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Let's Talk Trash: Cure for winter gardening blues

Adding soil amendments in winter leads to positive results at harvest time
Let’s Talk Trash
Powell River Regional District’s Let’s Talk Trash team has several recommendations to prepare gardens beds for growing season

In the depths of winter, avid gardeners can become itchy for a project. Planning vegetable beds, organizing seeds and researching plant pairings are a few ways for the green thumb to capitalize on these short days.

Another way to prepare for spring thaw is gathering soil amendments that will feed plants as well as materials to suppress weeds. It is surprising how many resources can be stockpiled by becoming creative at this time of the year.

Here are a few ways:

1. Gather seaweed after winter storms. Kelp is rich in minerals and nutrients for soil and can be used for sheet mulching, adding to compost piles or making compost tea. Ensure the seaweed is not home to fish eggs or other sea life prior to harvesting.

2. Connect with friends who have livestock, such as chickens, and offer to take any manure or used bedding off their hands. In spring and summer, these become hot commodities and may be harder to find. Chicken manure needs time to cure, so collecting it early will give it time to cool and avoid burning sensitive rootlets.

3. Cardboard is in ample supply in the form of boxes and can be a perfect garden base to suppress weeds. You can remove all the tape and staples while listening to your favourite tunes on a rainy evening.

4. Burlap sacks come in handy for making paths, suppressing weeds and storing harvested root vegetables. They are in high demand during gardening season, so hunt for them now for best results.

5. Coffee grounds are nitrogen-rich and make a great addition to a compost heap. Many of our local cafés separate out their grounds and are happy to give them away to gardeners for free.

6. Creating your own biochar can be a great winter activity. Collect untreated waste wood, tree trimmings and woody weeds and burn them at high heat. Dousing with water before they turn to ash leaves pure charcoal. It is a great soil amendment that helps soil hold moisture and house microorganisms important for soil health. Online tutorials are a great resource to learn how to make the specific burning unit that will create charcoal.

Cure your winter blues by putting your green thumbs into action.

Let’s Talk Trash is Powell River Regional District’s waste-management education program