The weekend is when I get a chance to really dig into the garden (so to speak) so I thought Monday would be the perfect day to talk about my gardens! Since one of my resolutions this year was to get my vegetable gardens back up and running, I thought I could write about my experiences here, while everything is still fresh in my mind!
It has been entirely too wet to get out and do anything other than plan, and that is what I am doing. The Maryland extension service is offering a set of "Grow It, Eat It" workshops to help gardeners raise healthful gardens that are easy on the environment.
I'm signing up for a seep swap at the end of the month at the library. In the meantime, I'm signing up for the classes that are offered in conjunction with our Master Gardeners and the Extension Service, operated through the University of Maryland. I have heard good things about these classes in the past, but I've never made the time to go. THIS is the year that I am going to go and find out all that I can before I start digging up a random patch of grass in the yard and hoping that stuff somehow manages to grow!
If you live in Maryland and want to find the gardening classes closest to you, you can go here: http://extension.umd.edu/growit.
If you live in another state, and don't know where to find out if you have any local gardening classes, do a search for "Extension Service" AND "name of state where you live". Something should pop up. We are fortunate to have so much offered through the U of MD. Many of these classes are offered through our local public libraries, and some are offered through county agricultural centers. It all depends upon where you live, and the nature of your county. (Rural, Suburban, Urban). No matter where you live, you can always grow something . Maybe not enough to feed your entire family for a year, but maybe enough to add some spice to your life!
I know it's the middle of winter and I can't put anything into the ground yet. However, wonderful gardens require a lot of planning. I need to get my rear in gear early this year! There is a lot to take into account before I even begin to break ground on a new garden bed. Sun exposure, distance to water, the $&*& Appalachian Mounding Ants that seem to have invaded almost every space in my yard.
Seriously. I tried to plant onions last year. They are supposed to be an irritant to ants. I came out the next day to add more leaf cover to the onions and the ants had pulled out every last set and left them in a pile at the end of the row. Sometimes I think I'm the pest in their yard.
I really want to get a garden in the ground this spring. The classes should help me get a little bit closer! I really hope that they will help me find a way to deal with the ants before I attempt to break ground.
No comments:
Post a Comment