Author Archives: Jim

About Jim

I'm a certified square foot gardening instructor that enjoys teaching others how to grow their own great, healthy, organic food. I also enjoy cooking, biking, playing my guitar, reading, and card magic.

Square foot gardening-getting ready to plant for spring

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This is one of the most enjoyable times of the year for me. Square foot gardeners are able to protect their small spaces very easily and prep the growing medium much sooner than most. I’ve been busy starting seeds, planting them outside, and now I’m beginning to direct seed certain crops. We just had a storm come through that delivered about 6 inches of snow to the area. Being able to keep cool weather crops protected meant that would have no effect on what was under cover.

Can we talk spinach? For years I’ve been partial to Space. When I went to re-order last year they were completely out-as were many other crops. I was forced to try something else. This is Gazelle. I love it even more because it grows as easily as Space but it’s got a smoother texture. And, I think it has a slightly more spinach taste than Space.

I’ve got several classes coming up in the very near future. First up will be for beginners of the SFG system. Because spring is so close, my second class will be seed starting. I’ll follow that up with a composting class, which is very important to the square foot gardener, or really for any gardener. Contact me if you’re interested in attending.

The importance of compost in the square foot garden

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I learned how to make great compost over 20 years ago while interning with Mel Bartholomew. He was the inventor of the square foot garden. Since compost is 1/3 of the magic soil formula, it’s pretty important for it to be high quality. What I learned while with him was invaluable. I’ve never had to buy a fertilizer or commercial chemicals for my gardens for over two decades. It’s easy to do once you learn a few basics. The most important thing? You can never buy it as good as you can make it. The benefits are enormous.

I’ll be having a virtual composting class this upcoming Saturday, January 30th at 10:00 AM MST. The class is 90 minutes long and you’ll see how I’ve been able to feed neighbors, restaurants, and family with the greatest of ease. Contact me if you’re interested in attending. More information is on my blog right over there. <—- Winter is a fabulous time to start collecting things. Make it so they can’t sell you anything 🙂

Spring right around the corner for us square foot gardeners

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This is a picture of one box that’s been used for winter. I’ve been harvesting lettuce, carrots, and arugula since late November. Yesterday I was in the process of doing some cleaning up and tugged on a brown top. Out came that carrot. Lots still in the ground, and let me tell you, they’re sweet as sugar! The empty squares you see have been harvested, cleaned out, and have been amended with compost. The other things you might see are not weeds. That’s miners lettuce, and it will start to really grow in the next 2-3 weeks to provide a bounty and tasty addition to my daily salads.

For those interested in having the earliest spring garden possible in the colder climates, I’m having a virtual seed starting class this Saturday at 10:00 AM MST. I had one of these 2 weeks ago with 10 people on. It was a lot of fun. I’ll show you how I’ve done it and what’s been highly successful for me. Don’t wait to have a garden this spring. Decide that you’re going to do it, and then go for it. This class runs 90 minutes and will be highly beneficial. You’ll be ready to plant this week. You can find out more by visiting my Facebook page: the wealthy earth, or you can read about it right over  there on the side of my blog. Spring is getting here quickly.

What you can be doing in the winter to make great compost

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One persons trash is another persons gold. As in black gold. The growing medium that everyone wants in their gardens. Many people in harsher climates may not be aware of what they can be doing during the winter months to prepare to make compost in the spring. For me, it’s only 9 weeks away before I start to actively make compost.

Those who have taken classes at my home and seen my gardens can vouge for my gardening success using 100% compost. Everything grows in my garden. I’ll soon have available a presentation I gave for the community of Park City a short time ago. I’ll show you how I do it and why compost made at home is superior to anything you can buy at nurseries or garden shops. It’s not even close. The benefits of composting speaks for itself. Stay tuned if you’d like to learn more.

Seed starting class coming up

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I know it seems soon but it’s not. If you’re interested in having a really early gardening season, this seed starting class is for you. I’ve opened 2 emails in the past 5 weeks announcing a new recall of food/crops. I get tired of reading this but I don’t worry because I grow all my salad greens and most of my root and summer crops. 

This will be a virtual class beginning at 10:00 AM MST on January 9th. Class will go for 75-90 minuted and the cost is $50. Contact me if you’d like to RSVP or if you’ve got any other questions. 

Right now I’m still enjoying my summer harvest of angel hair spaghetti squash. With my frozen cherry tomatoes I’ve had a few pasta dishes making a quick sauce thats done in about 15-20 minutes. There’s nothing better knowing you can feed yourself and family with things that you grew, watered, and took care of. You also don’t spend a second worrying about chemicals or anything like that.