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Greetings, and welcome to the new subscribers!
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It's a new growing season! There's fresh snow on the ground as I write this. Lots of garden planning should be going on at your house!
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The New CSA Share!
When I 'retired,' I decided to stop doing full-blown CSA Shares. I said I may grow something, but last summer, I had no idea what I would feel like doing this year. But now I do! Here's the something.
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The I'm-Mostly-Retired CSA Share is the streamlined share for 2026! Slicing and cherry tomatoes, spring lettuces, and spinach will be available for pick-up in late April/early May, just like a Spring Share. These are the same plants I have at the Spring Plant Sale.
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Lettuces and spinach can be planted right away. The tomatoes are in 4" pots, and you grow them out yourself until they're ready to plant. They're all indeterminate and will need to be staked.
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February Tasks
February is a big month. The main thing to do is prune your trees! Now is the time to give your fruit trees and ornamental trees a trim for good health, optimum growth, and the best yields. I need to cut back my ancient apple tree. It keeps dying back, but the living parts of it put out a lot of apples. Last summer, I used orange flagging to mark the branches I need to remove. I did the same with my aspen tree. It's getting a major trimming this year.
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Plan, plan, plan your garden and what you want to do in the yard. New fence? New walkway? New shed? Now's the time to figure out these projects.
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Make plans with contractors now for hardscaping, because they'll get booked up quickly as soon as it's warm out. Arrange landscape consultations.
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Do your projects fit in your budget? What can you afford now, and what can you put off? Consider a 'master plan' that can take a few years to complete. Prioritize what needs to be done and what's a vanity project. I have a few of both!
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I think we have winter so we can create beautiful outdoor spaces in our imaginations. Summer is for watching those ideas come to fruition.
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Your indoor plants are probably showing new growth. I find that exciting. It's the promise of spring! Clean up the leaves, and repot and add fresh soil if they're looking cramped. If they don't need repotting, dose with a diluted solution of a high nitrogen fertilizer. Do that again in two weeks, then make it stronger next month.
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Don't forget to enjoy the snow!
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Make plans for hardscaping now.
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Add a hummingbird garden this year!
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The New Book
While you're planning your garden, pick up a copy of The New Book! It's a month-by-month guide to get you through the planning, planting, maintenance, and harvest phases of the year. It starts in January, but there's lots of planning info in the February chapter as well. If you already have The New Book, go over the January chapter again. And write shit down!
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You can order The New Book directly from UNM Press or shop at Crone & Crow, Moxie, Gutiz, and op.cit. Books. During the growing season, you'll be able to find it at Earthgoods and Petree's. Hit me up if you need a signed copy for yourself or shipped out for the holidays. Thank you!
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Earthgoods
The Earthgoods news is that it has changed hands. Jason, who has worked there for several years, is the new owner. We looked for a more visible location, but nothing panned out on such short notice, so Earthgoods will remain at 120 Bertha for now.
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Stay tuned to this newsletter and social media for the Grand Opening. There are some hurdles to jump before we can set definite dates about anything.
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Jason put up this banner right before the owners said they wanted to close the store at the end of December!
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Substack
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Subscribe to Back Stories and Brain Chatter! Paid subscriptions are $8/month or $80/year. There's no paywall, though. All content is available to everyone. Think of a paid subscription as Buy Me a Coffee. I appreciate it! Thank you!
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