Garden Preparation - February

Somedays it may be hard to think about gardening.

T'is February, a month high in suicides, but for gardeners, a time to think about the greener days coming.

For the ambitious backyard gardener, February can be the time to

• start such vegetables as celery, leeks, cabbages, cauliflower under lights;

• order seeds, if you haven't already succumbed to the urge; and

• spend a little time thinking about the sustainability of your garden.

If you are looking for more gardening advice about what to do in February, either search this blog using the term "February" for last year's post or click on the link labeled Root Concerns, the Rensselaer County Extension's newsletter,  located on this display's right side for its 2019 suggestions. Otherwise,  just continue reading here.

Simple Crop Rotation Plan

Rotation in my small garden I find is a challenge every year.  My plots are not divided evenly among the plants I decide to grow. Tomatoes always seem to take up about a 1/3 of my space; and, of course,  I like to include a few peppers and  eggplants.  Because these vegetables  are related to tomatoes, just rotating them in my small space does not necessarily do as much as it  might to minimize the risks of some pests or  diseases such as verticulum wilt (VW). Because VW can stay active in soil for 10 - 15 years, crop rotation in small gardens actually provides little protection against it.  That said, I do try to follow the scheme like the one listed below, but I also know that I have to compensate for my space constraints by putting more focus on soil building by rigorously adding  compost  and mulch  to maintain soil health, selecting varieties that are resistant to certain diseases (like VW) and experimenting with growing some plants, like eggplants, in containers filled with new  soil - I usually bury these pots in the ground to reduce the risks of their overheating and drying out. 

A simple crop rotation plan like the one listed below and followed over four years for common vegetables with plants from each group grown in a given garden space each year looks something like this:

                                Year 1:  Potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers

                                Year 2: Carrots and other root veggies, lettuces, spinach

                                Year 3: Cabbage family (Brussels sprouts, cauliflower etc.)

                                Year 4: Onions, garlic, leeks, legumes (beans, peas)

Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living - My Soapbox Topic for February

Cornell U. Botanical Garden - Sustainably beautiful.

Now, in line with the effort to think about  gardening during February, let's touch upon the concept of sustainable gardening.

The phrase simply identifies  a collection of practices with the goal that strives to produce better harvests both now and into the future by utilizing techniques  that are in harmony with local environments.  

Actually, I think all backyard gardeners   want to have sustainable gardens - they do not intentionally grow vegetables in ways that  exhausts the soil to the point that even weeds fail to thrive.  All gardeners realize that their next  growing season  requires planning and preparation during  the current  season.

Crop rotation, briefly mentioned above,  happens to be  one of the characteristics of sustainable  gardening.  The other main characteristics of sustainable gardening include:

• Minimizing negative environmental impacts: e.g. by avoiding or rarely using insecticides or pesticides;

• Working to  improve soil fertility: e.g. by adding compost and natural fertilizers to promote soil health and to  reduce reliance on commercial fertilizers. This not only saves money, but also may reduce carbon emissions by lowering the demand for those bags of 5-10-5;

• Promoting conservation and biological diversity:  e.g. by  mulching,  planting diverse crops that attract both pollinators and beneficial nemodotes and conserving water;

• Using community and local resources: e.g. by composting your own plant wastes and using neighborhood resources such as raked leaves or grass clippings (free of pesticides, of course) to recycle the nutrients locally; and most importantly...

• LEARNING & THINKING about  your gardening skills: e.g.  by finding out about best practices. Check the Internet  for your county's Cooperative Extension Service or (gasp)  look for a book at the public library about growing vegetables.

These goals also apply to gardeners using containers   In fact,   container gardeners actually are  employing many sustainable techniques automatically, e.g. they already  have little need for insecticides and they probably don't over water, but passing on their sustainable containers to  heirs is probably (still) uncommon. By choosing organic  soils and fertilizers to replenish container soils  and choosing disease resistant plant varieties container gardeners  also reduce demand for commercially produced products.  Their  small harvests from containers even count as using local resources; and importantly, their gardening activity conveys to friends and relations an awareness about sustainable efforts.  In this regard  both container and backyard gardeners should be mindful of their  roles, albeit seemingly small, in promoting sustainable methods and raising awareness about the need to recognize human society's dependence upon the natural environment.

For people without gardens, and that is most people in our society, if they are lucky enough to have access  to organic and/or locally grown vegetables, they can support those growers  by purchasing even a little of that produce.  If they do not easily have access to these sources as affordable options, then the most important thing they can do for themselves and for the planet is to simply buy a little bit less convenience or fast food - probably something that everyone should be doing.

In our society many small decisions about food choice by consumers eventually can have  impacts, so the choices of non-gardeners may be the most important in improving sustainable agricultural and eventually influencing better sustainable lifestyles.


And remember:

"Gardeners, I think, dream bigger dreams than emperors." - Mary Cantwell