The trash bags of leaves
lining the city streets signal that it's time to start new garden beds.
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| Photo of M R Gardens by Vickie Burick |
This statement may seem
strange to those who are used to waiting to even think about their gardens
until the first sunny warm days of March. But no-till gardening, a low
maintenance method that produces high quality vegetables in a sustainable way,
requires some thinking ahead. If we layer cardboard, leaves and other organic
matter on top of grass now, we'll have a yummy fertile bed for our plants in
the spring.
Our engrained instinct is to
rest in winter. And we absolutely should, especially in our overactive society
that doesn't properly value rest. But next year's gardening year goes best if
we don't entirely shut off our spigots of energy. That way we're not
frantically trying to catch up in the spring, overtaxing ourselves. That leads
to burnout.
Often it's not the garden
that burns us out, it's the way we approach the work—waiting until the last
minute, shoving too many tasks into too short a timeframe.
Personally, I prefer gardening
in winter more than any other time of the year. I let the weather direct me,
reserving outside work for those precious sunny, calm, 55 degree days that
we're so lucky to have in North Carolina. I like it best when the landscape
tells me what to do rather than the other way around.
So used to being cooped up
inside, my body embraces the sunshine, my senses more heightened than usual.
Memories of gardening in cooler climates in Maine and Pennsylvania sift through
my head as the scents of decaying leaves and crisp air float under my nose. As
I loosen the tomato trellis posts from the ground, preparing to sanitize and
store them, ideas loosen in my mind, and inspiration for projects and articles
spring to the surface.
This time of year I feel less
pressed for time as nothing in the garden is screaming at me, urgently needing
my attention. No patch is in danger of becoming too weedy and no vegetable is
on the brink of becoming too large. Therefore I can be the perfectionist I want
to be, taking the time to craft the garden exactly how I envision it.
I hope you grant yourself a
couple hours each week in the garden this winter. Please contact me if you need
help setting up your no-till bed or planning out your 2014 garden.
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| Photo of M R Gardens by Vickie Burick |
Figuring out the timing
A newly built no-till bed
needs at least three months of rest, preferably more, so that organic matter
properly decomposes into the ideal consistency.
If you want to plant spring
crops such as kale and broccoli in mid-March, I recommend laying out your garden
by December 1.
If you're
planting summer crops such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in mid-May, you
can wait until the beginning of January to build your bed.
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Megan Riley of M R Gardens is a garden coach and designer of edible/native landscapes. Contact her at 828.333.4151 or gardens@wncmretc.com
