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Building a strawberry cage cover is a super simple, easy and effective DIY winter gardening project. Get out in the garden (jn winter!) and protect future berries by fashioning a hinged lid to an existing raised bed. This is perfect for keeping birds out of the patch. If you have the luxury of starting a new patch, hardware cloth on the bottom of the new raised bed can prevent critters from digging underneath. An all-natural way to keep strawberries protected.
Some seeds, mostly perennials, benefit from experiencing a cold and damp period just like they would if outside in nature. Cold or seed stratification is the process of the seed coating slowly degrading from moisture (but not too much or they’ll rot). Once spring hits and temps warm up, the seeds will be ready to germinate. Here’s two ways to help stratify seeds:
SEED TRAYS Sow seeds just as you would during seed starting season. Make sure soil is damp and seeds are lightly covered in soil. Place in a cold but protected location like an unheated greenhouse or covered porch. Water as needed to retain moisture. Grow light/sunshine not needed at this time. REFRIGERATOR Place a damp paper towel in an airtight container. Add seeds and make sure they’re well folded inside the towel. Seal the container and store in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks, depending on seed variety. Then sow as usual. SEEDS THAT LIKE STRATIFICATION Perennial herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, and oregano. Perennial kale, collards and spinach. Asparagus, strawberries, apples, plums, cherries, artichoke. Perennial flowers such as lupine, milkweed, coneflower, rudbeckia, larkspur, and more. Note: Seed stratification can be done naturally by sowing seeds outdoors in fall. If you have mice, squirrels and critters that eat seeds overwinter, these hands on methods can be helpful. A guild is a neighborhood of plants that surround a fruit or nut tree. This species-specific curated ecosystem works to repel unwanted insects and even disease, attract pollinators, suppress weeds, mulch the soil, pull up nutrients from deep within the soil’s layers, and fix nitrogen.
All species require different guild members to successfully support them, just as in nature. In this video I’m sharing an in-depth explanation about how and why we implemented this practice that has been successfully used for centuries. We use sheet mulch to create square growing spaces, discuss foot traffic concerns, and placement of different plant species. In my last post, I shared all about my new greenhouse which I just completed construction on. Join me for a tour sharing how I address designing, heating, and ventilating my new growing space for plants, vegetables, and other crops.
 This new greenhouse has been in my head for a long time. Come spring, I'll be starting and growing the majority of our homegrown produce from this new space--which I'm building 100% on my own. This greenhouse uses old windows and doors from our barn loft and will make the process of growing food so much easier. I am currently lucky enough to have an underground greenhouse with skylights and a sliding glass door. What's better is this is just off of my living room. But I've been using grow lights for 100% of my homegrown food efforts. In an attempt to be as energy efficient as possible, and to reduce hardening off time by as much as 10 days, I'm building this new space which will require only the energy of the sun for heat and lighting. Plus, it's positioned just off the barn which will take advantage of thermal mass from a larger structure and is positioned closer to the garden itself.  Every single window and door you see here was found in my barn loft left behind by previous homeowners, and only 3 windows came from a free roadside pile. It’s also southwest facing so lots of sunshine here.
Finishing up the greenhouse has been slow going since I started school again. But I’m finally finished with the outside construction, solar lighting, and exterior white paint. Tonight at dusk I wrapped up the last coat! Next I’ll be painting the interior trim-work black. Why? White on the outside reflects light, black on the inside absorbs heat and better retains it for nighttime temperature consistency.  Fall foliar sprays can be used to offer fruiting trees a boost before they go into dormancy. This way the trees can store the added nitrogen, sugars and carbohydrates in their roots where they will be ready and waiting for spring budding and leaf set.
Applying fertilizers, maintaining nutrient rich soil, and installing guilds around trees are all helpful options for feeding orchard stock. But if the tree is unable to absorb the nutrients due to soil issues, damaged roots or disease, leaf sprays are another way to introduce the tree to nutrients and microbes. This recipe belongs to Michael Phillips, author of The Holistic Orchard, so I don’t feel it’s my place to share it. You can check out his website for the recipe.
