The Pagan Activist

I have been gardening since I was a teenager, but really got into organic gardening when I had small children to feed. I am a Master Gardener and at one time was a Certified Organic Market Gardener selling at Farmer's Markets and craft shows. I specialize in small fruits and herbs.  I also am a crafter and a homesteader, living in western Massachusetts on top of a mountain with my husband and 2 Scotties.  Our 5 children and two (and a half) grandchildren visit when they can make it up the long bumpy road to our new home.

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2008:

May

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It's SPRING!  The time that all gardeners have waited for (some, not so patiently).  This will be the first garden going in at our new place, but the procedure is still the same.

Since this is the first column, I'll start at the beginning and state that there is one thing that all gardeners do, and that is to grow organically!  I didn't know the difference when I started growing gardens 25 years ago, so when I picked up a book by Robert Rodale, I was very surprised!   Mr. Rodale asked a simple question: If you are going to take the time to grow food for your family so that they can be healthy, then why would you want to poison them in the process? It turns out that along with soil nutrients the plant takes in, they also take in any poisons and chemicals that you use on your garden and pass them on to you in the food you are eating.  Well, didn't I feel foolish!  I've never used chemicals on my gardens since.  There really is no need to either. Healthy gardens are not prone to diseases or insect invasions in general. There are tons of natural means of feeding your plants and treating any random insect with out having to haul in the heavy chemicals. I'll address those more in future articles.

So, it's spring, but it's not planting out time yet for most. For me, here in the frozen tundra, there is still nasty white stuff on the ground. However, I have a nice garden already in the works.  I started many of my plants in garden starts and have them under a light shelf that my husband made for me. You don't need a fancy lighting system, but you little plants will need light for a good share of the day and daily turning to make sure they grow straight and healthy. Seed starters are available from any home and garden store and the ones I use have a tray, individual peat disks and a clear cover over the tray.  I add warm water to the tray with the discs and wait to watch them plump up. The next step is planting. Then we wait until the "babies" pop up and we take care of them till planting time. Starting your own seeds is much more economical than going to a greenhouse to pick up the plants. Plus you get to choose the varieties you want.

The best part of winter is the gardening catalogs.  Most garden catalogs are now available on line, so you need never have a ton of paper delivered to you that you will then need to recycle.  Go online to find a seed catalog that suits you.  I try to also take a look at the latest issues of my favorite organic gardening magazines before ordering, to get the news on the latest and greatest of varieties.  In some places, there are some great seed co-ops that you can take advantage of as well.  One thing I have noticed is that more and more companies are listing their organic and non GMO seeds.  GMO, is a term for seeds that are genetically altered (genetically mutated organism). Yes, there are genetically altered seeds out there! The idea originally was to help farmers by finding ways to make plants more resistant to diseases and that will grow bigger and produce more. But, honestly, I don't feel the need to have fish genes spliced into my tomatoes. It isn't natural nor is it necessary.  So, when it comes to choosing your seeds, take the time to look at the sites available and make your lists. Most gardeners find that they choose way too much and have to cut their list way down. If you do this, congratulations! It's a time honored tradition.

One other thing that I have found helpful when getting ready for the garden season is to make a garden plan.  A piece of paper with an outline of your garden plot and where you are going to put things is very helpful.  Garden plots should get a minimum or 6 hours of sun daily, and it helps if your rows run north to south for the least shading.

As you envision your garden, envision one more important thing along with it....your compost bin.  Composting is a means of taking your garden (and kitchen) waste and turning it into a dark nutrient rich amendment that will feed your plants for years in a healthy, organic way.  Composting is easy, simple and since compost is known as "black gold", you can tell it is very valuable to gardens. I'll provide details about maintaining compost bins and the many ways to use compost in future articles.

Enjoy your garden dreams, find your seeds and get those hands dirty!

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