Winter 2020 Garden Update

The forest gardens are deep into winter mode now. It’s always amazing to see the way that the gardens slow down this time of year. The first freeze of the season took out the warm weather crops of tomatoes, peppers, okra etc., but fear not! The greens have taken over and have become more vibrant with the cold weather. It is wonderful to know that we are now on the other side of the winter solstice, and that the days are now becoming full of more sunshine with each day. Realizing that the warmer months will be here before we know it, we welcome the time to reflect and reset the gardens for another round of spring and summer.

With the growth slowed to a near halt, it’s an ideal time of year to be tending to the forest fruit trees. We are pruning valuable trees back into a healthy shape, to prevent them from leaning over from the weight of their fruits in the next season. The cuttings taken during this pruning process are now taking root in their individual pots, and dreaming of becoming big productive fruit trees. The abundance of pine straw on the forest floor right now is also ideal for the fruit trees that crave acidic soil. By adding thick layers of the pine straw now, the area will stay more free of weeds during the surge of growth coming in the spring. It will also allow wonderful nutrients to seep into the soil and into the trees roots when the rainy season starts up.

In the Solar Fields the number of available garden beds has increased greatly. The pathways are slightly more narrow but the spaces inbetween have been primed and are ready to go for spring. A greenhouse has been constructed out of the bamboo in the forest, and it is the size that the gardens need to get a jump on the spring planting season. It’s tall enough that one can stand up straight inside, and long enough that it can also house our young fruit tree nursery. Here are the total number of residents in the greenhouse as of today:

● 12 Azaleas
● 5 Gardenias
● 18 Tangelos (1yr old) + 28 Tangelos (seeded this year)
● 6 Grapefruit
● 15 BlueBerries
● 24 Figs
● 5 Avocados
● 297 Tomatoes
● 36 Bell Pepper
● 36 Datil Pepper
● 36 Eggplant
● 70 Calendula
● 72 Dill