Yesterday’s video shares the how and why of making compost tea. Let’s talk application and additives. First, repasting the recipe here:
Basic Compost Tea Recipe Materials Needed 1 cup finished compost 1 cup garden soil Tap water (if water is chlorinated, allow to sit for 24 hours) Cheesecloth or unbleached coffee filter and String, optional 5-gallon bucket Aerator, optional Directions Combine the compost and garden soil into a cheesecloth or unbleached coffee filter or add to the bucket. Secure tightly by tying with a string. Submerge the tea bag in a 5-gallon bucket filled with tap water. A water temperature of 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Add any desired additives to the water. If using an aerator, place in the bucket and turn it on. Brew the tea for 24 hours. Dilute to 3 parts tea:1 part water for application. Try to use the tea within 2 hours of brewing to deliver optimal benefits. Optional Compost Tea Recipe Additives Worm Castings (use in place of compost altogether or use half-cup compost, half-cup worm castings in recipe) Worm castings contain more humus than compost or garden soil, enabling more water and nutrient absorption. Also contains active soil microbes and low levels of iron. Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses (2 Tbsp) Offers a food source for beneficial bacteria, stimulating population growth. Also fortifies tea with iron that won’t burn plants. Liquid Fish Emulsion (1 teaspoon) Liquid fish provides a readily accessible source of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. Also stimulates healthy soil structure. Liquid Kelp (1 teaspoon, added after brew is complete) A renewable resource which stimulates chlorophyll production, overall plant growth, photosynthesis, and strong root development. Also assists with nutrient absorption and contains trace amounts of nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium for plants. Epsom Salt (1 teaspoon) A source of magnesium for plants that assists with flowering and fruit production. Many people are under the impression that compost is a fertilizer. But actually, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are bound up in the organic matter. While it does release these nutrients slowly over time, studies show the initial nutrient content of finished compost isn’t that impressive. To turn all those nutrients into a from that plants can readily absorb, we can create compost tea. This gives plants nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium AND microbes, mycorrhiza, protozoa, and all the good bacteria that make amazing soil and good plants, sooner rather than later.
1️⃣ In part one, let me show you a base recipe. 2️⃣Tomorrow we’ll discuss application and additives, in part two. Basic Compost Tea Recipe Materials Needed 1 cup finished compost 1 cup garden soil Tap water (if water is chlorinated, allow to sit for 24 hours) Cheesecloth or unbleached coffee filter and String, optional 5-gallon bucket Aerator, optional Directions Combine the compost and garden soil into a cheesecloth or unbleached coffee filter or add to the bucket. Secure tightly by tying with a string. Submerge the tea bag in a 5-gallon bucket filled with tap water. A water temperature of 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Add any desired additives to the water. If using an aerator, place in the bucket and turn it on. Brew the tea for 24 hours. Dilute to 3 parts tea:1 part water for application.  As we gear up for planting season many folks turn to soil testing before making amendments. Totally smart. But did you know your weeds tell a story about soil health too? If you see dandelions, violets, Queen Anne’s Lace, and yarrow (to name a few) year after year, know that Mother Nature is an opportunist and trying to tell you something. We can use these clues to improve grazing and growing spaces.
Dandelion Often a symptom of soil compaction as nature sends this weed with a long taproot to break it up. Could also be a sign of calcium or potassium deficiencies. Wild Violet Indicates poor drainage as prefers shady, moist soils. Onion Grass Loves acidic soils which lack organic matter. Best to amend with compost! Queen Anne’s Lace Indicates poor, dry soil. Look into cover cropping! Yarrow Prefers poor, sandy soil without moisture. Creeping Charlie May mean a lack of organic matter, nitrogen and/or beneficial bacteria within the soil. Also indicates high levels of calcium and iron. Dock Prefers bare, acidic soil with poor drainage. Be sure to remove before it goes to seed. The seeds can survive their deposit for up to 50 years! If you like these tips, you’ll find so many more weed meanings and permaculture tips in my upcoming book The Sustainable Homestead (spring 2023). I used my kids’ craft supplies and a few toy trees to illustrate a permaculture planting method. Creating sustainable systems like this combine perennials and annuals to create space for beneficial insects, birds, and wildlife to live. We can hold water and retain moisture. We can reduce pest pressure this way while maximizing our real estate for harvests. Grow up, not out.
In this demonstration, I start by showing a conventionally planted plot of strawberries. But how can we maximize this space to increase yields, retain water and relieve pressure from pests naturally? We start by building swales or raised planting mounds from stones and other organic matter. From there we top off our mounds with soil. Next we create a water catchment system such as a fresh rainwater pond and start adding our overstory trees. In this case, I've chosen chestnuts. Next we plant midstory trees (smaller fruiting trees) and then introduce strawberries as our groundcover. Other understory crops that thrive with strawberries (such as asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, lettuce, tomato, peppers and herbs) are interplanted. Bushes such as gooseberries, elderberries and canberries are wonderful choices too. By growing vertically and interplanting companion crops, we have created food forest. |
Angela is the farmer and content creator behind Axe & Root Homestead LLC. This historic six-acre permaculture farm is home to two Clydesdale horses, ten honeybee hives, five sheep, two guardian dogs, barn cats and a flock of 40 geese and ducks. The farm produces maple syrup, fruit from a small orchard and loads of garden produce for consumption, preservation and donation to the local food pantry.
The Sustainable Homestead, is out for pre-order NOW!
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