Putting Our Organic Garden to Bed

Sara just put up our Christmas lights yesterday, after putting the garden to bed. She mulched all the beds with shredded autumn leaves. This will prevent moisture loss, as well as act as a buffer against the extreme cold temperatures that we’re starting to experience. If you put some organic, composted soil on top of the leaves, you can actually precipitate composting of the layer underneath.

In the spring, Sara will have to remember to add an organic nutrient rich in Nitrogen (such as our favourite, Iguana Juice Grow) in order to replenish the Nitrogen that the leaves might leech from the soil in their decomposition process.

In previous years, Sara used to put a layer of composted horse manure over the entire garden, but that was in the days when Hedgehog was taking horseback riding lessons, and Sara was invited by the owner of the stables to take as much composted horse manure as she might need.

As we’re preparing ourselves for Christmas, I couldn’t help but to revisit my pictures of the last hurrah of Sara’s flower garden, the blossoms of late summer, early fall. The lovely fairie roses were in full bloom then, along with the phlox and the black eyed susans. Our gentle male cat, Patches, loved to hang out in the courtyard and the Christmas cactus, now in full bloom was just starting to bud at the time.

We wish everyone who reads this blog the warm glow of Christmas and New Year’s, or whatever holiday they are celebrating. We like to stick close to home and the privacy of our family circle. Enjoy!