You've Been Winterized!

Yesterday I began winterizing the garden. What does this mean you say? Good question because I didn't really know until this past week either! This is the process of preparing the garden for next year's crop. It involves cleaning up all the old plants, weeds, etc., tilling the soil, planning what you'll plant next year and where, etc.

I also went a step further and planted rye grass on the tilled soil. This grows before the snow arrives, then in the spring comes back and a couple weeks before you plant, you till that grass into the soil and let it compost to add nutrients for your veggies.

I've also dug three more plots in the backyard and will probably do one more and essentially double the size of what I can plant.

I'll be focusing my crop much better next year. Instead of nine different veggies, I'll likely cut that in half and focus on more staple foods and just have more of them. The main reasoning behind that is the project I plan on getting up and running, the food stand.

I'll be working with Brent and our friend Jon in developing exactly what this stand will be and look like and its main purpose. Its primary purpose will be to have available for the local neighborhood, cheap healthy food for purchase or trade. It will not be 'manned' but will go on the honor system. They'll be able to get the same, and better veggies than at the local grocery store and people will be urged to pay whatever they feel is fair (with a recommended minimum price).

It will also be a source of information, the main one being to promote local gardening. In another blog of mine, I've been vocal about the economy for the past few years and the coming "hard times". While I don't believe we're heading towards soup lines, I can all but guarantee that the rest of 2008 and 2009 will be very tough on the average person. Providing cheap, local and healthy food, in my humble opinion, will be something welcomed by almost anyone.