The August garden
· 3 min read
Saving seed means next year’s garden starts this autumn. I keep a short list of things to try next; pruning roses is near the top.
The process
Leave some corners messy; the insects will thank you. I sow a little too early every spring and never seem to learn. I like raised beds that shows the marks of how it was made. For a long time I treated pruning as an afterthought.
Nothing here requires a garden fork, though it does make things easier. The slugs got most of the lettuce, but the beans did well. I like mulch that shows the marks of how it was made. If something here is unclear, that is on me, not you.
There is a version of this that is much more complicated. This is not that version. The soil is nicer every year, mainly because I stopped digging it. Most problems with seed trays turn out to be problems with time. Looking back, the seasonal approach was the right call. A cold frame extends the season by weeks at either end.
- Compare against last winter
- Note the date and the weather
- Write down what you change
- Compare against last winter
- Do less composting, more sowing seeds
Second thoughts
Looking back, the overgrown approach was the right call. You can get unexpectedly far with a watering can and some a steady hand. A garden fork helps, but it is not the point.
A watering can helps, but it is not the point. Nothing here requires a hand trowel, though it does make things easier. Some of this will be obvious; some of it took me years.
I am still not sure I have it right, but it is closer. Nothing here requires a secateurs, though it does make things easier. Compost is slow magic, and it cannot be rushed. I like seed trays that shows the marks of how it was made.
The best advice I got was simply to slow down.
What I kept
Most problems with cover crops turn out to be problems with time. I like wildflowers that shows the marks of how it was made. This started as a quick note and slowly turned into something longer.
For a long time I treated wildflowers as an afterthought. If you only take one thing from this, make it the part about perennials. I tested the overgrown version first. It did not last.
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