....I haven't posted for most of the time I was serving in VISTA in Kentucky and now that I'm back in North Carolina, it's time to get growing.
My 12 months in eastern Kentucky were amazing, an experience of true community service I encourage everyone who has felt the yearning to give back in a strategic way to try. I'm grateful for all that I learned as the coordinator of the Wolfe County Grow Appalachia program. This region-centered organization is funded almost entirely by the vision and kindness of one man, Jean Paul DeJorio. He has made it possible for 44 learning sites to bloom in over five states in the Appalachian region where over 1 million pounds of food were grown. I was lucky enough to serve at one. Thank you Jean Paul and everyone at Grow Appalachia for your guidance and assistance in revitalizing food security in the Appalachian region. Now, on to spring!!!
After the big snow of last weekend if finally melting, I am catching the scent of something that stirs the heart and soul of any gardener. You know it: "that" smell on those days when the temperatures rise and a soft wind blows across the ground whispering it's almost time for gardening. OK, so you can't get out and dig some new beds or direct seed your favorites yet but you can get ready, get set to go as soon as the Almanac and the soil temperatures overlap. Here are some great ideas to warm you up.....till you can dip a spade in soil.
Make some pots from newspaper for starting seeds!
Then make your own potting mix for all those recycled paper pots!
Now you're almost ready to start this year's garden indoors!
I say 'almost' because you need seeds. If you saved seeds from previous years (of course you did!) you'll want to test them for their viability, a fancy word for still alive. This will save you wasting precious resources as well as time for seeds that will never germinate. Take a few seeds and place them on half of a damp paper towel. Cover the seeds with the other half. Set on a paper plate or tray in a warm dark place for a day or two. If the seeds begin to sprout you can assume that most of the seeds in your packet are worth using. If after 3-5 days there is no activity, you will want to locate new non-GMO organic seeds for that variety here.
Light is critical for seedlings to be strong and healthy. Once the green leaves have broken through, they will need plenty of light, 12-16 hours a day. Ideas abound here on Pinterest for putting together an indoor greenhouse with lighting. Or..
....you can follow these steps and manage some seedlings au naturel, blessed by free solar sunlight from your south-facing windowsill.
Whatever you have available, you can use. So join the fun! And post your ideas below.
As Grow Appalachia funder, Jean Paul Dejorio, likes to say: "Success unshared is failure!"
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