b'THE CORKBOARD|SPRING 20235 . D E C I D E W H AT6 . S TA R T P L A N T I N G 7. M U LC H , TO G R OW M U LC H , M U LC HGrow what your family likes to eat. ConsiderWhen it comes to sowing seeds directly intoWhat is mulch? Mulch is the number of growing (frost-free) daysthe ground, most seeds do best when theany protective layer over the when choosing to grow something from seedrisk of frost has passed; however, onions,surface of the soil to prevent or as a transplant. Some plants have longerpotatoes and peas are cool-seasonerosion, minimize weed growing times and need to be started indoorscrops that can be planted 4 to 6pressure and retain moisture. in late March to mid-April - 4 to 6 weeks be- weeks before the average lastUse wood bark mulch or straw, fore they get planted outside (or purchasedfrost date, as soon as theas it breaks down into the soil, from seedlings in May if you dont have theground is workable.adding important nutrients.time and space to get growing inside). 8 . WAT E R W I S E LY 9 .S U P P O R T N E W1 0 . F E R T I L I Z EG R OW T HListen to your garden and pay closeAs food crops grow, some need specialNatural fertilizers and soils rich in compost attention to signs of draught stress, suchattention. Stake tall plants like tomatoes;should be able to service all your plants as wilting leaves or browning, then watertrellis vine plants like beans or peas; andneeds. Make sure youre adding plenty of deeply at the root zone to minimize wastedpinch seed pods from plants that are quickcompost and consider green manures runoff or evaporation. Allowing plants toto flower such as lettuce and radishes. such as a cover crop of clover, which can stress a bit between watering will train thempull nitrogen right out of the atmosphere to put down deeper roots and betterand into your soil for future crops. withstand droughts. 1 1 . T R O U B L E S H O OT 1 2 . H A R V E S TExperience and effort will minimize bothAll of your learning and labour in the foodVisit www.harrowsmithmag.com, Canadas the problems and the effort required togarden will pay off at harvest time. Be patientsustainability magazine, for more gardening grow a successful garden. The essence of alland let your fruit and veggies ripen beforetips and advice.organic techniques is to work with nature,picking. Enjoy! not against it. GROW YOUR GARDEN|7'