A message from the desk of Garden Jane:

Hello Every One,

The blooms are abundant, the fruit tree blossoms are peaking and I am deeply happy, having been gardening for days. I hope you and the kids in your life have been gardening too.

Two short stories before I share the schedule:

I had a wonderful moment the other night when I came home and heard my garden raining, pit pat, pit pat. I investigated, but there was no rain. I went over to my neighbours yard, but there was no rain their either. I stood still for a long time, digesting the mystery, and found that it was the sound a thousand worms eating leaves left on the lawn.

Many springs ago Solomon Boye found me miserable, writing a report to justify a garden. He affected me forever by saying, paper makes good mulch. Sometimes - perhaps most of the time - we just have to stop thinking and start gardening to get happier. And paper does make great mulch!

There is a lot of fun gardening coming up for kids and families as well as more workshops for adults listed below. At the end of the schedule I offer a few more thoughts on soil and why to try no till gardening this year.

.......

A word on soils

Thanks to all of you who expressed interest in the notes on Elaine Inghams soil talk last time. Her content can be challenging for those new to soil science. I recommend Teaming with Microbes: A Gardeners Guide to the Soil Food Web, by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis, for an accessible read into Elaines work. She jokes that after 30 years of looking through a microscope the bottom line is: use compost to improve soil and if your soils are degraded, use compost tea. Organic compost is best of course.

I participated in the three-day soil management course delivered by Gaia College. What fantastic and deep content. Heide Hermary reminded us not to till (50% of soil biology is killed when you till), and showed us how to make brews to deal with pathogenic bacteria in soil. There was lots more too ... busting the myth about the importance of pH, soil nutrients and chemistry, and learning how to interpret a soil report as an organic gardener. We are hoping to do more of these courses in future since there is virtually nothing currently being offered in Ontario. For now, I offer a three hour soils workshop.

One more tidbit I love: if you can count 5-30 worms in 1 square foot of soil, you have an indication of the biology you need in your soil to have healthy plants. The best way to keep all that life alive: dig less and feed it with the leaves and grass clippings you think you should clean up.

For more info on services, events or workshops contact me at permagarden@yahoo.com

or phone at (416)536-9144

www.gardenjane.com .

Jane

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Content last modified on May 11, 2009, at 02:32 PM EST