Of This and That on the Last Day of March

garden, end of March, 2023

I am considering March to be "going out like a lamb" if a lamb can be considered to have a high temperature of 45 F under this morning's bright sunny skies. The weather guessers are predicting another inch or so of white fluff in the forecast for "today" and the sky is therefore supposed to cloud up as the day progressed, but in their estimation, the snow (again, supposed to turn to rain later) is not expected until after dark, so I will take the liberty of not counting it for the lamb/lion dichotomy. 

Today is Frigga's day and should be focused on fiber things, as it will be in part. I have been struggling to start the knitted owl pattern and will start again today, starting over after posting the link and seeing they call it a "tutorial." Hoping it is not a video because I do not learn easily from them, but whatever. I always struggle with starting "in the round" projects with just a few stitches. Like socks, toe up. Like this little owl, 9 stitches and "magic loop" it. As a witch, the so called magic loop should not be an issue, dammit. But it is. LOL And after one round of knitting they call for "knit front and back." yeah, of course they do. Hopefully the link and Frigga will help. 

But Frigga is also a hearth Goddess and today I shall also invoke her in that capacity, as I start another batch of "5 Minute Artisan Bread." I will use the first bit tomorrow, making a small loaf to eat with split pea soup which will cook in one of my crock pots all day, alongside some chicken which will get turned into chicken and dumplings Sunday, I am glad I have two smaller and one larger slow cooker, as I will be spending part of Sunday making a basket with a local friend.

Along with the knitting and bread making, hopefully I will get to tackle my in-process sewing, a winter nightgown, before it's time to stop thinking "flannel" and begin thinking cotton or linen. Up here in the Northlands, though, that will be a few months, for sure. I know some cold-blooded friends who leave their flannel sheets on year round, though, but I am not privy to what they wear once under cover. Probably a good thing, eh?

no bulbs showing yet

fowl yard today

But the chickens are waiting and I want to check out the (badly overgrown) flowering bulb bed, so I better get at it.

And as an afterthought, just because the Internet could use another cat photo, I think this is our Smoke, bathing in a box by my desk yesterday. There is, indeed, an entire cat there.

Hands in the (Sorta) Earth to Stay Sane

We keep hearing and reading that "playing in the dirt/mud" is good for the soul and the psyche, but with little mud here yet and most of the garden still under a good layer of snow turned to almost ice, the only way it is going to happen is with

pseudo-earth. In this case, a soggy wet tub of ProMix and a soil blocker, which I used the otherday to seed my tomatoes for the year. 

It may look like a heck of a lot of seeds but with saved packets from years past, I only ended up with 84 or so seeded blocks. My recycled shortening containers comfortably hold two rows of 7 tiny soil blocks each. That works out well for the many varieties. I can write the variety names on each side of the container on duct tape and hopefully keep them sorted out. Some of the rows of 7 contained the last few seeds of two different varieties. 

Separating the little blocks from the array of 20 that the blockmaking tool generates requires a bit of finesse. With a gentle touch, on can pick up one block at a time, but I found that sliding a row of them into place, and then only putting two, at most, in by hand had the best results.

Long ago in my struggle to successfully grow my own starts, damping off fungus was my main adversary. But then I discovered the trick of covering the seeds with playground sand instead of potting mix and have not had a single issue since. I guess the sand will not support the fungus, which is fine with me!

Tomatoes should be up next week, but the next day or so will be devoted to making the larger 2" blocks to pot up the jungle of broccoli and cauliflower that are growing like crazy on the grow rack.

And if you want to be notified of future blog posts and the blogger link does not work, email me at starwalkr(at)gmail.com and I will update you. No spam... I do not sell anything.

Trees Awaken, Warm the Earth

We act like the longer daylight and sun rising higher in the sky collaborate to bring us spring but I think not. I think they only wake the trees. Like many of us who can, the trees pull their energy inside, tucked down deep in the earth's constant temperature zone and, eventually tucked in by a fluffy white blanket -- as I am 'neath my warm down quilt -- they slumber.

But now and the sun rises earlier and earlier, they begin to awaken. Does their internal temperature rise as they awaken, as ours often does? I think so. I think their blood, circulating with more vigor and warmth in their roots, as they begin to stir -- imperceptibly perhaps, as these standing ones are not known for visible movement -- is what begins to warm the land.

