Beauty Of The Seasons

Winter is upon us! If your like me in zone 7B you may have already have some snow. Freezing temperatures have put production to a halt in the outdoor growing spaces. The resting garden is always a beautiful sight holding so much promise for spring. Maybe you’ve brought in animals to help clean out the space. Or even put of straw and leaves to help feed the ground...

This year I wanted to experiment & bring in the chickens. Like little ravenous scavengers they went to town on eating all the grass and weeds. They also are wonderful for evenly spreading straw. Each week i've thrown out flakes of straw into the garden area & within a few days its perfectly spread and worked into the dirt! Other then the chickens the garden hasn’t seen much action.

Every gardener needs a few weeks to rest and enjoy the bounty of spring and summer. My favorite part of winter is opening up cans that I preserved through the growing season. They have a incomparable taste to things from the store. For a moment it takes me back to spring. When you get to try that first sun sweet tomato or green bean right off the vine. Being able to preserve food is a skill that brings much comfort. To be able to grow and provide fresh meals for my family fills me soul and humbles my heart. The fact that not only will one little seed provide nourishment for us but friends and family too. Its amazing what one little seed can do.

Summer goes at such a fast pace. Babies are growing and the harvest is coming in all at once. It never fails when the warm weather rolls in so will the thunder storms & as soon as your at your busiest that storm will bring down a beautiful tree. (directly over a fence). The house is filled with the smell of summer as cans are being pressured on the stove and okra cut. The beauty of each season comes and goes far to quickly. But at least in the winter we can take a moment to sit and plan for the upcoming growing season!

My tips for an idle gardener. Take a moment to write out everything you would like to grow. Plan & draw out your garden space by month. I started drawing out my garden and how i wanted it to look month by month. It’ll help you have a more productive garden. Every few week things will be coming out of the garden and it will help you plan what to plant next! Be going through your seeds and seeing if you need to order more. Try and place your order by January to ovoid disappointment. This year seed vendors sold out quickly due to higher

demand.

If you plan on growing the majority of your food take this time to list out what you eat the most. That will help you plan out what to plant. But most importantly take this time to rest and give thanks for the beauty of the seasons.

Happy planning!