 S O I L Soil is a powerful resource; it's the home, the temple, of all you grow. Having a fundamental understanding about soil, what makes its healthy and how to care for it directly impacts the soils ability to grow foods and herbs as well as protect the environments natural resources. Here's a general overview of healthy soil outlined below. Soil Organic Matter (SOM) - SOM is made up of living organisms both fresh (no more than 3 years; still provides food for soil organisms) and decomposed (between 5-1000 years old; mainly carbon and no longer food for soil organisms).
 Soil Tilth: tilth is referring to the physical condition of the soil; preferably porous, breathable, penetrable by root systems and easily able to receive water.
 Soil pH - a neutral soil pH is 7. Acidic soils are below pH7 and alkaline soils are above pH 7. pH impacts the availability of nutrients in the soil. Most crops prefer a pH of 6-6.8 When doing research on plant pH it is commonly centered around the need to maintain and monitor the soil's N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus) and K (potassium) levels so let's begin there.  Nitrogen promotes healthy foliage (too much can result is rapid growth but poor flowering, too little stunts the growth) Signs: short plants, small leaves and yellowing Phosphorus promotes strong roots, flowering and larger seeds (excess leads to poor growth and bleaching because it impacts symbiotic bacteria and fungus that aid root systems in taking in water and nutrients / too little causes leaf death) Signs: excess weed growth, stunted plant growth and bleaching leaves, older leaves turning “fall” colors early and falling off. Potassium supports overall plant health (excess can block Nitrogen and Phosphorus uptake / too little can lead to disease and poor health) Signs: brown scorching and curling of leaf tips, yellowing between leaf veins, stunted growth and purple spots on the bottom of leaves When you procure fertilizers there are always 3 numbers on the product. Those 3 numbers correspond to the products levels of N (nitrogen), P (phosphorus) and K (potassium). For example a fertilizer with a 10-10-10 is equal percentage (10% to be exact) of N P K. How do you determine the correct fertilizer? You can learn the fertilizer needs of individual plants as well as test the soil to determine its pH and what it will need to return to homeostasis. You can procure a testing kit online or at most gardening stores. For folks that are local to me in VT I also recommend sending a sample of your soil off to the University of Vermont (UVM) for testing at the beginning and end of each grow season. https://pss.uvm.edu/ag_testing/?Page=soils.html Maintaining soil N P K can be challenging and requires frequent soil testing (monthly and at the different stages of plant growth), observation of the behavior and physical attributes of the plants and soil and using that information to continue to feed the plant(s) throughout the grow season.  Soil fertility is the ability of soil to provide a holistic environment for growing healthy plants. To do this is needs a balance of nutrients. It's important to note that soil fertility extends beyond understanding soil pH and monitering N P K alone. Biodiversity both above and below the soil is important to soil health, fertility and mitigating plant disease and minimizes pest infestation. So as much as you tend to the health of the soil directly it’s equally important to tend to the soil indirectly by planting a variety of plants (heirloom, organic), feeding the wild birds, growing a pollinator garden and allowing the growth of wild plants that serve as both habitat and food for beneficial organisms.
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 This blog post continues where How We Plan Our Homestead Gardens ends; digging deeper into some of the topics highlighted in that article and sharing some new information as well as helpful resources. Let's dig in and begin! Filling your Garden Beds: As I shared in How We Plan Our Homestead Gardens, on our homestead we practice a methodology called square foot gardening. This methodology uses containers and therefore requires one to figure how to best fill those containers before planting seeds or seedlings. This can feel intimidating sometimes depending on how you feel about math. Regardless of the size and depth of your garden beds these resources should be helpful in ascertaining the correct amount of container soil to add.
Gardening Tools: Along the journey of gardening one can definitely accumulate some tools over time. Whether you are obtaining gardening tools new, using ones you already own and/or borrowing them from someone else please take some time to clean each tool thoroughly. It's important to get into the habit of cleaning tools before and after using them in the garden; especially if they have been handling diseased plants. Make sure to carefully inspect your tools as well, to notice any need for repair or maintenance, especially if there is rust.
