It's April 5th already and the ground is still cold. Last nights low was 38 degrees burrr! It's been a very wet and cold this spring. Infact the average temp for January was warmer than March.
So what does our Organic Garden look like on April 5th? Like this!
Well, things are a buzz! There are hundreds of Honey Bees being busy. They like the natural cover crop that comes up in the winter. As the weather warms, they're hungry!
Pollinators are so important. These Bees love them some Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum). It's quite edible too!
So, this is not your ordinary Garden Salad. But it's taste great and it's great for you! Johnny Jump ups, Arugula, Purple Dead Nettle, Henbit, Onion Greens, Chickweed and Mustard Greens. All with little to no work :) That's on top of Turkey and Swiss.
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) another good edible.
Purple Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum)
We started with three plants. Glad you can eat these. They really brighten up a salad, or your day, in winter and spring. Those are garlics growing amongst the flowers. They where started from plants we let go to seed. It is the Compost!
I've learned that sometimes doing nothing, is not a bad thing to do. This garden requires little work in the fall and winter. I know, the cool weather annuals weeds, will follow the last of the tomatoes, and frost will bring a new begining to our garden.
Below the protective layer of edible vegetation, lies the essence of everything above!
The Rhizosphere! Yes! This is where the action starts. A healthy Rhizosphere, equals healthy soil, equals healthy plants!
These fine roots, fungi, bacteria, organic matter, minerals, water, gases and a wide variety of creepy crawlers are all part of healthy garden soil!
This is "No Till" garden soil!
Open soil, insert plant! Don't destroy the soil web! You can pull out plants from around the new plant. But, keeping the soil web intact protects the soil from many problems. These are winter annuals and they will die back as it heats up. They act as a mulch and fertilizer. They help keep the soil from drying out too. Their roots will become food and hold air and water in place for the new plants. I think it just makes good sense :)
Cover it up! Don't leave the soil open, it will dry out. Remember, soil is the root of all good veggies :)
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