Is this not why, in an expanse of standing snow in my orchard or across the back field where only wild-planted trees and bushes live, around each tree, each bush is a circle of open earth?

Love spring? Thank a tree.

Addressing the Seasonal Gardening Questions: PART 2

Once we know when to look for our last spring and first fall frosts (you did write them down, I hope, after our last discussion here!) we are ready to start selecting seeds and planning what to start inside, and what can go directly into the garden, and when to think about doing it. 

I will be using the dates for my location: June 1-10 and Sept 21-30. There is a handy web tool for figuring days between two dates, if you don't want to flip calendar pages and count. I don't so I have brought up https://www.timeanddate.com/date/duration.html and by comparing the latest spring frost date and the earliest fall one and then the opposite pair, I have determined my growing season averages between 104 and 122 days.

Which, in my thinking, makes those long season, huge jack-o-lantern pumpkins an iffy proposition. But there is more to gardening than just the numbers. And more to many of the numbers than their implied precision.

What does days to harvest on a seed packet or in a catalog actually mean? 

Seeds that get planted directly into the garden, like these green beans, are pretty straightforward if you understand to start counting when you see them peeking up through the earth. Remember, though, that soil moisture (you may need to water them), temperature and even weed pressure can slow them down. Also, though it may seem obvious, they do not all get picked the very same day. I usually get a small picking or two, enough for a side dish for supper as the first blossoms' fruit begins to mature. Of course the plants are continuing to grow and making more and more flowers which leads to a peak production, and then tapers off. In my area, I often do two planting of beans. This is called succession planing and will come up again later.

For plants that are usually introduced to the garden as transplants, the timing is calculated from transplanting. So when planning your seed starting adventure, you will need to allow a lead time to get the seeds started and to a good transplant size. But do not worry, we've got tools to help you right on the ol' Internet here. All you have to do is plug in that last frost date (and I suggest you play with timing a bit while you are learning, trying the earlier, later and an average to see which timing works best in your garden. Remember, we are using imprecise numbers! Also, when choosing varieties of vegetables with longer growing seasons, keep that first fall frost date will come into play! Remember my scenario from the previous post at frost time? I am sure you would not be a happy gardener if your tomatoes were just starting to bear well because you did not allow sufficient time between the "days to harvest" date calculated from your transplanting time and first frost to get a good crop.

Garden Timing and Planning Tools

It's time for you to meet one of my three favorite local seed companies, Johnny's Selected Seeds. I have been a customer for nearly as long as Rob Johnston, Jr. has been selling seeds, and

this is their 50th anniversary. I can attest to their commitment to their stated "same day shipping" and when I need seeds in a hurry, I shoot an email order to them as they are always "Johnny('s) on the spot." But today, we will be visiting another part of their web site, their Grower's Library, which is jam packed with info for growers from beginners to professional large market gardeners and farmers. Specifically (so you don't get lost wandering down a rabbit hole, as I often do!) we are going to the Planning Tools and Calculators and then scrolling down to the PLANT section to find the Seed-Starting Date Calculator for Seedlings Interactive Tool. Enter a last frost date from your notes, click ENTER and scroll down to see the updated information below. I cannot say enough about what this simple chart can teach you, because it does not just spit out apparently arbitrary dates, but by reading the column headers, you learn the flow of thought, and various crops needs, as you see, reading columns right to left, who can be set out at or even before frost, who needs to wait until after, and how long and exactly (if anything in this science is exact!) how that relates to your particular average frost date. And then, as important, how long the lead time is for each crop. We do not all grow at the same rate, yanno? And if you think the vegetable info is useful, keep scrolling and check out the huge array of flowers also listed. They also note: * Usually direct-sown, but can be started indoors and ** Specifically recommended for direct-seeding outdoors.  

Click back a screen and check out any of the other tools and topics and catch your attention. If you have wondered about timing of succession planting, like I do to make sure I have lettuce all year long (spring planted lettuce is gone, here, by the time BLT season begins) or want to work backward from first fall frost to make sure your crops ripen, they have tools for that, too. And videos as well, if that is how you learn best.

