Gleanings from the Editor

    I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a new garden to play with this spring. I also cannot tell you how much I wish I had seven strong sons whose only goal in life was to please their mother! Instead I have four daughters who have their own lives and absolutely no interest in digging up my garden!

The promise and imagination involved in a new garden are the fun parts. This issue focuses on the basics — basics of gardening, basics of permaculture, basics of natives, and basics of xeriscaping. Even old-hand gardeners sometimes need reminding of the basics!

This is the busiest time of the year. Spring gets everyone’s sap running. For gardeners, there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

If you didn’t build your soil during the winter, there is still time. That is the most important job you have as a gardener, and if you build healthy soil, everything else will be easy.

The soil needs caring for every year with a good dose of compost, maybe some minerals and a soaking of seaweed and fish emulsion or some other organic water-soluble blend.

Remember, plant stems are not soda straws. They can’t just slurp up everything that is there. The nutrients need to be broken down and dissolved in water so that the tiny roots can absorb them. Keep your soil lively, brush up on the basics, and it will be a glorious growing season!