Oh my ... it gets very busy!

When the coldest part of winter subsides, usually by March, the Gardening Juices get to flowing ... BUT ... the baseball season must be taken into account.

I have the good fortune of coaching the Freshman baseball team at the districts newest high school and that means a building program is underway. The most skilled freshmen players are on the varsity and the more skilled players have been assigned to the junior varsity. The freshman team then is a collection of players that have good baseball skills but need a little more foundational work to be their best.

What does baseball have to do with gardening you ask? Everything! Just like the 9th grader who is small and slow ... the garden that you work this season will be just that, small and slow.

It takes time and effort to take a youngster from being a bit clumsy and weak to a mature ball-player; it will be a few seasons before your garden reaches its full potential. You will work the ground by adding compost, green manure and enriching materials. You will spend hours and hours 'putt-zing' in and around your terrific tomatoes and your beautiful beans to get the biggest yield you can. In a sustainable approach you are continuously 'coaching' your garden by putting into it the right stuff.

If you want to hit a home-run with your vegetable garden ... you have to pick up the bat and swing a few thousand practice swings ... a.k.a ... you have to put in time and practice the principles of the sustainable way. Remember, a double in the left-center gap will score runners just as well as a homer.

So get out there, hit some ground(ers), get the fences built and make sure to have plenty of excitement in the 'play-of-the-day' ... whatever that may be.

PLAY BALL !!

email us at pioneer_gardens@yahoo.com with any and all questions/comments. The season is nigh at hand.