Toss and walk gardening

Wed. Mar. 11, 2020

Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Toss and walk gardening

A friend of mine does this every year.  He tosses seeds of leaf lettuce, radishes and even brussel sprouts on his garden this time of year and walks away.  Toss and walk…..

If you cleaned up your garden last year, then toss the seeds willy nilly onto the surface, no rows, and let them be.  No putting more soil on top, no watering, just walk away.  Toss and walk…

Sometime this month when the snow is gone (at least for the moment) hand-toss seeds of lettuce, radishes and maybe even those brussel sprouts onto your garden area.   When the weather warms, the seeds will sprout, thin them just a little and you’ll be eating some wonderful salads before anyone else.

It’s an easy, natural way to plant and my friend says, delivers some delicious crops. The Toss and Walk method works well for lettuce mixes.  I like Mesclun myself.

Mesclun mix

If you just need to do SOMETHING outside, you could always start cleaning up those perennials you left up for winter interest.  I know my ornamental grasses are looking less than marvelous right now.  Save the seed heads and curled foliage for dried arrangements.  Miscanthus foliage and feathery seed heads add a funky touch.

Miscanthus ‘Klieine Fountaine’ Nov. 2019 photo by Teri Knight
grasses front 2-29-20

By the way, don’t cut your perennials right down to the ground, leave a few inches of stem to deter rabbits from feasting on new sprouts, they don’t want their eye poked out trying to get at those tasty sprouts.  Do clean up the mushy/slimy foliage.  It can promote mold.

Hosta in final throes