Garden blog

Well, we are starting a second series for our blog. Pop Pop is starting an organic garden, and this blog will follow what is going on, and what we are getting in terms of vegetables later this summer.
First of all, Pop Pop has lots to learn. The second best teacher so far has been two books by Eliot Coleman, The New Organic Grower, and Four –Season Harvest. They are very detailed with lots of “how-to” information. However, the best source of learning has been Aaron Delong; he is a real farmer who works at the Rushton Farm in Willistown, PA. Rushton Farm is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program sponsored by the Willistown Conservation Trust. Aaron has provided advice on how to get started and make the soil fertile.
Aaron suggested that our ground is way too wet. We have wetlands in the back of our property, and a little stream runs right by the garden, so no surprise there. The French and Chinese developed an intensive farming technique called “double digging.” Good news – high, fluffy, well-drained raised beds for planting. Bad news – really hard work! But once done, you never need to double dig again. In the photo, the left row is double dug – the right two were not. The left row is reserved for our tomato plants.
The other picture is our compost heaps – the left from last year will be used next year, while the right is in the process of building and will be used in two year’s time. This year, we “simulated” compost by a mix of peat moss, potting soil, and sand. Hopefully, the mix will help combat the soil’s wetness.
We’ll try to blog as something changes – so not every day, but hopefully, often enough to be interesting.