Happy Winter Solstice! In its journey around the sun, the Earth’s northern hemisphere stops tilting away from the sun tonight at 10:47 pm, marking the darkest day of the year. Daylight grows from this point on to June! Hurray! I mark the occasion with candles lit everywhere in my home.
Many holidays in December celebrate the human ability to hold a light up into the darkness and look forward to more daylight ahead. December 21 also comes very close to the Christmas holiday. Nurseries, florists, and grocery stores all have colorful plants to brighten up interiors for the holiday. Plants make great last-minute purchases for party hosts or parents who may not have much greenery around them. Tip: Inspect plants for pests that may have hatched while at the store before you purchase them and bring them home or to a friend’s house. Good deals might be available so close to the holiday, but only if you get healthy plants!
Not only do I want life indoors—without pests—during December, January, and February; I also want to see birds congregating in the gardens. I have expanded my bird feeder collection and have hung a few seed feeders already. I don’t recommend hanging suet feeders until the ground is either covered in snow or frozen solid. Bears are still about, and it is best to be cautious. That said, mixes of birdseed, suet, and different types of feeders attract the most bird diversity. I usually have black oil sunflower seed and mixes with millet and corn. I need to get thistle seed, too. That will attract the finches and, I hope, some unusual ones.
I love the bright reds, pinks, and greens of holiday houseplants. They are cheery. Now that the days are getting brighter, however, I start pining for home-grown fruits and vegetables again. Enter microgreens. You can start seeds of arugula, alfalfa, mung beans, peas, chard, spinach, and so many more in simple seeding trays or domed starter containers. Sprouts can be started in a large canning jar with cheesecloth over the top instead of the two-part canning lid. Directions are on the packages. I use a salvaged tub from store-bought salad mix as an outer container and a plastic strawberry box (vented) for the inner container. For microgreens, scatter the seed across the top of the seed-starting mix in this small tray with built-in dome. Water from the bottom, keep moist but not soggy and in a warm, brightly lit location. You will have small greens for garnishing salads, soups, and sandwiches within a couple weeks.
Alfalfa, bean, and pea sprouts can be started in a screened jar. Soak the seed overnight, then drain off the water. Keep in a bright location but away from a window so the seed doesn’t dry out. Rinse the seed daily for a few days until sprouts develop. Once you have sprouts, refrigerate the jar so the seeds don’t get funky. Strain and add the sprouts to sandwiches, soups, appetizers. It is amazing that mung beans started today might be ready to eat in seven days. What a way to start the new year! Seed packets make colorful and forward-thinking stocking stuffers, too.
Although the daylight gets longer, the days won’t be warmer. Your heating system continues to dry out your indoor plants. Remember to check the soil surface regularly and use humidity trays. A tray filled with stones and water up to the rim provides ambient humidity to a potted plant sitting on top of the stones. With a humidity tray, roots do not rot in overly wet soil, but the plant’s leaves get the moisture they need to properly photosynthesize. I let the physics of water do its thing so I can be a lazy gardener and not fret about watering all the time. That leaves more time for a merry Christmas!
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I’m willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
