Spring is Almost Here

Here in zone 9a, Gulf Coast, it's been a rather harsh winter by our standards, reminiscent of many winters I spent in New Jersey during most of my life. But spring comes early here and it often comes hard (PHRASING), so it's time to start prepping for the next season, even if you live in northern climates (if you can get a shovel into the soil). Already there are heirloom tomato, cherry tomato, jalapeno and bell pepper starts in my greenhouse. I have several beds broadforked, amended and tarped ("stale seed bedding" technique), and will prepare several more as the month closes out. When February roles around I'll start planting zucchini, cucumbers, and potatoes. I may prep some sweet potatoes to grow slips, depending on time and space. I went a little overboard when building this garden - a quarter of an acre dug and built with hand tools. It's a lot for one person even if I didn't have a nine-to-five, and my nine-to-five is more like a nine-to-seven. So I'll be looking to convert many beds to perennials, perhaps strawberries, sunchokes, and some bushes like goji berry.

As I mentioned a few days ago, growing your own food is an incalculable benefit to your health and well-being. Not only do you get fresh, pure, nutritionally superior produce, not only does this save you money, but it's a spiritual endeavor as well. It's an act of Creation, especially when you throw a bunch of yard and kitchen waste with manure into a pile and watch it magically turn itself into soil, and as that soil is added to your garden you see the transformation, especially if your soil is poor like mine. Grab a shovel and get to work. Grow a better world. Set the example. Be the Light.