Zones: As I wrote about in How We Plan Our Homestead Gardens it's important to establish a planting timeline whether you are planting from seed or obtaining seedlings. Part of that process involves establishing what geographical grow zone you are in; this is typically based on your regional climate. Below I have linked a website where you can enter your zip code and find out your grow zone.
 Seeds: Depending on what route(s) you are exploring you may be growing your gardens from store-bought seedlings and/or from your own homegrown seedlings that you start from seed. Now that your garden beds are full, fed and you know what grow zone you live in, you can begin to make both a list, and timeline, of what you want to grow. I highly recommend using seeds that are from local distributors; organic, heirloom and native varieties when possible. You can also find local seed exchanges/shares. Over the years, I have grown my own selection of home cultivated seeds from both cultivated and wild plants on our homestead. The times we do buy seeds I procure them from these two sources mainly:
Feel free to share additional seed companies to check out in comments below!  If you are planting from seed some basic supplies you may need specifically for growing your seedlings are:
Some seeds can be directly sowed into your garden bed and some are best started as seedlings in an indoor grow space before transplanting into the garden bed. You can go all-out and obtain indoor grow tents, shelving systems, lights, fans, warming mats etc. And you can keep it simple and affordable and set up a table or two in a windowsill or well-lit space to grow seedlings. When you are planting from seed it's important to read the seed packets completely and do some research on the specific species of plant you are growing to learn the best way to germinate that seed(s). Again, some seeds are best grown by directly sowing them into the garden bed (ie. cucumbers, legumes, watermelon, radishes, leafy greens etc.). Some seeds need to be soaked and/or scarified to germinate/sprout before planting (ie. passionflower/Maypop, okra etc.). After all seeds have been planted its important to know that you can save the remaining seeds in storage until the next grow cycle, which, depending on the plant, can be within the same grow season or in the next year. Some examples of places you can store seeds are: in the seed packets themselves, in glass baby food jars or mini ziplock bags. Make sure the bags/jars holding your seeds are sealed properly and stored in a cool, dark place. The germination timeframe varies from plant to plant; some can take as little as a week or two before peaking above the soil and some can take longer. Be patient and remember that one of the biggest gifts growing food offers us is practice in being present, moving slowly and honoring the ebbs and flows, the rhythms of nature. This is a deeply valuable practice and is essential to decolonizing our relationship to the land and to life itself. So instead of trying to rush the process and make the experience of growing food fit into your expectations or into the capitalistic pace of our culture, let the experience of growing food change you, teach you, transform you and encourage you to question and redefine the pace at which you move through life. Every seed equals one plant, so essentially one seed is needed to grow one plant. Using a finger or tool specifically for sowing seeds, make a hole about an inch deep into the soil. Place the seed into that hole the gently cover the seed with the soil. If you are planting a seedling the hole made into the soil would likely be scooped/dug with the palm or a small shovel. The seedling and its soil would be removed from the seedling tray and gently placed into the hole then covered gently with the soil. Taking the hands and tenderly yet firmly pressing the soil around the base of the seedling stem to ground it into the garden bed. It's a good practice to plant a few seeds, typically 3-4 per hole, to ensure there is more potential for the seed to make its way to a mature plant. Seeds and seedlings are particularly vulnerable because they are small, their roots are still growing and not fully established meaning they are more easily uprooted or disturbed. Additionally, in their young stages they are more delicate as well. Below, this sacred seed prayer beautifully articulates why planting a few seeds is a good practice. "Plant four seeds One for the worm One for the crow One to rot and One to grow" There are many things that can happen to a seed along its path to maturity. A seed may not germinate, a seedling may not be able to withstand disease, wild animals and bugs nibbling on them, the weather patterns or watering cycle can sometimes be too harsh on a seed. "For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone, the shell cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes. For someone who doesn't understand growth it can look like destruction." Some seeds are best grown by sowing them into small seedling containers and then easing them into the garden via a process call hardening. Hardening is essentially weaning an indoor seedling by slowly exposing the seedling to the outdoors for a few hours a day over the course of 3-5-7 days. This practice gets the seedling accustomed to being exposed to the living outdoors in the sun, rain, breeze and amongst wild life. Once that period of time has passed the seedlings are more prepared to withstand the transplant and transition from growing indoors to outdoors. Below are some examples of varying sizes of seed: 1) Basil Seeds (top left) 2) Cucumber Seeds (top right) 3) Marigold Seeds (middle left) 4) Nasturtium Seeds (middle right) 5) Pepper Seeds (bottom left) 6) Legumes Seeds (bottom right)
Seedlings: Magically, the seeds have emerged from the earth to reveal themselves as seedlings; symbols of new life, life and hope. Outlined below are some ways to tend to seedlings/starts as they are continuing to grow into mature plants.
