March 2. That means 18 days til spring. Right? As far as the calendar goes at least. Still lots of time for cold and yuck, but soon the spring peepers will start chirping, the horse hair will start flying and it will be time to play in the dirt. Then the spring rush will be on. Ohhh, I can hardly wait!
Winter is a time of staying close by the fire and dreaming of new beginnings. Early spring is the time to start putting those dreams in motion.
To that end I spent the chilly afternoon today outside in the garden. I finished up another raised bed area, shoveled a bunch of dirt and compost into it and got a couple more beds moved to the greenhouse. I almost put the cover back on the greenhouse too but Wednesday is a chance for storms so I decided to wait til next weekend.
It’s about time to get the peas planted. My plan is to get them in the ground by mid-month. They can handle temps down to 28 degrees and by having them in the raised beds, I can always toss a cover on if needed.
The trough beds I put in the greenhouse? I’m planning on shoveling about half full of horse manure this next weekend, then topping off with soil and well broken down compost. Here I’ll plant my lettuce, spinach and maybe cucumbers (when it’s time of course). As the horse manure breaks down it will give off heat, which in turn will keep the soil warmer in the troughs for the lettuce and spinach on the cold nights we still have ahead.
I have steady started a variety of flowering herbs like calendula, chamomile, mullein, bee balm and more inside. The bees will love them and I can use them in herbal salves and teas too. The heirloom tomatoes I planted just last week have sprouted as well. Hopefully this all bodes well for a good gardening season. I'll start more seeds as the month progresses.
I have several batches of soap made and curing. I want to make a another batch of each by May so I can be ready for Market season. Also my goal is to have at least 6 dozen jars of jelly made and ready to go as well, so I’m not making it every week this summer with trying to preserve the garden too.
Less grass cutting and more food growing is my goal this year. More for myself and the critters here. More food production equals greater independence and security. The premier1 fence will also allow me to utilize the yard grass to feed the goats, horses and even pigs more too. I hate mowing, so why not utilize the yard for a better purpose?
What dreams are you putting into motion?
Until next time, Keep Dreaming, Keep Working, Keep Focused.