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Letter From The Editor

It's a little bit hard to think of gardening in the winter for some of us. Especially those of us in the Mid-South who are looking out right now onto a winter wonderland. It's definitely the biggest snow we've seen in years. Anywhere from 4 to 6 inches depending on where you live.

Although the snow is deep outside, Alfred and I have actually been gardening! Read below about how you can garden, even in the winter, using Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening method.

Hope you enjoy this issue! :)

Julia

This winter, Alfred and I read Mel's book All New Square Foot Gardening and it changed our lives forever.

In a few weeks, we will be taking this method of growing veggies up to impoverished families of Appalachia where we have done missions work with our church for the past five years.

We've helped rebuild houses in the past. Now, Lord willing, we will be adding a new aspect to our projects by teaching the women and children how to grow their own fresh vegetables using the square foot gardening method.

We are very excited about this.

We're also excited that we've found you a great resource for planning your square foot garden from Gardener's Supply Company.

You can design your own garden with their interactive program that lets you insert whatever plants you want to grow and it tells you how many go in each square foot. It also tells you how to care for your plants and when to harvest them.

Take a look at Gardeners Supply Company's garden planner here.

Although we love this method of vegetable gardening, many of you may still like the "old fashioned way." If so, I've found a great resource that helps you plan your garden on a "virtual grid" online, just like Gardener's Supply Company, that can be saved year-to-year.

With this online resource, crop rotation is a snap. It actually makes planning your garden fun.

This great resource is from www.GrowVeg.com. Be sure and check them out as well.

• Prune overgrown evergreen trees and any summer-flowering shrubs that will bloom on new wood, like Buddleia (Butterfly bush), Abilia (Abelia x grandiflora), and beautyberry bushes. February is a better time to do this than January because plants start to grow shortly after that time.
• Cut back ornamental grasses.
• Plant/transplant trees, shrubs, and perennials on days that are above freezing.
• Be sure your tools are in good shape by sharpening blades of loppers and pruners with a metal file
• Cut camellia blooms to bring indoors just when the bud is showing color
• Check for deer damage. Continue to spray with deer-repellents like deer-off.
• Water indoor plants less in the winter.

Have your soil tested by your local Extension Service.

End Note

See you in the spring!

Julia and Alfred Stewart
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