GREETINGS AND WELCOME TO NANNIE PLANTS!
(This is my first email newsletter in the new format. Please disregard any hiccups! I’m sure there are many!)
It’s snowing lightly this morning. Yesterday it was -10º at my house. I hope that’s the end of the brutal cold but not the snow! I dislike winter, but snow and cold are good for our plants. And also, winter makes you appreciate spring more. I spent many winters in Tucson, and coming back to Taos in the spring, I missed out on the excitement of the seasonal transition. I had already experienced 70 and 80 degree days, so a high of 50º meant nothing. But after suffering the cold like we have been, 50º will feel glorious in March!
This is the time of year to make plans for your yard. Think hard about vegetable garden plans, new walkways and outbuildings, and plantings of trees, shrubs, and perennials. Dream big and get done what you can. Make a budget and prioritize projects. I get carried away every year with projects but eventually have to whittle them down to what’s most important, practical, and affordable. My dreams are way bigger than my wallet, but I imagine that’s the life of a gardener.
Winter is also the time of year to create a plan for winter interest in your yard. Look around. Do you need some height or texture somewhere? Will the lines of a trellis add interest? We need visually pleasing yards year-round, and now that there’s snow on the ground, think about what you would like to see next year at this time.
CSA SHARES OF STARTS
All my seeds for starts have finally arrived! I was getting stressed wondering if stock was going to run out like it did last year. I was scrambling for seed midway through last spring, and I wanted to avoid that again. It was touch and go for a while, but all my supplies are in. I have over-ordered in the hopes I can supply everyone without worry!
As always, I have Spring and Summer Shares of organic starts and non-GMO Renee’s Garden Seeds. Spring Shares are mostly greens and are delivered in the end of April. Summer Shares are all those scrumptious warm weather plants we tend until frost, and they are ready in the end of May.
Speaking of Renee’s, there is a full seed rack at the Taos Market in El Prado next to the Taos Diner (which is now open for indoor seating at 25% capacity!). Bonus Packs and Scatter Cans are fully stocked, too.
EVENTS
There is no seed swap this year, but we are discussing locations for seed exchange stations. Seed donations are down because most companies sold out last year. If you have seed to donate to keep the seed exchange going, please let me or Gillian Joyce know! Donations from local growers started the Taos Seed Exchange back in 2013!
On May 1st, we will be holding a plant sale at Earthgoods in Bertha Street. Stay tuned for details. That’s a long way out!