Out With The Old

January Snowscape

January Snowscape

 

The first month of the new year is coming to a close. The newness has worn off but hopefully not the enthusiasm to do better, strive higher. I’ve been examining how easily we, as a society, assume that new is always better. Is it?

I’m not talking about experiences like that of cracking open a brand new exercise book. How many people remember the smell of new paper and the firm smoothness of that first right-hand page? I’m thinking more on the lines of products that promise to cut short your effort and time. Not new and improved but new and different. Let me explain the distinction.

Spring loaded secateurs made the task of pruning and clipping much easier. It was the same tool made better by the spring action. A simple tweak. It put no pressure on the user to relearn anything or perform the task in a different way. That is new and improved.

New and different is not so simple. Consider the lawn mower. The manual push reel mower does a good job. But it can be slow and one labors a bit in pushing it around. So, enter the power mower. Gets the job done in half the time. The gardener can now afford to take a nap in the hammock. But, not just anybody can use this mower anymore. The young tween has lost his lucrative enterprise since, using a power mower demands a more mature understanding on how to operate it and a greater degree of muscle strength to keep control of the machine. Along with that, there’s a demand for an energy source be it electric or gas, as well as a jump in noise and air pollution. Not to mention a spike in mower related visits to the ER.

I won’t elaborate further. Instead, give yourself some time to think about this topic. There might be a shift to how you approach the new. There are indeed some things that have been true godsends and there are those that one wishes had never been invented. We need to be mindful of what or which ‘new’ we embrace. I’d love to know your thoughts.

I recently saw this sign “ Try Something New, Learn From The Old”. More food for thought.

More snow

More snow

DSC07003

Paperwhites

Paperwhites

(c) Shobha Vanchiswar 2013

 

 

Getting Started

Its about now that I start yearning for something to do in the garden. The once most welcomed respite from the hard work has begun to wear thin. My fingers itch to feel the soft, friable soil as I restart the vegetable beds. I miss the green smell of spring and chatter of the returning birds. But its still very much the cold days of winter. So what is a die hard gardener to do?

For starters, a calender of the new year is purchased. One of those simple, no frills kinds with big, blank squares for each day. Referring to the calender from last year, I start filling in those white spaces with the necessary and routine garden tasks for each month. Pretty soon, it is marked up with chores galore. From starting seeds, planting, staking and mulching to weeding, pruning and deadheading, everything gets put down. By giving each aspect of gardening due time and consideration I’ve ensured that I’m starting off organized and prepared. A visual heads up of what needs doing prevents clashes with duties from other realms of life. Most of all, in step with the sugar maples, it gets the gardening sap flowing through my veins. I start actively dreaming and planning. My growing season has begun. I have stuff to do.

Next, I commence the forcing of the bulbs kept chilled since late October. Hyacinths, muscari, crocuses and miniature tulips have been occupying prime real estate in the refrigerator. Each week, for the rest of winter, I start some of these bulbs in pots and glass forcing vases. As the bulbs stir from their hibernation and push up shoots and eventually their jewel hued flowers, the days are no longer bleak and barren. The garden indoors has banished all that. I’m in good company till the garden outside is back in business. Joy.

Tell me, how do you handle the need to get through winter quickly?

P.S. While we’re talking calenders and marking down important stuff, here is something for you to put down in yours: May 25 is my garden’s 2013 Open Day through the Garden Conservancy. That is the Saturday of Memorial weekend. From 10 am to 4 pm. Put it down in bold! Rocky Hills will also be open on that day. Make a day of it. I’ll be arranging with local restaurants and businesses for special deals. Stay tuned!

Amaryllis tall and proud

Amaryllis tall and proud

Hyacinth in glass forcer

Hyacinth in glass forcer

More hyacinths

More hyacinths

Hyacinths and muscari

Hyacinths and muscari

Early spring tulips

Early spring tulips

Visitors at my first Open Day. 2008

Visitors at my first Open Day. 2008

Murali and me at the end of that first Open Day. Tired but so happy.

Murali and me at the end of that first Open Day. Tired but so happy.

 

(c) Shobha Vanchiswar 2013

A Case For Compost

I was recently asked what I would suggest if someone were to attempt just one new thing in the garden. That took some thinking on my part. It finally came down to two things. To plant a tree or start a compost heap. And the winner is – a composter.

 

Composting is one of those practices whose benefits are many and far reaching. The initial effort of setting up a composting system is not difficult. Nor is it expensive. And once you get into the habit of adding kitchen and garden waste to the compost bin, it’ll dawn on you that this is perhaps the most rewarding experience you’ve ever had.

 

It seems the main hurdle is to accept that composting is very doable and quite the necessity. If you recycle your paper, plastics, glass and such, why then are you not composting? Humans have been composting from time immemorial. There really is nothing to it. So get started. Make it the one new thing you add to your increasingly healthy life style.

 

There is a glut of information on the Internet on the science and process of composting. So I’m not going to go into that. Just take a little time to get your information and make it happen. If you live in an apartment and you do not have the space for composting outdoors, worm bins are available. There is simply no excuse. Cities like San Francisco require it’s residents to set aside compostables along with recyclables. In my opinion, this should be mandate country wide.

 

Compost is in essence the result of decayed organic matter. It fertilizes, mulches and enriches the soil. The simplicity of it all is so brilliant that it’s a shame that we ever resorted to more costly and less effective alternatives. Imagine, the stuff you’d otherwise chuck out can be so rewarding. I can’t think of anything else with such returns. Once you start getting a regular supply of compost, you’ll never again use another product. Your garden will thank you by flourishing and your wallet will be pleasantly plump.. Is there anything more satisfying?

 

As I’ve said in previous articles, I maintain two compost piles. All garden waste is deposited in the woods at the rear end of the property. This is not a contained heap. We just keep adding leaves, plants and other garden waste throughout the year. The mature compost is ready for large scale use every spring. All kitchen scraps go into a smaller compost unit. It is monitored more closely as stuff is added on a daily basis. Regular stirring and frequent compost removal for immediate purposes keeps this bin busy. Vegetable and fruit scraps, tea leaves, coffee grounds and egg shells provide my garden with sweet smelling, rich compost. Each day, if the kitchen pail is not full enough, it means we are not eating enough of the good kinds of food. What a gentle but firm way to keep tabs on healthy eating!

 

I’ve found that composting has given me a heightened awareness of nature and how she operates. My relationship to my environment has strengthened. As a result, it has made me more mindful of everything else that I do. How and what I purchase, what I eat, wear or use, and not the least, understanding my place in the big picture. I’m appreciative of how we are all in this together. Microbes, fungi, worms and humans cooperating to keep nature in balance. Biology at it’s best. This sort of conscious living has huge physical and mental health benefits. You think I’m exaggerating? Give composting an honest try and get back to me in a year. We’ll talk then.

 

Once you’ve begun composting, you can then add tree planting to your objectives. The fun never ends.

(c) Shobha Vanchiswar 2013