Posted on 12/27/2019 5:16:23 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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Let’s garden! Happy new year and much bountiful harvest to come.
Garden? At solstice? We did receive a “Spring 2020” seed catalog this week.. Threw it out.
Covering up perennials in case of frost, snow. Cut my hostas back to nubbins.
1. Join a gardening club.
Share your love of gardening with others, inspire new gardeners, learn new tips from old pros and have fun in the process. Most garden clubs are involved in worthy projects such as beautifying parks, roadsides or empty lots. Some may offer classes in floral designing, landscaping or organic gardening.
2. Plant at least one native plant.
Natives, be they flowers, shrubs or trees, are adapted to your particular soil and climate. They are easy to grow without benefit of pesticides or fertilizer, and they require little supplemental water. Native plants also provide critical habitat for birds and beneficial insect that have co-evolved in the same area.
3. Install a bat house.
Bats are having a difficult time these days and their numbers are diminishing, but a bat house provides a place for them to roost and raise their young. Bats pay you back by eating up to 1,200 mosquitoes per hour, making a significant dent in the pest population. Keep in mind that bat poop (guano), is one of the best fertilizers around.
4. Create a compost bin.
Compost is a nutrient-rich substance that enriches the soil by replacing lost nutrients. Compost also reduces the need for toxic chemicals, helps control erosion, provides a habitat for earthworms and keeps waste out of the landfills.
5. Volunteer at a community garden.
Even a few hours spent in the garden provides nutritionally rich produce for people in low-income neighborhoods. Community gardens beautify vacant lots and provide a sense of pride that benefits entire communities.
6. Leave grass clipping on your lawn and keep them out of the landfill.
As they deteriorate, leaves improve the soil and provide nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium without expensive chemical fertilizers. Think of the time you’ll save by eliminating raking and bagging. If you have extra leaves, add a few to your compost bin.
7. Try your hand at saving seeds for next year.
Harvest a few from dry, wilted blooms at the end of the season and you’ll have seeds to plant in spring with plenty left over for sharing with friends. Although you can save seeds from nearly any plant (including vegetables), easy candidates for beginning seed savers include coneflower, black-eyed Susan, sunflower, marigold, morning glory, nasturtium, snapdragon or poppy.
8. Plant at least one flower for the bees.
As their numbers are dropping rapidly due to pesticides, climate change, parasites and other factors. Bee-friendly plants include bee balm, crocus, salvia, zinnia, allium, poppy, cosmos, sedum and countless others. Bees also appreciate herbs like rosemary, chives, thyme, lavender, borage. If possible, provide plants that bloom in spring, summer and fall.
We have members/Freepers from all over the USA, even as far away as Spain.
Fish that seed catalog out of the trash and donate it to your Library!
My bittersweet vine that is overwhelming my back porch is settling down for the winter, but I have lots of nice red berries to look at this winter. -Tom
Nice we do many of those. No need for a bat house, we are lousy with bats they must nest in our tree cavities. Happy New Year to all. It was 59 here in west Michigan yesterday and the grass has been greening up. A joy to spend some time outside and the air is really clean, no pollen, etc.
We went back to chilly for the past two days this week. Rain/Snow mix tonight, but then back into the high 40’s for the rest of the weekend and into next week.
Northern WI is going to get more snow, I think. There’s a system coming at the Midwest all the way from southern CA, so everyone keep an eye out! It’s in Nebraska and Kansas right now, and moving Northeast:
https://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php
I think I did mention last week that I would love to read everyone’s gardening resolutions for next year. Other than spending more time in the garden, I am going to give up on green beans and just grow the Chinese long beans. Easier to pick and better flavor. Also will not plant so many radishes, got way more than I could eat and I love radishes. Also giving up on zucchini but will plant more broccoli. More lettuce and I may try beets again, my problem has been I don’t thin them out well enough. Also will keep the asparagus weeded, I did a much better job last year.
I’m gonna plant some peas, soon. Pacific Northwest. Still have some producing, slowly.
Those seeds fill a whole tablespoon. Will try making some seed tapes this year...and pass them around. We have a community garden in our apartment complex.
Question - Can winter squash be planted in the same garden space as the previous year? Any other rules about reusing same areas?
my Christmas amaryllis has yet to bloom....last year it took to nearly valentines day....
I will compost more....this winter I am saving all my egg shells and putting them in the freezer til the ground is thawed....
more cardboard covered with mulch on my garden paths.....
rotate crops...
more onions.....more peppers.....
I have been trying to establish red bee balm for yrs....maybe this year will be the year....
Dittos here on the Amaryllis being late to the party...
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