Went for an invigorating winter walk at sunrise with my old labrador, Chloe. The sky was turquoise blending into blue with fluffy white clouds and I startled a rabbit who kicked up her heels and went bounding around the corner. The juncos were at the birdfeeder, along with a woodpecker and a pair of cardinals. I am anxious to smell the peaty, earthy smell of Spring but it is at least 3 months off.


After a lot of research I've purchased a metal halide/sodium bulb to grow some indoor salad greens and satisfy my need to nurture plants. Said bulb is very popular for marijuana growers as it encourages compact, bushy growth. Now I need to set up a table where I can set out the flats with the bulb over it. The plants need to grow in a perlite, vermiculite, spaghnum moss and potting soil mixture. It is 25 days from seed to green cuttings. Each row can be cut twice and then you need to turn what is left back into the soil so it can compost and add to the tilth of the soil. I can probably grow some spinach and basil and maybe some cherry tomatoes. Have ordered a bunch of seeds which should be on their way.

Sustainability

Having just read the book "The Omnivores Dilemma" I have become so much more aware of where the food I eat comes from and how far removed we are from the earth we live on.

I grew up in the city and lived in 3-decker apartments. We seldom had much green space and never had a garden but we took lots of Sunday rides into the countryside and even did some camping. This gave me a great appreciation of green space and the beauty of nature. Fortunately, as an adult, I live in the suburbs and 4 years ago moved to an old house on an acre of land. The yard had been bulldozed and I've had the pleasure of creating a garden that is continually expanding. I started the vegetable garden next to the barn. Fortunately for me, there was plenty of dried horse manure under the barn that I was able to wheelbarrow out and add to the soil. I also have a very handy husband who was able to fix up the barn. Neither one of us knew how to shingle so we looked it up on the Internet and were able to figure it out.