I believe that gardening is a great first step towards conservation. My parents and grandparents gardened when I was young, and that, plus backyard bird feeders, helped me to learn to observe the natural world. I tell anyone interested in gardening to give it a try. Plant something, eat it, and fall in love with the land.
Getting started can be intimidating. Everyone is eager to sell you gadgets and tools, and there’s a lot of jargon to learn, but some basic concepts can ground you in the topic: soil, sunlight, and plant selection.
The composition of your garden dirt helps determine how well your plants do. Soil types describe their structure; a sandy loam will drain water quickly and easily, but clay holds water longer.
Knowing what type of soil you have helps you understand how to work it for best results. You may need to add amendments to improve the drainage of clay or add nutrients to sandy soil.
Granby is blessed with many areas of prime agricultural soil. My husband and I chose a new home with prime soil when we bought in town. It is a good idea to have your soil tested at portal.ct.gov/CAES/Soil-Office/Windsor/Soil-Testing-Office-Instructions-Windsor This can tell you about the nutrient balance and the pH (acidity) of your soil. Understanding your baseline soil conditions can help you amend the soil for the best results.
Vegetables love sunlight, and most do best in full sunlight, meaning that the spot receives at least six hours of sunlight per day. Some crops will thrive in partial sun—four to six hours per day. Walk around your yard and observe which areas get sun for how long. If your yard is mostly shady, Granby is blessed with a Community Garden where you have a plot of your own and work with other gardeners at planeteandme.com/granby-community-garden/
Plant selection is my favorite topic and, in some ways, it’s the easiest: plant what you like to eat, the flowers you like to see or smell, or what will attract pollinators. It also must be something that will grow in Granby. With annual plants like vegetables pay attention to growing season length. Granby generally has a growing season from May 10 to Oct. 5, so any plant that takes more than 90 or 100 days to grow may not do well. To determine if a perennial such as a fruit tree will grow here, check the USDA plant hardiness zone at planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/ The USDA defines these zones based on minimum winter temperatures.
Most of Granby is in zone 6a, but higher elevations of West Granby and North Granby are in zone 5b. Shop in seed catalogs and nurseries geared toward New England and also the Holcomb Farm spring plant sales for plants that grow successfully in Granby.
Start small and build on your success. Experience the joy of produce you’ve grown yourself. The other night I made a casserole using summer squash I’d frozen last summer: a taste of summer deep in the winter.
Want to continue the conversation? Our March Conservation Conversation at the Granby Library will take place on March 13, from 6 to 7 p.m.