The remains of last season's stalks and plants have been chopped down and cover the soil. The garlic has been planted and lies dormant beneath the snow-covered soil. The winter offers a quiet break from work in the garden, but it won't be long before I flip through the seed catalogs and hang up the lamps to start my seedlings for the spring.
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| Drying flowers for tea: Mauve, Marshmallow, and red clover |
I'd call 2011 a pretty successful year. I finished off the season by attending a seed-saving workshop given through
Santropol Roulant, and was able to practice my skills by saving seeds from some tomatoes (an heirloom Purple Russian that I grew, and some super sweet orange cherry tomatoes from our
CSA basket), from some arugula that went to seed, and a bunch of flowers I found growing around the neighborhood (calendula, marigold, and other unknowns). I also did a big harvest of flowers and herbs for cooking and tea. I have a couple jars of sage, mint, and lemon balm, and some for rosemary and parsley as well. Mat has been making some delicious soups for us!
Looking forward to 2012, I have a few goals for the new season:
- Record the harvest! Small urban gardens are extremely productive, and it will be nice to know how much I'm producing and how much money I'm saving by growing my own organic produce.
- Expand the perennial herb/flower garden on the other side of the building. It's a shadier, tougher patch of earth to work, but planting a variety of perennial herbs and native plants will mean less work in the long term, and less watering and fertilizing, as these plants are adapted to the regional climate and soil. Flowering plants are also extremely important for attracting pollinators!
- More updates! While I prefer to be outside gardening more than being inside writing about gardening, writing is a fun opportunity to show some creativity, and let family and friends know what I'm up to.
Hope you all are staying warm this winter and happy 2012!!
