Garden bed turned over, ready for compost. It’s time to get to work preparing garden soil for the Spring. Growing fertile soil is the most important part of responsible self-sufficiency, and we’re tempted to neglect it to rush ahead to cooler activities we’re interested in. We have to resist this temptation. On our farm, we…
Category: Gardens
Garlic
Garlic cloves are planted in the fall. More than just a source of flavoring, garlic is one of the most important plants in the garden. Pliny listed over 60 known remedies provided by garlic. Garlic cloves for planting can be purchased easily online. Note that “hardneck” varieties are recommended for colder climates and “softneck” for…
The Seasons and the Stars
Signs and seasons. © William C. Michael, 2022 “The year is divided into four periods or seasons, the recurrence of which is indicated by the increase or diminution of the daylight. Immediately after the winter solstice the days begin to increase, and by the time of the vernal equinox, or in other words, in ninety…
One Shovel at a Time
When most families think about gardening and farming, they are tormented by two errors in their thinking. First, they start with ideas about farm life from movies, books and tourist attractions that are not realistic. Tourist attractions present images that are made possible by artificial funding. Historical farms and gardens, including stories in movies and…
The Home Vegetable Garden
The following publication was made available by the US Dept. of Agriculture in 1906. These old “farmers’ bulletins” that were published at the turn of the century were written before the heavy equipment arrived after the World Wars and gave families very good advice for farming and gardening….
Hand-Digging Fall Gardens
In North Carolina, we can continue to grow greens through the winter to make the bulk of our daily salads. I use the winter months to turn the gardens over by hand and mix in the compost that has been sitting all summer at the back of our gardens, which was collected last fall. I…