Redwood Seeds Blog
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Cover Crop for Better Soils
As I anticipate fall rains a few things come to mind: garlic, poppies and cover crops. These all like to be sown with the fall rains, provided they are not too late! Today we will explore cover cropping- what, why, how and when. Stay tuned for garlic and poppies. What and why? I plant cover crops for two main reasons. 1. To improve soil fertility through the planting of leguminous plants that, with the help of rhizobia bacteria, actually capture nitrogen from the air and fix it into the soil for plants to use. Wow, read that again. Amazing! This means cover cropping with... read more »
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No Till Gardening? Here's how!
This week I've received a couple of questions about how we use tarps in our no-till gardens. Good question! I was wondering the same about 4 years ago as I contemplated the concept of no-till gardening. The main problem I could see was that our garden space is quite large- about 2 acres- and weed control would be a big problem without tilling. First, why no-till? There are many good reasons to strive for no/low-till gardens. Here are my top three: 1. Preserves soil structure and the microbiology in top soils. 2.Sequesters carbon in soil 3. Prevents soil compaction caused by... read more »
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Manton Apple Festival Oct 1, 2022
This next week is in full steam ahead leading up to our local Apple Festival. The small community we live in, Manton, usually has a population around 500 but on the first Saturday in October each year the Apple Festival attracts more than 5000 visitors! It is a first rate crafts fair with many food vendors, apple goods and live music all day. Read more »
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Saving Squash Seeds
Winter squash seed is ready for harvest when the squash are ready to eat. These are squashes like butternut, acorn, sweetmeat, hubbard, spaghetti etc. Summer squash seed like zucchini and patty pan are ready for harvest long after they are nice for eating. Read more »
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Planting Fall Lettuce
This brings us to fall lettuce! If you are in zone 9 like us, or higher you can grow great lettuce all fall and really even all winter. Folks in colder climates can also grow a lot of lettuce in the fall and with the help of season extenders like row cover and high tunnels well into the winter months. Read more »
