Winter gardening and forest gardening

No winter gardening this year. We finished the sheet mulched new garden bed too late to plant even garlic. We were eating kale and Swiss chard up until a few weeks ago, then an Arctic blast took them out. But next year...

Making a vegetable seed list and creating a seed starting schedule for plants to start planting in May. I am not as familiar with Connecticut growing seasons and only have three years of experience. We were gardening in a community garden and were not allowed in until about the third week of May. Cool weather crops can be started outside earlier. In Portland, OR I used to plant peas on Feb 1st. They would take their time poking their heads out and sometimes sit about 1" high for weeks. But we always had the earliest peas! I will plant peas around March 1st and just see what happens.

Our long term goal is a small forest garden (little or no grass to mow!). So we are in the planing stages of designing an edible garden including fruit trees, bushes and plants. This requires much more thought, research and dreaming than I ever imagined. Next time I will list some of the great resources we have been using.

Other projects include removing the cracked asphalt driveway, converting some of it to garden and creating a new double parking area near the front. Looking for low cost permeable solutions. I really want something we can grow a low, hardy ground cover in and still park on during all weather. Living where we get regular snow falls does add a shoveling issue to the plan. Currently our front walk is grass and shoveling snow is fun there as well. I am concerned about contaminants left in the soil under the pavement. Several crops of something like alfalfa, a dynamic accumulator, should help. Regular mowing and composting (for non food plants) I think will work. Then heavy mulching with fresh materials and then planting fruit trees and bushes.

Time to again pick up the gardening books, dream and plan...