On Thu, 12 Aug 1999, kathryn marsh wrote:
> >
> Is there no way you get get more mulch on there before the snow Sandra -
> the thought of all that poor cold bare earth, with its nutrients being
> washed out by the spring thaw, makes me feel shivery now. I know you would
> need to pull the mulch aside to allow the earth to be warmed by the sun in
> spring - you certainly don't have an easy gardening climate
Not without buying a car or a truck. I have a shortage of mulch material
at the allotment. I get around this for the gardening season by purchasing
a share of trucked in compost in the spring as a summer mulch. The plot is
rototilled in the spring in addition to the ploughing in the fall, and I
would have to have the mulch off in plenty of time for that rototilling to
happen. Most gardeners out there then rototill the plot again before
planting. There is quite a substantial plow pan (have I got the right
term?) under the allotments.
The advantage of the cold winter and short spring is that a number of
pests and diseases are not able to survuve here at all, and quite a few
more take longer to take hold, and in the case of insects have fewer
generations over the growing season.
I like working with this climate. It's getting increasingly difficult for
me to deal with my gardens always being so far away from me though. I'm
approaching quite a huge personal crisis over this issue.
sph
Sandra P. Hoffman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.flora.org/sandra/
----------------------------
The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due,
not a garden swollen to a realm;
his own hands to use,
not the hands of others to command. --Sam Gamgee
