Winter Gardening

[Popcorn]

That's what grandma called it when she went through her seed drawer to see what she had saved to plant and thumbed thru the seed catalogs to see what she wanted. Grandma meticulously planned her garden every year. She commonly had pa plow about 3 acres every fall and plant it in oats, she had 5 adult children and a dozen grand children to produce good healthy food for. Whatever she didn't use she told pa he could plant in pumpkins to feed the hogs or hickory cane corn if he wanted any. She preferred the old trucker's favorite white field corn. She always made a point to order a few seeds from the burpee catalog and the shumway catalog to insure they sent her a new picture catalog next year. She was always looking for something new to enter in the Putnam county fair, she always had entries in many categories and always placed or won on several. I remember the prize money was $1, $2 or $4 per category and she always paid for next years garden out of that prize money.
Today grandma would be beside herself with all the colorful seed catalogs that show up at the popcorn household, she would be perplexed at the different varieties of tomatoes and peppers!
Not to worry grandma, winter gardening has began, already have 3 seed catalogs and the shumway catalog is already marked. Just sent in my order for my replacement asparagus sets to make sure I get in early and get the best of the variety I want.

God I miss you Grandma, Thank you for giving me love where there was none, Thank you for making me the man I became…
One day soon I will be there to once again help you in your garden.

 

[DoubleRidge]

Good read....already studying on the next garden as well...hoping to add three more raised beds to complete our fenced in garden.area...added a 3 bay compost bin and another raised bed last year...looking forward to getting started.

 

[Popcorn]

Hoping to build a compost bin this year. I want something I can use the loader on my tractor to turn the compost without destroying it.

 

[Forvols]

Yep same I also want to build 2-3 more raised beds and compost bin this year. Looking forward to this garden season. Ordered blueberry bushes and raspberries to plant this year also.