Sometimes stepping back in time makes the change of seasons more obvious. In the days before refrigeration and long-distance shipping, spring brought thoughts of fresh fruit, delicious veggies and beautiful flowers. At the Wilder Farm, we stay true to the varieties of plants available in the mid 1850's to plant in our garden. But, I'm happy to say that we use some modern methods in getting the garden going every spring. We start our seeds early with the help of seed trays and grow lights. Can you believe the little guys on the left will become big beautiful onions and a fall bounty in just a few months' time?
If you're a gardener, you probably already know there are as many ways to manage spring gardening as there are gardeners. Some people direct-sow all their seeds; just planting the seeds right into the ground once the soil is warm. I'm an impatient gardener, and I can't possibly wait until June here in the North Country to get going. so I start my seeds in a grow room with grow lights and heat mats. So does my friend David. But even then, we have different techniques. I use soil-blocks. I use a tool that compacts soil into 2-inch by 2-inch blocks that have no container, and I plant the seeds into the blocks. They magically hold together. David uses cell trays called Winstrip. Both methods hep with consistent watering and reduce transplant shock when we're ready to put those seedlings in the ground. And that's a good things for Wilder farm, because we want to share the bounty of our garden with our visitors for as much of the season as possible.
The snow has melted, so yesterday the Wilder Garden Committee took a walk around the grounds and begun planning and dreaming of fresh flower beds, new landscaping, and (my favorite), an overflowing vegetable garden. While it's still a few months away, I hope you'll join us on the Farm for opening day, May 24, 2025, to see that we're well on the way. If you're lucky, you can catch David or I working in the garden and ask all the garden questions you'd like. If you have a garden question now, post it in the comments!