I cannot just let Johnny's get publicity here, though, as I have two more local seed sellers that I rely on each year. This year, though, with my garden being smaller and my budget as squeezed as everyone's is, I ordered most of my seeds from a much less publicized smaller family business: Pinetree Seeds. I really appreciated their selection of packets with fewer seeds at really great prices. Yes, most seeds will last at least a few years, when stored properly, but if you, like me, are often seduced by new-to-me or different varieties, you know how fast the partially filled packets collect! It was nice to have a pack of 30 storage cabbage seeds, and an equal number of shorter season ones for summer

Clancy  F1 potato

slaw and scalloped cabbage. They are not as quick to ship as Johnny's, but since I planned ahead, I was willing to wait and the savings made it really worth it. They have always been great seeds, too. And just for S&G, have you ever planted a potato seed... as opposed to a seed potato? Thanks to Pinetree, I have 20 potato seeds sprouting right now on my grow rack!

And I cannot overlook our long standing friends at Fedco. Around here, they are almost better know for their trees and a tree sale at their facility in Clinton Maine that was held annually in late April or early May in pre-

pandemic times. But they sell supplies year round, potatoes and onions in the spring and seeds as well. They are very focused on organic methods and active in the community as big supporters of MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.) All of the fruit trees here on my farm have thus far come from Fedco. 

That is it for now, folks. If you still have questions, remember to find your local extension agent! If my rambling verbosity has confused you, though, shoot me an email and I will try to clarify the issue...  with more rambling verbosity, unfortunately. Happy gardening!

 

Addressing the Seasonal Gardening Questions: PART 1

Every year about this time if not earlier, the Internet and especially gardening/homesteading groups blow up with questions. It makes sense, I guess, as we start hitting the pile of seed catalogs that began arriving even earlier than usual this year. I am excited to see so many new gardeners, and at the same time I get a bit sad and frustrated. So many of us, it seems, did not keep any of our "research skills" which I hope are still being taught in school. With the Internet at our fingertips, finding information is much easier than in the "go to the library, hunt in the card catalog and then search the stacks and hope" days of my youth. But with the plethora of information, it is easier, now, to become confused if you do not have any background beyond possibly folk sayings and local traditions. And as mobile as we are, tracking down true local traditions and not ideas imported by folks moving from different climates, produces more challenges. So once (and hopefully finally, since I will be able to reference this blog post in future years) here are all of the questions I regularly answer, answered. 

NOTE: this will be long and if you are a southern climate gardener with no frost/freeze season, much will not apply. I do write from a Northland perspective. 

Meet your County Extension Agents

Yes, you have them, even if you do not live in a rural area. "Extension provides non-formal education and learning activities to people throughout the country — to farmers and other residents of rural communities as well as to people living in urban areas. Based in each state's land grant university, they extend the knowledge and reach of their services into communities across the state, with local staff ready and willing to answer your questions about gardening, food safety, and a myriad of other topics from a base of scientific research. The Old Farmers Almanac has a current (2023) list of links for each state. They should be your first "go to."

Hardiness zones, their meaning and relevance

htps://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

This map of hardiness zones (you can search by zip code on the government web site) is often misunderstood. It codes your climate based on average annual minimum winter temperature, divided into 10-degree F zones. It is very relevant if you are choosing perennial plants, especially fruit trees and other fruiting crops that you expect to survive and produce food year after year. It does not speak to the length of your growing season, first or last frost or truly anything for annual plants — those you plant from seed or seedlings into your garden in the spring, harvest during the year and remove to compost or till in late in the fall.

Catalog and online sites selling perennials should indicate a range of hardiness zones in which each plant variety can be expected to thrive. As always, taking note of the plants and if you can, the varieties growing in your local area will help you become familiar with your "micro-climate." An open, unprotected area may challenge a tree that would otherwise be suited to your zone, and likewise, if your land has some protection from the winds and storms, you might be able to successfully grow a variety that would prefer to be a bit farther south. My land here sits on what is locally known as "storm hill" but I have a small area that is somewhat protected and am trying a hardy northern variety of peach, which is a decided gamble.

last frost date map, Maine

Average frost dates

These are the important dates you will use to plan your garden. They will tell you when to start various seeds in the house, when to transplant them into the garden and when to direct seed other crops. Coupled with the "days to harvest" info from seed packets, they will also clue you in to the fine art of succession planting, and help you make sure that you pick vegetable varieties that will actually ripen a crop in our northern gardens. The farther south you live, the longer the growing season, in general. In truly frost-free or nearly frost-free locations your challenges will vary, as you will likely find you have 2 different garden seasons: a "winter" garden season which favors cool season crops like lettuce, spinach, peas and the brassica family and a "summer" garden season for corn, beans, tomatoes, and okra. This will require irrigation and mulch is recommended.

