For the past 6 or 7 years The Goat and I have belonged to a CSA (CSA = Community Supported Agriculture- for more information about CSAs, check out the Local Harvest Site, they do a better job of explaining it than I could.). However, this year we haven’t signed up for one; there is still time, and we could change our minds. We have our reasons for not joining one this year; and I know all the counter reasons why we should, especially since I’m usually a huge supporter of them. But I just can’t seem to click the tabs and register on the various CSA websites from which I could choose.
What I am trying to do this spring, summer, and fall, is concentrating on my own little urban homestead. I always have this as a goal, but usually fall short and don’t get as much produce as I could. We have a number of perennial type produce plants – rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries, blueberries, sunchokes, elderberries, and herbs – but even those I don’t tend to as well as I could. So this year, once again, I want to try and do better.
For example, my asparagus is struggling, I think it needs more sunshine, and a bit of a rootstock renewal; so I’m thinking about digging it up and transplanting the roots, along with some fresh rootstock, to a new location in the spring. Sure, I wouldn’t be able to harvest any asparagus for a few years, but his would free up a great bed for cole crops, lettuces, and peas – basically anything that likes a bit more sun protection – as well as probably improve my asparagus harvest for the long term plan.
I spent last Sunday sitting in sunny window, playing with a garden planner, and ordering seeds for the coming year. It was a gloriously fun day of “doing nothing”. What it did make me realize is that I need to spend more time doing gardening type things – even in winter. I enjoy gardening, so while it may be in the negative fahrenheit temperature range (for those of you who need reminded, freezing is 32F), snowing, and windy, I can still daydream and plan ahead. Surprisingly, that daydreaming on a blustery day does wonders to improve my mood.
So I need to remember to do just that -dream about my garden, plan ahead, and plant some seedlings! Spring is coming. It somehow manages to get here every year – regardless of whether your local rodent sees it’s shadow. And just like a wizard, spring arrives neither early, nor late, but just when it means to. (“A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.” – Gandalf, Lord of the Rings movie by Peter Jackson.)
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