Before winter set in on THF, we had a few last items to get done.  Ron is still determined to have native and endangered plants growing everywhere he can plant them.  Looking to encourage other to grow them too, he wants us to be a source for the plants.   Ron has already applied for a NY State nursery license.  We already have a few patches of ramps growing wild and last year we planted more along with fairy wand, black cohosh, jack in the pulpit, and ginseng.   Sadly we didn’t have great success with any of them.  Well, we did get quite a few ginseng plants and Ron transplanted them into individual pots for long term growth. But the squirrels got to the boxes and trashed them thoroughly. We might end up with a few that come back, but no guarantee.

Ron so not a happy camper.  He had worked hard trying to get all these plants to grow.  With the jack in the pulpit, all the work was done at home. The stratification process added months to his time line and took up valuable space in my refrigerator.  They did well under the grow lights in our cellar but once we took them out to the backyard, they were on their own.  And nature certainly took its course.  After the battles we have had trying to keep our veggies safe, we should have been prepared. This time we left the pots on a rack that was a foot off the ground. Not a good move. The rabbits or squirrels or deer had a field day with the new growth. If we do this again, it will be time to break out the moat and surface to air missiles.

This is me, clearing a spot for more ramp planting.  Pretty easy, we just clear a spot, scatter the seeds and then cover again with the leaves.  Ron ordered his seeds again from the Ramp Farm in Richwood, WV.   A place he really would like to visit.  This is a long term plan as it will be 5 to 7 years before we have a crop.  That will give me lots of time to come up with ideas on how to use ramps.   Two years ago we did harvest some of our wild ramps and gave them a try.  Obviously more research needed.  Last year, we just let them be.

Ron, once again in his best role.  Supervisor and delegator of tasks.  To give him is due, he is labeling the flags so we will know where the seeds were scattered and what plants we are hoping for.  This will soon (?) be a lovely patch of goldenseal.  Ron ordered the seeds from Haw Pond Medicinal Herbs in Princeton, WV. Hopefully they grow better than the fairy wands did.  The boxes were moved to be reused for something else.  They did not produce the results we had hoped for last year.  So we are going old school and trusting that nature works best. But, we did leave the pile of dirt alone, just pulling the box frames off. Maybe we will get something this year.

So here we are. All seeds planted and covered again. Now we just wait to see what happens. One more reason for me to be anxious for spring to get here. Though I am not altogether ready for the work that spring will bring. Ron and his plans. I can foresee many more tired days in my future. Guess I need to stock up on the wine.