Photo: Hunter Ten Broeck
The ground hog didn’t see his shadow this year which according to folklore means we are due for an early spring. Statistics show that he is correct about 39% of the time.
One thing is certain, spring is coming and we are already busy planning our gardens for this year. We plan to explore more biodynamic methods which is a holistic approach using the interrelationships between the soil, the land, and the animals (i.e. pests) to create a more ecologically minded and sustainable system. Notable vineyards have been using biodynamic strategies for many years. http://www.freywine.com/press/top-ten-reason-to-buy-organic.html
Ever wonder why your lettuce petered out and never grew? Or why your green beans were spongy?
Certain vegetables are best planted at specific times based on the placement of the moon and this technique has been practiced for thousands of years around the globe. This is one aspect of biodynamic gardening. Just as the ocean tides rise and fall with the moon, the water content, roots and leaves in plants react to this influence. Certain plants perform better when the planting is timed to a specific time during the lunar calendar.
We found an excellent resource for a software program to help plan growing our vegetables this year and we invite you to take a look: http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/phases.html
Hopefully this can help turn your brown thumbs to green!