 
I hope this blog post is supportive along your growing journey! Blessings, Candace Glossary:
What is peat moss? Peat moss is a dead fibrous material that forms from mosses and other living materials decomposing in peat bogs. It’s used mainly as a soil amendment and has an acidic pH. It doesnt contain harmful microorganisms or weed seeds. What is vermiculite? Vermiculite is a mineral that is used in gardening to aerate the soil and increases water and nutrient retention. It wont deteriorate, rot, mold, its sterile and non-toxic. What is compost? Nutrient rich organic matter that evolves from waste. What is lime? Ground limestone rock that alkalizes the soil. What is sea kelp meal? Helps the support soil structure, maintain moisture and its natural minerals and amino acids are like a super food for microorganisms in the soil. What is fertilizer? Nutrients essential to plant growth. (eg. chicken poop) What is azomite? Natural mineral that serves as a fertilizer, a soil amendment and can also help fight off pests.  My partner Tony is a person of many talents; one being an amazing mixologist. This is a little recipe he concocted the other day that I had to share! We came up with two names for this drink and couldn't decide on which one to officially call it:
Tony and I currently live in Vermont and have for 13 years now. My family is from Barbados and Bajans affectionately call our home island BIM. One of my favorite drinks is an Old Fashioned. So Tony made this variation of an old fashioned with an exquisite rum made in Barbados at a distillery we had a chance to visit called St. Nicholas Abbey, local Vermont maple syrup and my very own Whole Heart CBD Rose Bitters. {Fun fact: Did you know that Barbados invented rum?} I N G R E D I E N T S 2.5 ounces of St. Nicholas Abbey Rum Dash of CBD Bitters Splash of Club Soda Squeeze of Fresh Lemon Splash of VT Maple Syrup Pinch of Raw Sugar Ice Optional Orange Rind and/or Maraschino Cherry In your mixing container add your raw sugar, maple and squeeze of lemon juice to the bottom and quickly mix by mashing with a pestle. Add the St. Nicholas Abbey Rum, splash of club soda, dash of CBD bitters and ice; then cover and shake until well blended. Pour into a glass with ice and feel free to garnish with an orange rind or maraschino cherry. Enjoy!  Split Pea Soup Ingredients:
5-6 cups of water for both soaking 5-6 cups of water or broth for cooking 2.5 cups split peas (green or yellow) 1 ham bone 2 large onions (chopped) 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp of dried hot pepper or peppa' sauce or a fresh small pepper 1 cup of fresh or canned pumpkin, carrots or sweet potatoes 2 tsp of thyme black pepper to taste fresh parsley Split Pea Soup Directions: When working with whole legumes its important to practice two simple ancestral techniques: 1) Wash split peas - Place split peas in a bowl and cover with water. Gently massage the peas with your hands and infuse them with your gratitude and loving intentions. The water may cloud up with dirt from the peas. Strain the peas and repeat this process until the water runs clear during massage. Once this is completed you will prepare the split peas for soaking. 2) Soak split peas - once the split peas are cleaned place them in a bowl with 5-6 cups of water overnight (optional add a piece of kombu to the water of soaked peas). When the split peas are done with soaking, strain them and place them in a pot with the onions, water/broth, ham bone, hot pepper, thyme, salt and black pepper. Bring it to a boil, lower to medium heat and let it cook for about 30 minutes. Then add the pumpkin/carrots/sweet potatoes and let it cook for another 15 mins; your soup will begin to thicken with the addition of these root vegetables. If you're adding dumplings (recipe below) to your soup gently drop the dough into the soup by the teaspoonful. They take about 10 minutes to cook through and plump up. Stew/Soup Dumplings Ingredients: 1.5 cups of flour or (1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup cornmeal) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup water or milk 2 tblsp sugar 1.5 tsp butter or ghee 1 tsp baking powder 2 tsp curry powder pinch of nutmeg Dumpling Directions: Mix the dried ingredients into a bowl. Cut in your butter or ghee and blend with fingers or fork. Make a little well in the middle and add your water or milk into the well. Slowly fold in the flour with your hands or a spatula until you have a dough. Set aside until ready to cook in your soup/stew; typically add to soup at the end of the cook. At that time, gently drop the dough into the soup by the teaspoonful and cook until they plump up, about 10 minutes. Enjoy!  