Growing Food Is A Form of Protest…
Welcome to May! I have been loving all the spring rains. It is so good for the gardens and soils to get an extra late rains.
Gardening and growing food has always helped protect my piece and also bring immense joy! More recently I have realized it was a form of protest and a way for me to feel empowered in what I can control. It of course grounds my nervous system and supports my mental health too. Supporting local businesses, avoiding big box stores that support the massive wealthy corruption currently happening are other ways to feel empowered.
Be sure to take a moment to sit in your garden, listen to the birds, watch the bees and the lady bugs working away to get rid of the aphids from the rains. Take a moment and say thank you. I love coming home and seeing so many birds playing in my garden, eating the borage seeds and taking sticks for their nests. The gardens are the best teacher for being present and enjoying the sounds and smells of nature so we can fight another day!!
I love repurposing materials to keep it from filling up the landfills. A few years ago, I heard about sheep wool being very beneficial to garden health. I decided to try it in my own garden, of course, before suggesting it to clients. I am obsessed!! Here are the benefits to adding sheep wool to garden beds and planting areas:
Fertilizer: Wool contains nitrogen. When buried in soil, it slowly releases nutrients overtime. When planting plants add in a small amount at the base of the hole before you add in the plant. It takes about a year to breakdown the nitrogen and other nutrients to help feed plants.
Mulch: Wool pads on the surface of soil help retain moisture, suppress weeds, regulate soil temp
Pest control: Wet wool creates a barrier that protects plants from slugs and snails. When snails and slugs come to visit they don’t like the texture of the wool because it feels like barbs so they avoid the area.
Water retention: sheep's wool has great water soaking properties, it can act as soils self watering system. It traps moisture after rains and slowly gives off water back to plants.
Compost pile blanket: I have also been using a large piece of wool to cover my compost bin and it is holding in moisture and keeping the flies out. My worms are slowly decomposing it .
As you see the benefits are immense - really worth its weight in gold in the garden. I actually call it liquid gold! :) It is also FREE as most sheep shearers in the area throw away top coat of the wool, which they can’t use. t
This means hundreds of pounds of wool from just a few sheep. Let’s keep it out of the landfill and into our gardens to help the planet and our soil.
Would you like to attend a short 1 hour class on how to use sheared sheep wool in your garden? Sheared Sheep Wool Class The class would include a large bag of sheared sheep wool to use in your garden!
What to do in your garden this month:
I am counting the days for tomatoes and summer veggies… I know, I know we still have a good couple of months. I will try and be patient. :)
Be sure to prune tomatoes so they don’t turn into an over grown bush and keep leaves from touching the soil where they pick up pests. I will post a video on socials to show how to prune. Be sure to follow @lumafrontyardfarming on IG.
Always plant companion plants with veggies to help bring good helpers to the garden to ward off pests. Marigolds are your best friend! I have to admit, I used to hate marigolds - thinking they were a gas station flower. I never knew the immense benefits they had to the garden!
Check for leaf curl on fruit trees and other plants, and remove all curled leaves. It is too late to spray, but removing the affected leaves helps it not take over the tree. I have been seeing increased leaf curl on Mimulus, penstemon and fruit trees in my clients gardens.
If you didn’t cover crop this winter be sure to add several bags of good organic compost to each planting area. When looking at the ingredients, you are looking for compost manured like horse, cow etc. Just a reminder, I have come across a number of clients using miracle grow products. Please avoid purchasing miracle grow products. It is filled with many synthetic materials that are not good for the garden or planet. Stick with simple things, compost, wool, good mulch, cover crops.
Just a reminder that less is more in the garden. We can just sit and be present. We don’t need to always be doing. Leave the weeds, leave the leaves, and lets limit our need to tidy our gardens. Nature doesn’t want it tidy, nature likes it a bit messy. That is where the beauty happens!
Be sure to check out the gorgeous transformation we wrapped up this week at Tenfold Farmstand! If you have not yet been out to see, there is the wonderful community gathering space, the beautiful and delicious produce, the Blooms End pastries and coffee available too! I highly recommend taking the family for a wonderful outing of getting back to nature in the most serene setting!! Enjoy all the wildlife visiting the gardens!!
Just a reminder, you don’t need a large piece of land to grow produce. We have a small very sunny front yard garden that has 5 fruit trees, so many blueberries, grapes, and pollinators and of course raised beds for tomatoes and other veggies. You can do so much in a small space!! Are you feeling overwhelmed on where to start? We are here to break it down into manageable tasks or of course complete the work for you.
Working together using regenerative gardening techniques in our own gardens is a great way to have an impact on the climate crisis and feel empowered! Adding beauty to our gardens is so great for us and nature too!!
