garden growing green goodness gracious gourmet gastronomy. the garden is going quite well. as we enter winter we have lettuces, spinach, sorrel (a delicious lemon-tasting green), beets, chard, kale, carrots, garlic (sprouted early), onions, cilantro, a struggling tomato plant and cabbage. all in a 4' x 8' raised bed with room to spare. we put our nifty little plastic cold frame on top when it drops below freezing. i'm curious to see how long these plants keep growing. next to a south facing wall with albuquerque's warm winter sun, along with the cold frame, might they grow through the winter? i hope so.
when i first got into food growing, at ecoversity 3 1/2 years ago (where i met julia!), joel the teacher stressed "it's about growing the soil." this seemed to me a strange concept at first view, but over time it makes more and more sense. good soil makes good plants and hence good food. a lot of dirt i encounter in new mexico is hard as rock, and rather discouraging to me and plants alike. add a 12" layer of mature compost on top and it's amazing what is possible. keep adding more good stuff over the years and a little plot of desert can transform into an oasis. good soil is nutrient-rich, holds water (big plus in dry climates!), and has all sorts of favorable bacteria, fungi, worms and such.
getting my hands dirty in a growing garden is truly a good feeling.
