For our first year we'll be planting 50 hazelnut trees, several rows of strawberries, and working on a small garden. We're going to be growing potatoes, squash, beans, and smaller amounts of other kitchen vegetables as well. We're hoping to sell some of our produce at the Ashe County farmer's market in West Jefferson.
One of the first things we wanted to do with our garden is improve the soil. Normally we would do this by collecting and composting material throughout the year and adding it to our growing space. Since we were new this year, we ended up buying a pile of finished compost, which will let us get off to a good start.
We also need compost for our trees. Planting our trees in pockets of compost will help them get access to nutrients, grow healthy roots, and will help the soil retain moisture. Soil with a healthy amount of organic matter will also help moderate the pH.
But we will also have to start making our own compost -- for next year and for later this season. Next to Kristen is a pile of goat bedding and manure, courtesy of Lon & Carol Coulter's goat dairy in Jefferson. We will bulk it up with leaves and turn it regularly so it breaks down evenly. Kristen is mixing a bucket of peat to make soil blocks for our vegetables.
Soil-blocking is a way of starting your vegetable garden without pots. A soil block recipe is very similar to a potting mix recipe, and we hear that they are sometimes interchangeable. The soil block mix is compressed into cubes using a metal tool called a soil blocker. We ordered ours (as well as most of our seeds) through Fedco. One of the nice things about soil blocks is that they can be planted directly into the ground without disturbing the roots of the young plant.
Here is a pair of pak choi starts emerging from a soil block. It looks like they're almost as eager to get started as we are.
