By Janet Sellers
Forest living needs kitchen-made soil
Our local soil has created itself over millions of years for optimal forest growth. We can thank Mother Nature for creating our wonderful natural areas, and it’s our job to take good care of them. When we want to make a garden bed for outside plants, such as familiar foodstuffs, we need to prepare the soil for growing those specific plants. We don’t take the entire landscape to do this, we can actually make kitchen soil outdoors in a barrel, a cardboard box, or a specific place as the garden bed.
To make kitchen garden soil from compost, keep it all contained to control the compost. Making it in a garden bed in layers and topping off with a very thick (8-10 inches) layer of multi-size wood mulch is another method, and these methods should produce soil ready for planting by spring. For the tub method, use a food-grade tub or larger vessel. Drill pea-size oxygen holes on the sides and golf ball-size earthworm holes on the bottom. Layers: 1/1/1 layers like lasagna, so use a proportion of 1 carbon: brown/leaves/needles, 1 dirt/soil from the ground, 1 nitrogen (colors/veggies/fruits/kitchen, and cap it off with carbon. The speed of soil-making depends on the weather, and watering when needed keeps the compost at work making soil.
Spruce gum
Blue spruce resin has been used historically to make chewing gum. Some caution is advised: Be very careful if you have dental work to watch out for, as fresh resin can be sticky and may require some patience to chew. It’s made by harvesting the resin from the tree, often from areas where the tree has been damaged or naturally produces sap, and then chewing it after it hardens. While some find the initial texture brittle, it softens with chewing and can be a pleasant, long-lasting gum.
Look for organic, toxin-free (no pesticides, etc.) areas of spruce trees, gently harvest the resin by hand or with a small knife, carefully removing it from the tree. Likely to be hard and brittle at first, it will eventually become pliable. Spruce resin has a long history of medicinal use, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties, relieving sore throats and other ailments. Many find the taste pleasant. It’s always a good idea to research and understand any potential risks or allergies associated with chewing tree resin.
Janet Sellers is an avid “lazy gardener,” letting Mother Nature lead the way for earthwise gardens. Send your tips to JanetSellers@ocn.me.
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