Primary Ingredients: 1 cup sourdough starter 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt 4 tablespoons of fat (for example - butter, leaf lard, coconut oil, ghee etc.) 2 tablespoons of dried or fresh herbs/spices (for example - rosemary, thyme, umeboshi, dill, chipotle etc.) Additional Ingredients: oil (for brushing the top of the crackers before baking) salt (for sprinkling on top)    Each year we wait for it; the arrival of our favorite local organic seed catalogue. Its usually deep into Winter when it arrives but it serves as a reminder that Spring will soon return. As an urban homesteader this means that although its a Winter wonderland outside, its time to start remembering the sun-kissed Earth blooming and buzzing with life; its time to begin planning next year’s gardens. So with that intention in mind we write to share the way we plan our urban homestead garden. Our Gardens At our urban homestead we have a few different gardens. A shade garden at the front of our home filled with hosta from Tony’s childhood home as well as tall grasses and an assorted variety of oreganos. In our backyard we have a berry patch that centers around an abundant growth of wild black raspberry vines. We added cultivated raspberry, blueberry and elderberry bushes alongside these breathtaking trio of hibiscus trees gifted to us from Tony’s mom as a housewarming gift. Along the stone path we built a small yoni garden with perennial flowers to support the pollinators. In the yoni garden we grow yarrow, coreopsis from my best friend’s garden, peonies from Tony’s mom for our wedding, and a dwarf peach tree we planted in honor of my niece Kaylynn who passed away in 2013. On occasion we add a few annual flowers like sunflowers and zinnias while nurturing the wild clover, thyme and milkweed that also grow in this bed each year. We also built a gated 12-bed garden; 4 of the beds are in a simple hoop house we also built. Inside the hoop house we typically grow plants that thrive in the extra heat like tomatoes, tomatillos and assorted peppers. In the remaining 8 beds we grow a variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers. (Below is an outline of our 12 raised beds. The beds with the lines and dots at each corner are in our hoop house.)  Every year we keep complete records of what we planted in each garden during the grow season as well as what cover crop we planted at the end of the season. All of these records are kept in a binder with a copy of the seed catalogues from each grow season. This binder, along with the seed catalogue for this coming grow season is where we begin the planning process for next year. Gardening Practices There are many practices and philosophies that inform how we homestead, grow food and steward the land. And although we will not go into all of them in this blog post we do want to share that we are guided by both science and the sacred. Below we will review a few key practices that inform how we plan our grow season each year. On our homestead we practice a method of gardening called square foot gardening. We chose this method for many reasons, primarily because it allowed us to easily plant above ground. Planting above ground was important because prior to owning our home, the backyard was full of tall arborvitae that left the earth practically impenetrable with gnarly roots systems and compact clay soil. They were cut down long before we bought our home but we did not have the tools and resources to turn the soil enough to grow directly into the earth itself. Tony took a workshop on square foot gardening and then shared the methodology with me; we both decided it was a great fit for us. Each garden bed is divided into 16 boxes and each box has a prescribed template for growing foods of all kinds.
