Wednesday, January 19, 2011

A new season begins...

Well, actually the season is cyclical and never really ends or begins. Right around Thanksgiving the seed catalogs start rolling in and I begin scouring them and planning what to grow the next summer. I also inventory what we have for seeds. Below is just one of several boxes.
But tonight I began a yearly ritual that, to me, signifies the 'start' of the growing season. I began mixing my seedling soil. As I said, it's an annual ritual and one that is shared by gardeners and farmers worldwide and has been for a long, long time. I mixed my first batch of soil tonight in the basement of my home. While the plowtrucks went by outside I was downstairs, the dust and scent of peat moss heavy in the air, black, crumbly compost in buckets and rake or spade in hand, I spent about an hour and half mixing up a few batches of our starter mix.
Once I have a good bunch stocked up I'll begin making soil blocks and setting them on a homemade rack in the basement.

It's cool and damp down there which is the perfect condition to keep a few thousand soil blocks in until early/mid-February when I start planting our onions...
As I begin this process for 2011 I'm reminded how close the growing season is. Now is the time to sign-up for all of the many new, (and returning) exciting, local, beyond organic food options we have on offer. Visit www.parkerproduce.org to learn more about the many ways to enjoy real food from a family farmer you trust.