Gotta Play in the Dirt

By P.L. Stiles  Rowan Public Library

     Looking out on a dismal winter landscape, ever wonder “Why winter!?”  With barren trees, snowy gray skies, and icy winds, winter seems the most inhospitable season of them all. Winter, though, plays an important role in the lifecycle of plants, trees, forests, and ecosystems.  Fallen leaves and decaying matter replenish nutrients in soil, snows and rains scatter and bury seeds, the cold offers energetic respite for trees and provides a killing season for insects and invasive species. Winter provides the land with resources it needs to thrive season upon season. 

     So it seems surprising that many plants thrive during the winter. Bulbs, from tulips to garlic, require weeks of cold weather at 40 degrees or colder. Some seeds require scarification, a process of freezing and thawing that cracks a hard seed shell, in order to grow.  These include morning glory, moonflower, and nasturtiums.  Some seeds require stratification in order to grow, a process of warming and cooling that happens when temperatures change as winter becomes spring. Those seeds include many butterfly habitat plants such as milkweed, butterfly weed, daylilies, and apples. 

     For gardeners, having a winter garden can be just as joyful as a summer garden. Cold weather can make root vegetables sweeter, and many greens grow better in colder weather. Winter crops are all about leaves, stems, and roots which grow slowly in cool weather. Greens such as arugula, kale, and pak choi (Chinese cabbage) all grow better in cool to cold weather. Fresh arugula and kale make winter salads tasty as well as nutritious. Making a hot soup with garlic, pak choi, and sweet carrots fresh from the garden warms any wintery day.

     In January, the South Regional Library will start hosting a monthly gardening club, “Gardening Party Saturdays” where gardening, plant, and pollinator enthusiasts can gather and swap plant & seeds, trade gardening tips, and explore new gardening topics.  The first meeting on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at
11 am,  and will feature a seed swap, so bring seeds you wish to share (and whatever information you may have about them) and take home seeds of new varieties! Garden planning will be the topic, and dreaming is free.  At Garden Party Saturdays, new and experienced gardeners can learn more about getting soil tests, putting together a garden no matter the space, growing for your culinary interests, composting, vermiculture, and more! 

     If you just gotta play in the dirt, despite the January chill, join with other like-minded folk and plan to make gardening part of your life no matter the season.