May Garden Notes
Let’s take a step back, what really is regenerative farming? Regenerative agriculture has the ability to completely change the way global warming effects our planet. It is working with the cycles of nature to heal the planet. Healthy soil means when you dig a small hole in your garden you would come across plant life, soil clumps, living organisms, a full life of biodiversity including worms working their magic turning the soil into gold. The healthy soil in turn grows beautiful plant life and feeds the grazing animals, the animals in paddocks (small planed pastures) graze and trample the grasses all while pooping. Their poop adds more nutrients and they continue to trample the grass and poop back into the soil. Then the farmer will move them onto another section of land and they will do the same. The previous paddock is then let rest. What ensues is the cycle of nature, rebuilding soil. The soil and plant life do the rest.
Regenerative farming has the ability to pull all the nasty carbon back out of the atmosphere and down into the soil. The excess carbon comes from over tilling from conventional farming methods, coal usage and lack of renewable energy. There is data that is taken from space showing the warming trends that happen when tilling is happening all over the world during the springtime. Then during the summer the planet cools because plants are growing, which lower the global temperatures. The excess carbon that is being stored in the atmosphere when the plants are growing is being pulled down into the soil to feed the plants provide nutrients. What did we learn in elementary school, trees and plants then give us back oxygen. Yay!
What to do in your garden in May?
Enjoy all the spring flowers that are finally popping up and open! The plants are all so happy from the beautiful wet winter we had this year. It is time to put in your veggie starts or seedlings you might have grown indoors for a few months. It is best to add soil on top (like lasagna layers) instead of deeply mixing your planting area…over tilling breaks soil structure and disrupts the working organisms in your garden. When planting, using a sharp tool or hori hori to make an appropriate hole for plant. Then bring the soil and compost up around it to fill in the hole.
Be sure to dead head any spent roses and spring flowers to ensure more will come. It is time to check for pests in the garden. If you have already planted you might have noticed something eating your veggies. Are snails eating your baby lettuce or basil? Fill a shallow pan with beer, any beer will do. Put about a 1/2 inch in the pan and leave it where snails or slugs are getting your veggies for a few days. The pests will climb into the pan and can’t get out. I know so terrible, but it will save the lettuces. Now that temperatures are warming a bit, check that any irrigation is set up properly for a good soak a few times a week in the early morning hours or late at night. Sleep well and wait for the fruits of all your hard work!
