JANUARY IN THE GARDEN by Marilee Dea

Planning:

It is time to plan your garden, including rotation of crops. Plan to plant your “bests”, with a little room for experiments. Have your plan in order before you lust over the seed catalogs. For example last year our experiments of planting Resilient Plants i.e. garbanzo beans and flint corn worked out very well, the seed potatoes that “do not need watering” did not work out as well. PS Non-organic seeds are probably ok but GMOs are not ok and cannot be saved per our resident biology professor, and GMO expert, Lisa.

Seed saving tips ( a little late for this I know):

Veggie garden seeds (non GMOs) can last 5 years in airtight container with a silica gel packet and placed in a cool space. Old

Tupperware tubs work great.

Sowing indoors: late in the month you sow leeks and onions seeds and alpine strawberries indoors for transplanting when the soil reaches 50 degrees.

Flowers: yarrow, roman chamomile and bee balm can also be seeded.

Tips on starting seeds indoors.

-Use a good potting mix like “Whitney Farms” or a sterilized soil with good tilth.

-Cover weeds with soil 3x deeper than the size of the seed.

-Keep soil evenly moist and warm until the plant emerges, then decrease the water and the temperature to the 50’s or 60’s.

-If you use cloches make sure they are open at the ends to prevent damping off or use a fan in the greenhouse.