Winters coming

Arriving back in Sointula I was pleased to see that the green manure of field peas and the broad beans that I planted early September were doing well.
In fact they were growing through the covering of netting that covered the beds, and there were signs that the deer were trimming them off as they poked through.

The fence we had planned to build around the garden this October was put on hold as through some misfortune our lumber provider couldn't provide.
So it was plan B for deer protection. A 2 x 4 temporary post in the far corners of the beds and netting stretched between is now forming a near invisible but I hope deer proof fence around the perimeter.
The dormant plants and herbs that I brought out from Ontario are now saftely in the ground. Next spring we'll see how they settled in.
I also planted a small bag of daffodils and crocus so that on our return in March we can experience the first spring flowers.

Winter appears to be on its way as we watch the snow on the far mountains creep lower and lower- just in time for the big winterfest they have here on the island.
We are off to Thailand in a few weeks so shouldn't experience too much of that.

Old seeds and green manure

I finally got around to sorting through my seeds. I have collected lots over the years and I had way too many to fit in the seed box. So any seeds over 5 yrs old got turfed. I emptied the seeds from their package into a container, then to see what would happen, sprinkled them thickly over some unused garden beds.

The results were rather surprising. The seeds got watered in really well with a couple of days of rain and sprouted impressively well. So my now 'green manure' is full of beans, amaranth, peas, squash and many unidentified flowers and brassicas. I can probably harvest the tips of the veges I recognise as micro greens. The rest will keep on growing til frost or longer with out amounting to much and then die down to feed the beasties in the soil.
It was great to see the old seeds still so full of life. Also a great way to recycle them through the garden.

Off to B.C in a few days to start working on new garden beds there.

Green manure my way.

At this time of the year I start to think about filling in the increasing amounts of bare spots in the garden with a green manure. This not only protects the bare soil, but is a good way of helping the fertility.
Given where I live in Canada, I have trouble finding green manures to sow in my garden. I could be organised and order some from a seed company, but I usually don't think of it til I want to sow the green manure.
My solution is to go to the local grocery store, and buy a bag of dry peas-the ones sold for making soups.

 

I fill about a 1/3rd of a jar with the dry peas, and soak over night. I then plant the soaked pea seeds in any bare areas that have opened up in the garden. I dig shallow trenches about 1" deep and plant the seeds about 1"-2" apart, then cover the seeds with soil. I make these trenches about 2" apart until a particular bare spot has a dense planting of seeds.

If I do this after a heavy rainfall, I don't have to bother with additional watering. In about a week or 10 days the pea shoots will start to appear. I'll repeat this process with any new bare spots over the next month.

By the time the first killer cold weather occurs, the peas have made quite a bit of growth. They then break down over the winter,so by next spring they have become part of the soil, adding humus and nitrogen to the soil in the process.