So far, one of the biggest takeaways I’ve gotten about gardening is that it’s all about the soil. This, to me, means very little. What’s all about the soil? What about the soil? I’m hoping that I’ll get a little lesson this Friday when I meet with my rain garden team, but until then, I’m also taking some steps to learn and do more.
First, I know that there’s little better for a garden than some nice healthy compost. Jack and I have discussed starting a compost pile in our own backyard, but so far we’ve only managed a nice stick pile from the giant white pine that sheds twigs like needles onto our cars and walkway. We just never really got around to it before the weather got cold, and we didn’t figure a brand new compost pile in winter would be productive enough to provide soil in the spring.
So, we’ve signed up with one of the coolest new businesses around: Ecomovement. This crew recently started a curbside compost pickup – they give you a bin and for a small weekly fee, they pick up your compost waste. This is especially amazing for us because we don’t have curbside garbage pick up in Kittery, so not having food waste sitting around waiting for our next trip to the transfer station is awesome. As part of our membership, we get some finished compost returned to us to use in our own garden.
See how hard I’m already working?
The wacky book I’m reading “Growing at the Speed of Life: A year in the life of my first kitchen garden” by none other than the Galloping Gourmet himself, Graham Kerr, also has some surprisingly good tips so far. One of those tips being – tap into local knowledge. So, I’m also marking my calendar for the Grow Your Own Organic Garden course offered by Kittery’s adult education program (I’ll also be taking Don’t Be Afraid of the Pie Crust, but that’s another story for another time). Led by members of the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association, the primary emphasis of the course is on soil, so I’m hoping any final mysteries will be solved there.
I’ll admit, I’ve had a few moments of worry about finding ways to get myself ready for gardening season with no advanced knowledge on the endeavor. And, I’m pretty excited so far about the local resources we’re finding to be better prepared. Onward!
Today’s Garden Update
Started curbside composting to earn back compost for gardening season.
Signed up for a Grow Your Own Organic Garden class with the local adult education offerings.
Began thinking seriously about soil.
