By Ron Sandstead
There are few things that give me more pleasure than seeing a garden grow. You work to clear an area, plant your seeds – and then the magic happens. The tiny germ within the seed is activated and the seed sprouts. Each seed has its own code as for what it will become. Some become flowers and some become vegetables. Once sprouted, the gardener works to protect this new life. We fight off the bugs, pull competing weeds, water and make sure there are plenty of nutrients to make these little seedlings healthy. When everything works, the seedlings mature and you harvest something wonderful. There is nothing better than a home grown tomato!
I try to spend a little part of every day in our community garden. It has become part of my routine and makes me feel grounded. I’m not saying I work in the garden every day. I don’t. Mostly, I walk through checking my flowers and vegetables for bugs and weeds that seem to grow overnight. Or sometimes, I find a chair and just sit. I love watching the butterflies and bees moving around from flower to flower. I find it peaceful watching things grow.
Many of the things we do in our community garden are experiments. I know what has worked in my past gardens – but they do not necessarily work in Destin. For example – squash is a summer crop. To get away from the vine squash borer, we have begun planting earlier each year. The last couple of years, we have been planting zucchini squash in February. This year, we are going to plant it in November. Maybe it will work – maybe not. The worst that can happen is that we have a hard freeze and have to replant. Either way, we will have learned something new. So, don’t be afraid to try new things when gardening.
Creating good top soil is critical for gardening success. In sandy soils, nutrients get flushed out after a few weeks of watering, unless we do something to hold those nutrients. There are a variety of things that can be done. I believe that if your soil holds water – it will hold nutrients. For a sandy soil, the best thing you can do is to add clay. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find good clay south of the Bay. The second, best option is to add organic material in the form of mushroom compost, aged manure, biochar (charcoal), wood chips and peat moss. I also like adding vermiculite. This combination of materials has turned our garden soil into a light, easily dug mixture that the plants seem to love.
Our gardeners have started planting for our fall and winter crops. A good fall planting list usually includes arugula, curly kale, onion sets, Detroit red beets, carrots, hot mustard, savoy cabbage, broccoli, snow peas, collards and a variety of lettuce. My wife and I enjoy salads and juicing; so, what I grow is never wasted. If I have extra, I love surprising friends with a nice bag of fresh organic goodies.
Fortunately, we are able to garden in Destin year-round. Because of our microclimate, we haven’t had a light frost for at least four years and haven’t had a hard frost for seven. I personally like gardening in the winter best. It is much easier to work, because the weather is cooler, the bugs seem to take a vacation and the weeds grow much slower.
For those of you who have had a difficult time this last 18 months, I recommend you get outside and try your hand at gardening. Even if you do not know anything about growing things, get outside, dig in the dirt and plant something. Get on your knees and put your hands into the soil. Work it. Feel it. Appreciate it. And while you are down there, give thanks.
Know that if you take care of your garden, you will have participated in this miracle of life. It will give you pleasure—and it might even feed you.
Happy Gardening Y’all !
Views: 0
