Yarding With John

Last Sunday I went to my friend John McAndrew’s house in El Derado (just outside of Santa Fe). He is revamping his yard and garden, and I asked if I could help. First he showed me the area that he plans to mulch. He explained that the weeds in that area should be cut down but not pulled out as that would cause unnecessary trauma to the soil. So we spent some time cutting the weeds and leaving them where they fell to decompose and help enrich the soil. From what I understand, John will lay cardboard down and then cover that with manure. In the spring, he will make small holes in the cardboard (if it hasn’t fully decomposed) and plant seeds. This mulch will provide for excellent growth.

After we cleared the weeds, John dug a shallow trench outside his yard to mark the power lines that run out to the main street. As you cannot really dig along that line, it was a nice idea to mark it with some tall plants and grass. After the trench was dug, he threw down something called Yum Yum Mix to help enrich the soil. I followed behind him with a mix of rye, grass, and poppy seeds. I kicked the dirt of the trench walls over the seeds as I went to hopefully protect the seeds from hungry creatures. Some will inevitably get eaten, but enough should survive to grow the line of vegetation John is hoping for. He then showed me some small lavender trees on the other side of his house. He was adding Yum Yum to the soil, but not at the base of the tree. I asked why, and he explained that by adding the nutrients to the soil at the leaf line, the outer most edges of the roots will receive that nutrients as the rain carries it down through the soil. Good to know.

I hope to learn as much as possible about gardening this way… spending good time with a friend, talking about life and plans, and hopefully being of some help!