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Photo by Lil' Starts
The first share delivery of Lil’ Starts Gardener’s CSA is still a couple of months away, but its time to start thinking about your garden now. Lily and Luke offer these ideas for the winter garden.
Getting the beds ready…
Of course the best way to achieve this is to have already prepped your spring garden beds the previous fall. Hindsight really is 20/20. But there are things you can do this month to get your growing space ready for the upcoming planting season. Weed and clean your growing spaces and check in with your compost pile by giving it a good turn. If you have any overgrown pre-established beds, start warming and drying the soil by covering the areas with burlap or plastic mulch. Pull the material up in early-mid march, weed, work some compost into the bed and you will be ready to plant! Think about any new beds you want to establish and start by picking your location and gathering materials for sheet mulching. If you plan on using a tiller or doing any serious working of the soil you will want to wait until it is dry enough, which usually happens in mid-late April for uncovered beds.
Garden chores…
Most years peas can be direct seeded from mid-February through early April, but we recommend holding off on any seeding till the forecast says there is no chance of snow. Direct seeding a row every 2-3 weeks from now through early April will keep you snacking on peas till the end of June. Poppies and nigella seed can be sprinkled onto prepped bare ground for spring blooms.
Garlic, shallots, onions, sprouting broccoli, kale or cabbage that overwintered in your garden would really appreciate a good feeding of nitrogen this time year. You can give them a watering of fish fertilizer or side dress the plants with high nitrogen bat guano, blood meal, or alfalfa seed meal.
Daffodil, tulip, or other spring bulbs planted might be starting to break out of the ground. You may be tempted to clear away any mulch covering them but its best to leave it in place for insulation. You can gently break it up if you feel like its compacting the ground and inhibiting growth. Flowering bulbs do not need to be fertilized after planting and too many nutrients can actually inhibit blooms and lead to floppy stems.
About Lil’ Starts
Lil’ Starts is a 2 acre Urban Farm located in the East Columbia neighborhood of NE Portland. Lil’ Starts uses permaculture and biodynamic principles to grow clean, healthy produce and robust, productive plant starts for local farmers markers and restaurants. They also offer two CSA programs, one for veggies and one for plant starts. Payment plans and SNAP payment plans are available, see lilstarts.com for more details.
Owners Luke & Lillian Klimaszewski wholeheartedly believe in sustainable and natural growing methods. That’s why they only use non-GMO seed stock and their plants and produce are free of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Lil’ Starts makes their own soil mix and feeds their plants compost, locally sourced manures and plant and fish teas they ferment on their farm. These earth honoring practices, along with a good dose of community and love, ensure the best conditions for healthy, thriving plants.
Find Lil’ Starts at Montavilla Farmers Market starting on Opening Day, May 6th, 2018!
