sights.
Thanks to all of the people who have signed up already! The seeds are still coming in and soon I’ll be starting the early ones.
While one may think “there isn’t much to see here,” the unusual warm front we are experiencing offers a great opportunity to see what has been happening under the snow so far.
The green manure cover crops I have put in at this garden include rye, triticale, peas, oats and buckwheat. Part of the reason I seeded these crops down was to keep the soil covered in the late fall, a practice that converves water, as well as organic matter. A high organic matter (OM) helps soils retain moisture, soluble nutrients (that would otherwise wash away) and fertility. Cover crops can also compete with weeds, one of many tools used to keep undesirable plants out of the garden, without resorting to toxic chemicals.
The buckwheat has long since died off with the first hard frost we had. As have the peas. The oats on the other hand, while seriously set back, don’t look as if they have totally died yet. I don’t expect the rye to winter kill, since it is a winter-hardy crop. I planted the rye in strips across the width of this garden. In the spring, these strips should help slow what little run-off occurs, keeping the soil, which is now mixed with the compost I spread last fall, in the garden.
Here is another garden sight, also with a scattering of green manure crops. In the top left corner of this photo is the garlic patch. Last fall it was deeply mulched, which should help it cope with these erratic changes in the weather.
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