Day two. Nothing has happened. This is natural, I suppose, since it is the dead of winter and all hopes of planting are at least two months off. But it seems like the beginning of this project should start with a bang! of some kind. Maybe I can go buy some fancy obscure seeds to commemorate the project, but for tonight, I'll get down to the plans.
I read somewhere that gardening is a year-round job, which struck me as odd. While I tempt fate by going out without thermal underwear, there are people out there considering produce? I don't think so. But as I kept reading, I realized how much planning has to go into this kind of endeavor. Especially for a first-timer like me.
So, this morning over tea and banana pancakes (two highly non-local imported food items-- Bananas in New England? Tea at sea level? ha!), I assessed what I've got and what I need.
Existing supplies:
1. gardening gloves
2. shovel
3. sunny space perfect for container gardening both in front and back of house
4. three-step compost system*
5. Alys Fowler's Garden Anywhere
6. a bookmarks folder of useful sites
* Step 1: Put scraps in large bowl in kitchen
Step 2: Wait as long as is fragrantly bearable and then transfer to 11 gallon container on back step
Step 3: Push down items in said container for as long as possible until no space remains and compost is generating enough heat to melt surrounding snow. Then move compost to "discreet" pile on side of house.
The supplies I have so far are, though all imperative, also quite scant. Although I have ample soil in which I could garden, I'm leaning towards mostly container gardening. This way I don't have to leave a half-constructed garden in the soil when I move, and I can move plants around depending on what they turn out to need & want. So the first thing I'll need is containers.
I intend to get these and as many other materials as possible from non-new sources. Tomorrow it's going to be positively balmy here (43 degrees farenheit!) so I'll go on a dumpster/neighborhood excursion and see what I can come up with.
I obviously also need some seeds, and need to figure out what I'm going to do about soil. I am inclined to use soil from my backyard and mix it with my compost (of which a good layer is ready for use, assuming the rats haven't gotten to it since the last time I visited-- oy!). I'm not sure whether my backyard soil is any good though, and I've heard that container gardens need especially non-clay-ish soil. Is my soil clay-ish or not? I better figure that out.
I'm sure there are a variety of other items I need, but these seem like the big three to focus on for now. So, tomorrow: containers!
Go! :)
Sara
p.s. yesterday's song: "Mightiest of Guns" by A. A. Bondy
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