Start with the soil

Spring is officially here! Iz and I took advantage of the warmer weather and the break in rain showers to clean up the yard and prepare some beds for sowing seeds.  We have three compost piles at the end of the main garden that we started in the fall last year. Basically we just throw all kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, some paper (think cardboard coffee sleeves), and a bunch of leaves from the fall into the piles and turned them a couple of times over the season. This is a very informal way of composting, but this is an ideal way to compost for us for a few reasons. 

• The piles are pretty close to the back door so we just throw the scraps in the pile as our compost bowl fills up.

•  By composting in the garden, you are keeping all the good bacteria, worms, other bugs etc. that have been living in the compost piles in the garden-creating a more cohesive ecosystem. You are encouraging multiple generations of organisms to live in the soil of your garden.  

• This helps build the soil naturally, allowing for less tilling, and more nutrients to stay in the soil.  If you are in an area where you have heavy clay soil, like we do, I think you will understand the desire to make a more "fluffy" or less dense soil for your plants.

I am not saying that everyone should compost like this, this is still an experiment for us and is working...so far. If you want to know more, we suggest the following books:  Start with the Soil by Grace Gershuny and One Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka.  I think I will devote a later post to a few more books that have been wonderful references for us.

There is some good stuff under the straw!

After checking out the soil, Iz started sowing a few seeds: Diakon Radish, Chicory and Mustard Greens.  All of these are happy to germinate in the cool soil.  As I am writing this, I am thinking of other ideas for later posts. I will talk about where we get our seeds why we like seed banks such as Seed Savers and J.L. Hudson over commercial brands such as Burpee. In addition, as things go to seed, I will show how to save seeds from your plants so you don't have to buy any the next year!

Take a look at some photos below. Some of this stuff may seem boring to some people, but once you get a whiff of nice fresh soil, you will be hooked!

Sowing Poppies in the Spring. They like to germinate in the cool earth and bloom when it is warmer.

Daikon Radish from Baker Creek

Directions

 

Iz preparing a spot for the Daikson radishes, mustard greens and chicory. All are good to sow in the very early Spring.

Breaking up the soil lightly

Tiny seeds will grow into large plants!

Diakon Radish Seeds

Chickory Seeds

After sowing, give the soil a little pat to tamp the seeds in.

After the seeds are in the ground, make sure you keep the soil moist as they germinate.  In the Spring it is nice because we usually get a decent amount of rain. Just keep an eye on the soil and water appropriately. Of course I will update with photos when they come up!