On Sowing Seeds and Composting
I wrote most of this on a calm Friday morning. A garden fork helps, but it is not the point. Most problems with fruit trees turn out to be problems with time. I would rather do one thing carefully than five things in a hurry.
The setup
A friend once described mulch as calm work, and the phrase stuck. Nothing here requires a hand trowel, though it does make things easier. I like perennials that shows the marks of how it was made. A cold frame extends the season by weeks at either end.
- Note the date and the weather
- Ask someone at the orchard
- Give planting bulbs a full winter
The middle part
It took me twelve attempts to see the pattern. Compost is slow magic, and it cannot be rushed. Here is what shifted, and what stayed exactly the same. The slugs got most of the lettuce, but the beans did well. Some of this will be obvious; some of it took me years.
Looking ahead
Half of the work is deciding what to leave out. A cold frame helps, but it is not the point. Nothing here requires a watering can, though it does make things easier. Most problems with cover crops turn out to be problems with time.
It took me six attempts to see the pattern. The soil is stronger every year, largely because I stopped digging it. The particulars matter less than the habit of paying attention. Leave some corners messy; the insects will thank you.
A friend once described tomatoes as calm work, and the phrase stuck. It took me five attempts to see the pattern. Saving seed means next year’s garden starts this autumn. Between sowing seeds and weeding, the second one taught me more. There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version.
If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about fruit trees.
I keep a short list of things to try next; weeding is near the top. Between planting bulbs and composting, the second one taught me more. What surprised me most was how little equipment it needed.
seed traysraised bedsfruit trees