A Conversation About Jump Starting a New Year

I sit here, hunkered down, hiding from the fangs and fingers of the wind. The days are appreciably longer and I want to celebrate. But there is no way I’m going outside until I can be sure the breeze doesn’t scour my face off as it whistles past. The dog is miffed because I won’t go on more than one doggy adventure hike per day. When I look around for a project, I notice the houseplants. In their own way they are as insistent as the dog. I have most of them tucked in on benches under shop lights, so they are not really deprived of light. Last fall I prepared them to transition inside, and most seem grateful. But now there is a silent stirring. They are responding to the growing day length, even though they have minimal access, relatively speaking. Suddenly I have “new” chores. The plants are producing new leaves and flowers, which results in the soil drying out faster. There will be new attacks from insects and diseases. So I can keep busy with increased watering, insect and disease prevention, and pruning. I do enjoy the scent of freshly watered soil. And it’s safe to start fertilizing again.

Speaking of growing plants, it’s time to start the Hyacinths I’ve been hoarding. The bulbs have been in the veggie crisper since October, enduring their chilling time. Now I fill hyacinth glasses with river rock and water and stand each bulb on top in its own personal glass. In a few weeks the house will be full of the aroma of fresh flowers. I have already started watering the Amaryllis and tucked in a half dozen paper white narcissus between them. The Amaryllis don’t need a cooling period, but they need a dormancy spell. I have a big window box with eight Amaryllis bulbs poking out flower buds. They are responding to an eight week sleep, with leaves removed and soil kept dry. Paper Whites don’t need any dormancy or cooling. You just buy a batch of bulbs and you can plant them in a pot, force them in a bowl of river rocks or just suspend them in a small-necked container of water.  They’re impatient to flower, and their scent is equally aggressive. Some ( okay, many) people dislike the aroma.

As I putter among the containers of plants, I find my stash of seeds. These were chosen to be winter planted, most scattered on the snow to sprout in a “natural” method. I have no snow right now, so plan B will be initiated. There is a system of winter sowing that is popular with children as a cold weather project. It can be as much fun for adults. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Putnam County has a great tutorial at https://cceputnamcounty.org/resources/native-seeds-of-fortitude-winter-seed-sowing, and the Nature Calls, Conversations from the Hudson Valley discusses winter sowing in episode 52 at https://ccecolumbiagreene.org/gardening/nature-calls-conversations-from-the-hudson-valley/episode-52-wild-hudson-valley-and-winter-sowing. My favorite part of this is the frugality. All you need besides the seed, is recycled milk jugs, some duct tape, and some sterile soil. You don’t even need to make space indoors… they are designed to winter outside in a sheltered spot. 

The wind is still howling and tossing things around, has thrown all my seed feeders to the ground. But my suet feeders are all firmly anchored, and the birds, especially the woodpecker tribe, can hang on and get some nutrition. The birds, the dog and I have lived through this before, and, with any luck will do so again.