Here in Florida, the soil is not as rich as the soil in the Midwest or even in South Carolina. Sand is predominant so before I planted the first seed, I created a compost bin - 2 of them actually. Fruit and vegetable scraps, the chicken manure from our 5 laying hens, as well as leaves all go into two separate bins. Even composting requires some research and oversight. I turn the compost a couple of times a week to keep it aerated. In fact, my sweet husband gave me a pitch fork tool for our anniversary last winter to help with this. I keep the compost covered with a tarp so the process goes fast! In a couple of months I have a decent pile of "black gold." Mixing this compost with the sandy loam improves the soil a lot. And there is something spiritual about "recycling" organic matter from death back to life.
Along with the composting, we installed 2 rain barrels. The idea of sustainable gardening is very appealing to me. The LORD has blessed us with abundance but He expects us to participate in bringing it about. It's nice to know that I have stored rain water to keep plants alive when there is an absence of rain. Even though we have showers almost every day, in the heat of summer even one day without rain takes its toll.
I still have a lot to learn about gardening. Having vegetables to harvest is very gratifying. At one point I decided container gardening would be the answer so I tried it with purchased garden soil enriched with compost. The results don't seem to be any better than direct planting. It is fun to watch and make notes. While my eventual goal is to sustain our family from our vegetable garden, right now I'm enjoying the trial and error process. My dad was a wonderful gardener so I feel like I'm continuing his legacy. The most fun part is knowing that my grandchildren are watching and learning.
No comments:
Post a Comment