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We stopped by the GRUB C.S.A. (Community Supported Agriculture) farm here in Chico, California and asked farmer Lee Callender to tell us what’s happening on their farm in January.
Springtime for gardeners means planting, weeding, and enjoying the beauty of flowers and new veggie plants. It can also involve dealing with such unpleasant visitors as aphids, gophers, slugs, snails and marauding scrub jays pecking away at just-ripening fruit.
We’ve been reading many stories about people around the country who have been removing their lawns to replace them with food gardens. We think this is a great idea. The Valley Oak Wheel Hoe can be used to cut sod, which is often the desired first step in the lawn-to-food transformation.
Biodiversity of plants can help with a wide range of problems in the garden. Say you want to get more calcium into the soil so your tomatoes don’t get blossom end rot. What many farmers and gardeners might choose is to add some lime, or, perhaps on a smaller scale, eggshells. Another option is to plant a dynamic mineral accumulator such as comfrey, dandelion, or nasturtium, all of which draw calcium from the soil.
This time of year finds us in a bit of a cold spell after some warm, sunny days. Gardeners with greenhouses can be starting seeds of tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Direct seeding of beets, kale, radishes, carrots, potatoes, chard, collards, peas (best if pre-sprouted at this date), and spinach, can be done now. Think of all those delicious, tender greens that you can harvest in late spring.
