Have you ever felt lost? Have you ever existed in a world that feels as if its left you behind? If you have, you are in good company garden buddy. Over the last couple of months, we have had our engines roaring & wheels spinning on high only to find the world kept right on spinning without us. While we worked to catch up, it seemed as if the start line reset as the finish line fell further into the distance rather than closer. If this is or ever has been your circumstance, please keep reading.
Off Season Or Planning Season
A smile forms on my face nearly every time I hear the phrase “off-season” in connection with food production. Some do earnestly take a break from the dirt underneath their nails and on their floors. We have no hard feelings at all towards anyone who does have an off-season. For us, however, there is no off-season. Though it may not be harvest season, it tends to be a season of planning.
Soil samples are taken from various areas of planting and sent off to be tested. This helps to ensure a more successful growing season as we know exactly what inputs are needed, if any, for our soil. If there are any imbalances, we plan accordingly for the next growing season. High nitrogen areas would perhaps be planted with heavy feeders such as corn. On the other hand, low nitrogen plots may benefit from nitrogen-fixing cover crops. It is all planning, which in turn leads to a rabbit whole of researching, surfacing only for coffee and bathroom breaks.
Seeds are sorted and reorganized from the busy nature of the growing season. This can be a “where’s Waldo” kind of a situation. From the chest of drawers & book shelves to purses & wallets, seed packets can be found just about anywhere in the Bain home. Often, I have no memory of placing them in their precarious locations, but it had to be me. Once I’ve collected all I can, I decide what’s to be planted again and what’s going to the bunny/chicken garden. If it grew well, do I have enough seeds to grow it the next few seasons? If not, it goes on a list to purchase. I also check sell by dates. While seeds do not expire, some seeds in particular have marked decreases in germination rates past the sell by date. Among these are onion and corn. Also, most pelleted seeds need to be used within a year of purchase. Just a side note, if you have a particular stock of seed that is aging, try soaking them in water prior to sowing. This will help to prime the seeds, so to speak, and perhaps increase your germination rates as we have noticed it has for us.
Often, the list of seeds I actually NEED to purchase versus what I WANT to purchase is not very large. See, over the years, I’ve established quite the collection of seeds. My mother would save seeds from flowers she loved for years at a time. Thanks to that practice, I knew that seeds remain good for many years. So even if I didn’t prefer the plant that grew from certain seed, or it didn’t grow for me, I still saved it. Years later, I’ve planted the exact same seed that gave me subpar results initially only to find great success later. More skill, more patience; seems the first fail was simply user error. How about that!
Once seeds are secured from several organic sources, we begin to pull out trays for planting. Cleaning, counting, and inspecting to ensure we have the appropriate supplies to grow what we’ve planned to grow for our family and our business. Catching the planning theme yet? I have watched as fellow garden buddies & YouTuber in the farming community completed these tasks so expeditiously while I stumbled and fumbled my way through it, late as can be. But who’s comparing them to me? ME!
There’s much more planning involved and done by yours truly, although Mr. Bain Home Gardener is a great sounding board for ideas and plans. He often thinks outside of the box. Being his best friend and him being mine, we often think similarly. There are times when a shared thought of his takes us on a full adventure complete with illustrations and diagrams. I enjoy these mental escapades with my dearest. These mindscapes of sorts are therapeutic. We celebrated 24 years of marriage in December. I often tell Terry that I married him for his big brain. Even I, however, never imagined it to be utilized in such a way. Wow. We have a farm.
Life Beginning, Ending, and Dormant
Winter has become quite the convoluted season for me since I begin to educate myself on the way our food grows. It used to be the dreaded season. It surely was not my favorite! Now, though, I have a newfound respect for it. Winter is weird like that for me. Often, spring is viewed as the beginning of new life. But here’s something you may not have thought about. Some perennial and some biannual plants must undergo some type of vernalization (period of exposure to cold) to begin to flower, to grow that new life. This generally takes place in the winter.
I’ve also come to appreciate witner for the way it affects the life cycle of many of the pests we deal with. Most insects go through something called diapause. This is just a fancy way to say they go through a period of dormancy. For most bugs we deal with, it begins when the temperatures are below 50°. Dormancy means they are not actively reproducing and wreeking havoc on our crops. So more cold days during the winter usually gifts us with less (even by a little) pest pressure the following growing season. Wrapped up in all the other tasks to be completed spraying BT hasn’t been sprayed as it normally would have through the Fall & Winter. It protects the leafy greens from worm. Thankfully, the pest exclusion system seems to have done its job & pest pressure thus far, is at a minimum.
The planting of dormant bulbs of and corms is yet another task we plan around each winter. Onions, garlic, Dahlia, and Gladiolus are among the sleeping plant life we place in their forever homes between October and January. Then we wait.
Winter is also a preferred time for us to hatch out new chicks. The plan is for them to begin laying by June or so. Prior to that time, we hope to butcher older members of the flock, replacing them with these new pullets. This cycle of life and death keeps our numbers manageable (chicken math is tricky) and keeps our egg supply constant. While we do hope to attain more acreage in the future, for now, we work with what we’ve got. With it, 25 – 30 hens are the max for us. For now. This latest hatch is just as adorable as they are noisy! 14 hatched, and of those 14 one died though she tried her best to live. The remaining chicks are being closely watched by Brady and Gizmo. Thai and I also spend a good bit of time socializing them, which inclues “oohs and aaah and baby talk” as we fawn over their cutness. They grow so fast! Already, they have feathers coming in!
New Year, New Hip
January 26th, I will undergo a total hip replacement. If you follow us, you are aware of the congenital health issues I live with. My family and friends are the absolute best! I may be a little partial, but just this week alone, I have received text messages from several checking in and verifying the date so they can be there to assist and/or pray on my behalf and assist the family while I’m recovering. To have a circle so willing to sacrifice time and energy, expecting nothing in return is truly priceless. I never want to take such love for granted. It is like looking at the very face of God through the hands of others. I treasure these extentions of God’s love. It is, in fact, this love that finds me when I’m feeling lost. This love reveals a truth I, we, sometimes forget we are never truly alone. The one who causes the earth to spin takes notice of each of us, and who better to pay attention to us.
How this surgery will affect our family farm remains yet to be seen. It is hoped that it will allow me to get back to the things I love. I’ve never enjoyed laying around. Our daughter often scolds me for pushing myself to hard or not wanting to sit down. With life’s uncertainties, I feel one should accomplish all they can, reasonablly, while they can. If you’re like me, one you are seated, it’s over! One thing is certain, life is moving, and we have to keep pace with it one way or another. We do accept the things we can not change, but for those situations that we can affect change for, WE WILL! When it seems the world spins without us, we recognize our own strength and adjust our perspective. When we feel lost, we grab the compass and eagerly search for our true North. Once found, we are home, and you can be too.