Getting Ready to Garden

We hope everyone will join us this Thursday, March 26, for another tasteful Pathfinder Produce fresh fruit and vegetable market, held at the Village Commons from 2 to 5 p.m.  We wish to thank all our patrons who made last week’s second anniversary celebration a great success.  **** A few weeks ago, our Vocational Program participants and Otsego Academy students worked with Brian Belknap, our garden consultant, on planting the beds at the Button Greenhouse with seeds for spinach, lettuce, and other greens.  Mr. Belknap, the Food Service Director at Edmeston Central School, is a great believer in adding greens to nearly every meal, whether they’re fresh, steamed, sautéed, or added to tasty smoothies for an added nutritional boost. Walking through the greenhouse recently, I noticed the little plants have really taken off and I’m looking forward to purchasing some greens once the staff and students start harvesting them.  I’m sure everyone is getting ready to plant the larger beds in the 5210 Hoop House too; it looks like the structure made it through the tough winter just fine, and it shouldn’t take too much work to get the beds back into prime condition. On the other hand, my own garden is a different and sad story.  The three four-by-eight raised beds remain under a covering of snow, and last year’s sunflower stalks remind me of the work that needs to be done.  I know it’s time to replace the untreated wooden plank frames (they refuse to hold together and some of the wood is well-rotted), rejuvenate the soil mix, and maybe develop a hoop house of my own to control the weeds that are my annual nemesis. Of course, I could also take a new direction and try something I saw in an old Mother Earth News publication I saved.  The article is called “How to Make Instant No-dig Garden Beds” and offers several methods:  The first is to simply open small planting holes in the lawn sod and insert starter plants (EASY); another method is to buy 40 lb. bags of soil, strategically place them in the garden, and add drainage slits around the perimeter of each bag.  The author, Barbara Pleasant, suggests cutting off the tops of the bags and putting in your starter plants, and then mulching around the young seedlings.  Tomato plants require one bag each, according to the article. Yet another option is to use old hay or straw bales for planting.  My dad has done this a few times with potatoes, and had some nice results especially as the spuds come out absolutely clean.  Author Pleasant says these bale gardens require a lot of water, and may need some liquid fertilizer, but that they also attract earthworms, which are highly beneficial.  More details on this method are at www.no-dig-vegetablegarden.com/straw-bale-gardening.html.  (Straw bales are preferred over hay bales, as they tend to not have as many weed seeds). Bales can also be used to outline a traditional bed filled with soil, especially if you want a larger growing area.  Or, if you’re creating a permanent bed, you can outline your garden beds with non-rotting plastic planks, untreated landscaping ties, or even decorative masonry blocks.  (Be prepared for some sticker shock with the plastic or masonry options). Until next time, be well, and we hope to see you at Pathfinder Produce! Lori