Busy Person's gardening,part three

So you have sent away to get your soil tested, right? So now you know what your soil might need to be a good garden. But don't go buying anything yet. Most of the soil improving is started in the spring or fall seasons. Since it is officially winter here in NJ, we won't do any serious soil improving yet. But here is what you can do: send away for seed catalogs.  Very busy people are too busy to grow your plants from seed (high maintenance), but you can use the catalogs to get an idea of what you might plant in your garden. Most seed catalogs can be had for free! See my new link to a useful sight which allows you to order a bunch of catalogs at once.
Tune in for the next blog on how to decide what to plant. Happy New Year!

Busy person gardening, part two.

It's really not time for part two, since you haven't had enough time to complete part one! So go back and do it, ok? In the mean time, before the ground gets cold and hard, go out to your patches of ground (if you have some). Dig out a large shovel full of dirt, then reach down into the hole and scoop out some dirt into a shoe box or other clean container. Dig several holes through out  your areas. Don't forget to refill the holes. Mix up all the samples indoors, then pour it out onto newspaper and let it dry out. Go online to the Rutgers soil testing site, and print out the form with its directions. You are going to send your soil sample in for testing . The results will tell you what is in your soil, and what you need to do to help it out in the spring.  Happy digging!

Busy person gardening, part one.

So how do you grow anything if you are busy? Are you working 40 plus hours? Running kids to soccer? Going back to school? Not only do you have time to grow, you NEED a garden and don't even know it! Gardening is like meditation with a purpose. You get a chance to slow down ,breathe, listen, smell, let tension release. You get cheap,organic,fresh veggies (You WILL grow organically. It's the only way to grow!).

You can begin today! First step: DO ALMOST NOTHING. Easy, right? I really mean this. Don't buy a thing. Don't make a to-do list (you A-type personalities will have trouble with that one). All you do for the first several days is walk slowly around your house, apartment, ect. inside and out. SLOWLY.  Walk at different times of the day each day. Don't worry if you skip a day or two between walks. Just look very carefully for at least seven days. What will you see? Where the sun is at different times. Which parts of your domain are in shadow most of the time,which seem to be getting some light. Breathe deeply. Can you tell if the air inside is dryer in some places? Colder? Are your windows cold? Any drafts? Now, go outside. Note everything just as you did inside. Reach down into your soil if you've got some. Is it dry? wet? Hard? Soft? Rocky? Sandy? Where does the water collect or drain? Do you have shade trees or bushes? Can dogs get to your ground? Cats? Deer? Squirrels? Are the outside walls warm? Cold? Wet? What changes from day to day? What changes at different times of the day?
While you do this, keep in mind that it is late fall. This means that the sun disappears earlier, and is lower in the sky than in the spring/summer months. So, guess what? You will get to do this again in the spring. Exercise. Fresh air . Relaxation. Time to yourself. Imagine the growing plants to come.Thus ends the first lesson.

Soil Testing and blueberries

I know i promised to blog about a busy person's garden, but I had to first do a brief update on my garden. I found some blueberries grown organically near by (link to follow for those of you in south jersey, they also do mail orders for those of you further afield). In case you are wondering, fall is perfect for planting Today, I dug the trench, filled it half way with leaves, plopped the plants on top, then filled in with  peat moss.  I then used some of the earth to top off, and finished with more leaves as a mulch. Next, I will water,then hunt down for some pine needles to get those blueberries the acid soil they love. I worked up a sweat with all that digging! Garden as exercise! Bonus of  berries in spring! Where is my masseuse? Next (this time I mean it), a busy person's garden.