In the images above the first picture (left) shows a single garden bed divided into 16 boxes. The second image (right) shows templates of how to grow varying types of vegetables in each of the (16) boxes; a single broccoli in one box, 4 lettuces in one box or 16 onions in one box. Square foot gardening also uses a particular formula of (soil – compost – vermiculite – fertilizer) in each bed. This combination makes up the soil ecology of each bed that we will grow food in. When we bought our home we began with building 8 raised beds. Over the years the number grew to 12. When we got our first flock of chickens, we added a fence. We then doubled the depth of the beds and added a hoop house over 4 of them. Its been, and continues to be, a gradual process of shaping our little urban homestead and stewarding it into a thriving ecosystem. We also practice companion planting, crop-rotation as well as grow cover crops at the end of each season to assure that the soil health is at its best each year. Companion planting is the practice of combining plants that work well together in one bed and aids in optimal growth and “pest” control. Crop rotation is the practice of planting a different type/category of crops in a specific sequence after each grow season. For example, If you grew legumes in bed A this year, next year you should grow root veggies in bed A (see image below). Alternating growing crops in this way aids in the health and vitality of the soil. Lastly, cover crops are the practice of planting specific plants after the grow season is complete that will be the first to grow in the coming season. Cover crops nourish the soil by providing the nutrients that tend to be deprived from the soil after a season of growing. Some of my favorite cover crops to grow at the end of each season are garlic, oats, vetch, rye and clover.  Planning We begin where we left off, reviewing what we grew in each bed during the grow season and what we planted for cover crop. Using that information some of the things we begin to think about that inform our plans are:
Being guided by these questions and others we begin to make lists of all the vegetables, herbs and flowers that come to mind. Then we take that big list and divide it into the following categories of:
Once this information is ascertained we then begin to map out a calendar or timeline for starting our seedlings. Any seeds we do not have in our existing seed storage we purchase via local sustainable organic and heirloom seed cultivators. Once all seeds are in our possession we organize the plants into order based on each seeds outlined days to maturity.Take note that some plants will have the ability to be grown multiple times within a grow season and some will grow one time during the grow season. For some plants, one seed will yield one fruit or one vegetable. For other plants one seed will yield either multiple fruits/vegetables or a plant that will be able to be cultivated and grow back fruit/vegetables. Days to maturity can be found on every seed packet along with other general information about the plant; its important to review these write-ups in entirety while planning, prior to growing. In order to create a timeline for growing seeds you will need to know the zone you are growing in and the last frost date in your zone for the coming grow season. This information will enable you to know when you can begin to actually plant your seedlings into the Earth without risk of lingering winter weather causing harm. Seedlings and the time after transplanting seedlings is vulnerable and in need of caution, diligent tending and observation. Ultimately, when the Earth thaws and the land awakens from its deep Winter rest we will follow its lead and adjust our plans as needed. We will also test the soil in each bed at the start of the grow season to learn the breakdown of the soil’s nutrients. This will aid us in knowing what nutrients are also needed in the bed’s soil. Lastly, we will need to refill the beds to the top with the square foot gardening combo of compost, soil, vermiculite and fertilizer. Knowing the correct amount can be determined with the support of some home math and online calculators. We’ve also found that many garden stores have helpful staff that can aid in figuring out container/bed quantities for soil. Because of the quantity of gardens we have we order bulk soil, compost and mulch orders from our local gardening store. This typically saves us in costs and time as bulk purchases such as these are delivered to our homestead for us. Each year we grow we are presented with varying conditions that we document in the same binder mentioned earlier in this blog post. Some challenges we face in our gardens fall into the common categories of pests, diseases and unusual weather. Other challenges we face are life related; like the loss of job(s) or having unexpected major home renovations that are a priority over our gardens in our financial budget. We have also experienced the loss of family members, work related travel and physical injury that impact our capacity to grow. Life happens and because of that we have to allow our plans/vision for the gardens to breath and be able to ebb and flow with life's fluctuations. Some of our favorite mottos to live by are:
