Winter Garden Ammending

This time of year, as our bodies adjust to the onset of another chilly Mendocino winter, it is easy to want to hide inside by the woodstove and let the garden do its own thing through the winter. However, with a little bit of work now, you will be rewarded in spring with stronger, more fertile soil with much less overall work. The key is to let the winter freeze and thaw cycle do you work for you.

The first thing to do is to check your soil nutrient levels. A simple $20 test kit will set you on the right path. Once you have a rough idea of your soils needs, it is fairly easy to lightly work soil amendments into the ground, and let frost heave and winter rains finish the job. While it is not recommended to add nitrogen until spring, you can boost your phosphorous and potash levels now with great results, especially if using more slow release organic nutrients like greensand, bone meal or wood ashes.

Now is also a good time to dump a bit of compost into your beds to get the earthworms working again to disperse your amendments. Once you add your nutrients and compost, plant a simple cover crop to be tilled down in spring. Not only do cover crops fix nitrogen in the soil, when tilled down in spring, they boost the organic matter in the soil giving a strong boost to the microscopic culture in a spring time bed.

Winter Tool Storage

Winter cold, rain and disuse plays havoc on our tools. Now that the seasons work is done, special attention should be taken to make sure your tools are stored properly. From garden spades to tillers and mowers, a small amount of work now can avoid costly repairs next spring.

For motor driven equipment, you should cover the equipment, or store it inside if possible. Prior to the winter, it is advisable to either drain the fuel or add a fuel stabilizer such as Fresh Start. Sold in convenient self-measuring bottles, you simply add a few ounces to your tank to stop oxidization of the fuel which can cause poor performance and engine and carburetor damage the next time the tool is used.
Now is also a great time to change your oil! Doing your own oil changes is quick and simple, or we can do it for you in our small engine repair shop. Bring in your model number and we can set you up with new filters, spark plugs and oil to make it an easy job.

Once you drain all that spent oil, you can recycle some of it yourself. By filling a bucket with sand and pouring your used motor oil into it, you can create an easy way to clean your tools and prevent rust with a simple dip. This is great for shovels, picks and pitchforks. Those of you with organic plots can use Stylet Oil or even plain-old vegetable oil for similar results. Be sure to cover the bucket to keep water from filling it and spilling over. This sand and oil bucket can be used season after season, and refreshed with a light addition of used motor oil once a year. The oil soaked sand, once used up, can be dropped of with the haz-mobile at any of our local transfer stations.

Keep those tools working for you year after year!