Christmas is a welcome distraction, but by Boxing Day my thoughts have turned to the new gardening year.
David and I will be away for about a month this summer so I’ll plan the garden accordingly. I’ll have water timers attached to soaker hoses to automatically water the garden, even during stage four drought conditions, to make it possible to have a garden and still take a trip, although I anticipate missing out on some of the harvest.
My garden planning starts with transferring chores from my 2024 agenda book to my new 2025 book. I write them in red to differentiate them from other life appointments like birthdays, bridge and garbage pick-up days, as well as a looseleaf binder with a “to do” section that I carry to the garden along with a pen, and derive great satisfaction by scratching off each item as it is accomplished. In another section of the binder I keep “spring, summer, fall and winter” maps that I refer to when in the garden.
Once I’ve gathered all the seeds I intend to sow, I refer to a list kept in this same binder to see which container to put them into. I put dates on these containers, starting with Feb.1, the date I sow seeds indoors, and continuing until the end of October when I plant garlic. Preparation ensures that everything is sown in a timely fashion because each year we only have a certain window of opportunity for most seeds; once the window passes, that’s it.
As I sort the seeds, I write them on a list to refer to when I order more. On my “must order” page, I write down seeds I want, like dent corn to replace the ones that got eaten up by the (expletive deleted) raccoons who have set up house under our porch while planning next year’s raid. I have a counterattack planned I am itching to implement: I’ll grow the corn in a patch inside separate beds of vining squash encouraged to meander strategically around the outside of the corn patch. I’ll start the squash at the same time as the corn since they both mature about the same time and the squash vines won’t be on their way out before the corn is ready. The idea is that the vines should still have their spiky hairs at the same time as the corn harvest so raccoons won’t cross the spiky protection.
It’s dangerous to look through seed catalogues though, because so much looks enticing that one can easily get carried away and discover that he’s spending more than $50. This is one major reason for saving our own seeds and checking out what bargain stores carry. Last year I found some good corn seed at Fields, which the (unnecessary adjectives removed) raccoons loved as much as my saved heirloom varieties.
If half eaten cobs count as word of mouth we can consider that a sign of approval.
Please contact mary_lowther@yahoo.ca with questions and suggestions since I need all the help I can get.