Its my hope that this blog post supports your gardening journey. Never hesitate to reach out with comments below or questions. Feel free to also email me at hello@candacejennifer.me Definitions
 As an ancestral cook I have a deep reverence for the place fermented foods holds across many of our lineages. The fermented foods that are apart of my Afro-Caribbean ancestry have ingredients that are often hard to find in the places I live in now. This doesn't prevent me from having a relationship with the fermentation practices I was taught as a child; it inspires me. I use the practices and the ingredients I can access locally that are of my lineage and those that are local that are not. When I am able to sustainably source the rarer ingredients from my lineage, I make small batches of ferments that I cherish and store small amounts of the raw ingredients in my home apothecary. Blending those ancestral practices with the present day places and spaces I live in now is something I truly enjoy because in someway I feel like its a representation of me and many like me who are "in between". Being a child of displaced peoples due to colonization; born in a land that is supposed to be "my country, my land" but from young, I knew clearly in my bones, was not. Severing my/our connection from our ancestral lands and the sources and resources that nourished the bodies of those that came before me for generations was felt within me without the words to express it. My people are peoples of the tropics; the foods and smells and spices and places that connect me to that story, that truth, that self knowing are not of this land. Some of the foods from my ancestral lands can be obtained in the markets I have access to in Vermont, but many are not. Access to variety increases when one goes to big cities like NYC or uses the internet but, this also serves as a reminder that a part of my being craves for nourishment and connection to a home that is far, far away from my home now. Through the alchemy of food I find ways to make sense of my own narrative of being in between a new home and old home and transform it into a narrative of being a bridge, a portal of healing for both myself and my ancestral narratives. Its November here in Vermont and there are some awesome foods that are in season right now like an astounding variety of gourds, squashes and pumpkins. We still have some beautiful dark leafy greens like an assorted variety of kale and overwintered greens like spinach. We also still have some glorious root veggies being harvested as well. But Ive been waiting for one of my favorite seasonal foods to make their ways into the markets: cranberries! I LOVE whole cranberries! And, as Ive shared, I LOVE fermented foods! And one of my favorite things to make is fermented cranberries. It's super simple in its basic recipe which allows me to preserve and store cranberries to make in various ways; cranberry chutney, cranberry sauce, cranberry jam, cranberry salsa and more! Basic Fermented Cranberries Recipe Ingredients: fresh whole cranberries water celtic grey salt OR sea salt ferment starter Equipment: ball jar with clean rubber sealed lid ferment weight (make sure its the right size for your jar) Directions:
 Spiced Fermented Sorrell Cranberries Recipe Much of this recipe will mimic the recipe above but with lots of fun additional ingredients inspired by my Afro-Caribbean ancestry. Here goes! Ingredients: fresh whole cranberries sorrel infused water celtic grey salt OR sea salt cinnamon stick clove thyme ginger star anise lime skin ferment starter Equipment: ball jar with clean rubber sealed lid ferment weight (make sure its the right size for your jar) Salt measurements based on size jar:
Directions:
From this point follow the same steps outlined in Fermentation Process above. Once completed you could enjoy as is or use this blend to make a chutney with more Afro-Caribbean ingredients like: tamarind, mango, peaches, molasses, prunes and more. Remember to listen to and offer gratitude to the foods and nourishing bacteria in your ferments, have fun exploring and enjoy the journey! With love, Candace @conscioushomestead @consciouskitchenvt  |
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