The average Last Frost Date in the spring is the first one to consider. There are a myriad of sources out there on the web, but I have always used https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-maine-last-frost-date-map.php and have found it accurate. If you are NOT in Maine, you can copy the URL and replace "maine" with your state, hyphenated if it is a two word name. Once in, you can look at a color coded map like shown above, and even zoom in to pinpoint your exact location, which I did because my "town" covers a large geographic area. Or you can scroll down and search by town name, where the average range is listed numerically on a background of the associated color code. Write down the range, you will need to remember it. 

The average First Frost Date in the fall pretty much determines the end of our garden season. I say "pretty much" because the "killing frost" or even the threat of it, sends many of us scurrying to the garden with baskets, boxes and carts to harvest tomatoes, both ripe and ripening, at the very least, if not also the last of the beans, zucchini, cucumbers and maybe even the winter squash. But the late spinach, if we planted any, the remaining lettuces and the brassica will probably be fine and the Brussels sprouts and Swiss chard will even welcome the nip of cold weather. They allow us to get to them later, after we deal with the mound of produce that frost warning generates. https://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-maine-first-frost-date-map.php will give you a heads up on when to begin looking for that frost, and when compared with your last frost date, will give you a good handle on what we typically consider the growing season.  Make a note of that date range also, as it will be useful to know in the future.

In the next installment, we will find powerful online tools to pair with these two frost dates and meet three of my favorite local seed companies.

Post in which I Try To Give Background

"Northland" Spring Equinox

First, a few definitions. The "Northland" is what I call my home. Not my house or even my farm, but the northern latitude climate, here in the USA, where I was born, lived much of my life, and have returned in my older life. Not just a single town, or even a single state has been where I hung my hat and swung my hoe. though much of my wandering has been above the 40th parallel. I am now planted, so to speak, within hollering distance of 45 degrees north, in central Maine.

"Peasant" probably evokes a different set of images and values to each of you readers. While some definitely do not apply (usually referring to historical European small land owners/tenant farmers or a similar class of people in modern poor countries, and often a derogatory term) I resonate with the word and so, perhaps, could be considered to be reclaiming it. My life choices have brought me to a point where I am buying my 4 acres (most folks would say "I own..." but the existence of a mortgage precludes my willingness to use that term.) I am sure those peasants from the dictionary and encyclopedia would not have to think about my long held mindset of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or improvise" (though they might be more in line with the traditional end of that saying "do without." It was life as they knew it; for me it is life as I choose it, for many reasons. I would rather make, grow, build, sew, put by (can, freeze or dry) and just plain not buy unless absolutely necessary. Shopping is a chore and I dislike it more than cleaning the oven, the refrigerator. the cat boxes and the chicken coop all rolled in together.

"Rambles" I explain in the header, so I guess 'nuff said.

I have done lots of things in the work a day world, enough to pay the rent and such along they way, with a brief bit of time in an actual career (graphic design -- web and print -- and that was enough digital generations ago that trying to get this blog set up they way I want it is driving me batty!) which helped me to morph into a retirement career as a folk artist in the "Pennsylvania" Dutch (Deutsch)  tradition, following threads of my German ancestors who actually did not settle in PA. But the time came

that old age and decrepitude demanded that I give that up as well. Eyes that fail to be able to follow the detailed and hard edge painting style of the "Dutch hex sign" and a back that reads me the riot act after spending time bent over my painting table have to call the shots. And if I am going to hurt -- and at this point I am -- I want it to be because I am helping things to grow, plants and animals that will feed us and allow us to share. Not for money, mind you, though as one of the Rockefellers said in a radio interview that I often quote ... when asked "how much money is enough?" he replied "a little bit more."

I see it, though, as a "what goes around, comes around" situation. Since I decided to stop actively pursuing money as a goal, I have never needed and gone without. So these days I guess that means I am a part of some so-called "gift economy." Whatever. I don't label stuff in my life and that means when it wants t be written about, sometimes there is a lot of head-scratching and mumbling and the "rambles" may come out... sideways? Or at least awkward. But please feel free to engage either here (presuming the comment function is working (never did get that right on my last blog) or via email to starwalkr(at)gmail.com. I think you can figure that out to get it right, save me from getting spammed, and while you are at it, please note that there is no letter E in the address.