Hello and welcome (back) to the blog for another entry in my online organic garden diary chronicling my first foray into starting my garden in the Greater Toronto Area from seed. If interested, you can read my previous post here.

After some gloomy entries, I am happy to write that things are starting to look good for some of my little seedlings. The garden Gods seem to have heard my pleas and just may be cracking a smile my way as my seedlings are showing real signs of life. As planned, I placed the planters that actually had wispy sprouts in them on the windowsills of the main floor of the house and they seem to be responding positively. The organic zucchini seeds that are part of my go-to-guru (GTG) Martha Stewart’s line are sprouting. These signs of life are very encouraging and are making me once again look forward to actually planting although I have a few things to attend to before I get to that.

As you know at the end of every garden season it is customary to “close” the garden. This usually entails pulling out all the dead or dying plants sometime in the fall (or whenever the harvest occurs in your area) and leaving it clean for the winter. Last year I started this process and did it in stages. As each crop died off I pulled that row out and continued letting the few other plants that were still thriving remain. I had every intention of finishing the project and leaving a clean garden for the winter but as the saying goes, life got in the way. So right now my garden looks like something out of a horror movie as there are dead tomato plants tied to their stakes, new weeds everywhere and it is just a mess. The icing on the cake is the relic that once was the arbor from my Sicilian zucchini fiasco last season.

So now my ever growing list of garden to-dos consists of:

• pulling out the remaining plants from last year
• turning my clay-like soil
• pulling out the weeds by the root to deter them from coming back
• tilling the soil
• removing the arbor
• adding organic topsoil and some sort of organic nutrients to the clay-like soil

As you can see I’m a bit behind and it all needs to be done quickly if I intend to have a garden this season. At this point it looks like I will have to buy the vast majority of my plants from a nursery. As my experience with my local nurseries last year left a lot to be desired I’m going to branch out and try new ones that are a little further from my home. It is my sincere hope that they properly label their plants and that these plants will be viable.

Like every year, I hope that my garden will be fruitful. Although we have gotten off to a rocky start, I dream that my seedlings will soon thrive and perfectly complement the plants that I purchase. As a 20-something urbanite, I took to gardening for the thrill of growing my own food and because it has the unique quality of being both relaxing and challenging. You have to be willing to take risks and make mistakes to truly appreciate gardening and let it become the beloved hobby that it has for me. This year I’ve learned that sometimes plants will die even when I have read every book and think I have everything covered. I’ve also learned that with every passing day/year in my garden, I gain a greater respect for where my food comes from and the work, love and time that goes into harvesting it. I have incredible respect for farmers.

“Attention shoppers! Buy with a conscience and save the family farm.” – Neil Young

My heartfelt thanks and appreciations to all for the insightful feedback, comments and advice you’ve given me about organic gardening. Please keep sharing your tips, tricks and stories. It takes a village.

Thanks and as always happy organic gardening.

Neil Young, Long May You Run – Farm Aid 2010

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