A Slower Way to Think About Perennials
Between saving seed and sowing seeds, the second one taught me more. The soil is stronger every year, largely because I stopped digging it. If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you. A cold frame extends the season by weeks at either end.
Lessons
If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about raised beds. There is no single right way to approach weeding, but some ways are kinder than others. It took me two attempts to see the pattern. The difference showed up bit by bit, then all at once.
If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about seed trays.
First steps
Compost is slow magic, and it cannot be rushed. A cold frame helps, but it is not the point. I would rather do one thing carefully than five things in a hurry. The best advice I got was just to slow down.
Leave some corners messy; the insects will thank you. Most problems with fruit trees turn out to be problems with time. I wrote most of this on a calm Friday morning.
Closing thoughts
I like cover crops that shows the marks of how it was made. The particulars matter less than the habit of paying attention. Nothing here requires a secateurs, though it does make things easier.
If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about tomatoes. I keep a short list of things to try next; saving seed is near the top. The slugs got most of the lettuce, but the beans did well. Most problems with mulch turn out to be problems with time.
Looking ahead
A friend once described fruit trees as calm work, and the phrase stuck. I wrote most of this on a calm Sunday morning. Saving seed means next year’s garden starts this autumn.
Most problems with wildflowers turn out to be problems with time.
Below are a few observations, roughly in the order I worked out them. Between composting and weeding, the second one taught me more.
compost