| Michael's Garden Blog - February 2011 |
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Since January saw precious little moisture fall on Santa Fe and surrounds, those of us in the plant guaranteeing business have been busy hand watering trees and shrubs planted last year. EcoScapes' maintenance crew also continued deep watering trees to lessen the stresses from the lack of lack of winter snow pack and a longish stretch of unseasonably windy, warm temperatures. While this weather potentially threatens the survival of perennials and trees, it is a boon for the winter greens gardener. With some sun-admitting cold protection, established greens continue to grow, albeit still slowly even as the days get noticeably longer.
The photo below, taken of our planting bed on January 30, a balmy 55 degree day, shows bunches of promising greens. I had just drenched the bed from the fish pond below the multilevel, re-circulating, self cleaning and filling birdbath waterfall/fountain/pond. [This is the same fountain that I had to shut down for a couple weeks following a fairly long stretch of super cold - zero some nights and not even up to freezing many of the days - earlier in January - a photo of waterfall in ice mode is in last month's blog]. I then replaced the cover over the greens to allow the sun to warm up the ground and space in anticipation of a return to zero degree winter weather predicted for later this week.
If this year's new seed purchases haven't already been made, it's certainly time to browse new catalogues and/or online seed producers' web listings. Pick out what you'll want on hand when the time comes to start warmer weather crops and/or get into the ground when the last super cold winter freezes have passed. In late February it is not uncommon to be able to have peas, all kinds of cold loving greens and radishes in the ground - all can be planted as soon as the ground is workable [which means that the earth doesn't come up in big frozen clods when turning with a digging fork]. Speaking of digging - the following picture is of some beets I dug from another garden area today - destined for the oven together with some garlic, thyme sprigs and a bit of olive oil. Yum.
I do realize that most active aspects for a gardener in the winter about which I speak are for the more enthusiastic - having my own fresh, vitamin-rich produce close to year round is what motivates me. Most gardeners are happy that the best opportunities occur only a little over half the year and just concentrate on those times. In the winter as a young child, I got to participate in breaking off potato eyes in the cellar and culling out bad onions from the braids. Back then my grandparents really grew food to sustain them all year - sauerkraut, tomato products of all kinds, corn, beans, peas, various root crops etc. But that was in Nebraska and easily growing greens outside in the winter, without adding a lot of energy, was beyond possibilities. For this and other reasons, gardening in Santa Fe has a year round payoff when timing is understood and at least loosely followed. So, to have your own tomato starts ready as early as they can be set out [with a little protection for a couple weeks in early May] it's on the early end to plant those seeds at the very end of this month - to get a run into the somewhat short hot crop growing season here. It's easy, gratifying and a hedge against personal crop failure to pass out extra tomato starts, which are an inevitable result of starting your own seeds...and if you don't get those starts going before the end of March, just go to Agua Fria Nursery, where they'll have masses of extremely interesting varieties ready for you in an array of sizes from late April into June.
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