February Tips and Tricks
Welcome to February! I am so glad you are here. It has been a very tough month and my heart is with Minneapolis and other cities affected by ICE. My family and I are getting involved to help our community and I was super proud of my 15 year old and 11 year old who participated in the walkout - general strike on Friday at their schools!
My nervous system is on overload and I have been spending extra minutes in my garden even if it is just laying in the pathway, listening to the birds and smelling the soil. If you want local resources to put the despair into action, reach out!
I have also been ending my days filling my brain with some calming and gentle reading to help my nervous system. I have been reading the wonderful book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. She says, “Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend, protect and celebrate. But when you feel the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one way street into a sacred bond.”
I feel this so deeply, without fail at every consultation or plant placement at installation day - a hummingbird flies over head, above and comes within a foot of my face. My clients are always in awe, but I just know this is the earth saying thank you for the work I am doing to educate so that the earth continues to take care of us.
What are you to doing to reset your nervous system and connect with nature so that you can have more fight in the fight?
Did you know that only 6.8% of the US population actually understands what regenerative agriculture is? This is up from 4% in 2023. Regenerative agriculture is farming and gardening in the cycles of nature with the focus on building ecosystems. By using less disturbance to the soil, no till methods, planned animal grazing and cover crops it is better for the planet and the animals that inhabit it.
Regenerative farming methods are indigenous practices that were forced out as colonization took place.
By building healthy soils and promoting biodiversity, regenerative agriculture helps land become more resilient to extreme weather events like droughts, floods, winds and heatwaves. It also contributes to carbon sequestration (pulling excess carbon from the atmosphere) to slow climate change.
Keeping soil covered with plant life helps to keep soil temperatures down and retain moisture from rainfall. When soil is completely dried out, it loses its ability to hold water, which means extreme rain run off and our top soils being washed away and of course wind can blow all our top soil away like the dust bowl.
As you can see the benefits are immense! Hence, we have to get the WORD OUT! I have an action for you all, please share this newsletter with 5 friends and explain why regenerative agriculture and gardening are CRITICAL to the survival of the planet. We are so much better and have a greater impact when we work together in community!
We can all use regenerative farming practices in our own gardens and have a big impact!
What To Do In Your Garden This Month:
February is the month where we continue to let the garden sleep and rest! Minimal disturbance of soil and plants is beneficial to all.
Roses should be hard pruned and fed if you haven’t already done so. If you are not sure how to prune the roses, reach out and I can teach you! Be sure to remove all leaves on the plant and at the base of the plant, as they can harbor fungus and disease on the new growth. If you have fruit trees, blueberries or grapes now is the time to prune as well. The few warm days are tricking our fruit trees to bud out now.
Wait until end of February to hard prune (cut back) all perennials. I realize the garden looks a bit sad now - and it is taking all our might to not get the clippers out, but just wait a little longer. If you have bare soil and extra leaves on a sidewalk or driveway, you can rake them up to to put on your bare soil to build healthy soil. The dry leaves decompose and add carbon back to the soil.
If you planted cover crop you can cut it back mid-month. Be sure to follow on instagram @lumafrontyardfarming and facebook.com/lumafrontyardfarming to see how to cut it back!
Food for thought…
This month marks three years since this little whisper in my heart became a real life reality.
I could not have done it without your support - reading my newsletters, booking consultations, booking landscape installations and of course the love on social media and sharing with friends and family. I am so grateful!!
Be kind to yourselves, be kind to others - love will prevail. If we have learned anything over the last few weeks, there are many more of us who have empathy, humanity and when we stand together we can make massive change!!
It is the perfect time to start your garden planning for spring and summer, reach out to schedule a consultation!
