My Oh Myan

December 2012

 

Pickaway to Garden

 

By Paul J. Hang

 

My Oh Mayan

 

December marks the winter solstice on the 21st. It is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It is also the day which some New Age enthusiasts claim the Mayan calendar predicts will be the end of the world. Supposedly the Mayan calendar results in a series of zeroes on that date. This supposedly coincides with the alignment of the planets resulting in Armageddon. In my cursory investigation of the coming catastrophe (Wikipedia) I came away so confused I decided to side with the scientists. Astronomers, not astrologers, and Mayan scholars say it isn't so. NASA says there is not an alignment of the planets this December 21st. And besides there have been many planet alignments in the past and we are still here.

 

I like numbers because they are useful. Numerology can be fun but, other than entertaining, I find it useless for predictions. There is nothing magic about dates on the calendar any more than there is anything magic about your speedometer rolling past 100,000. Of course if you haven't changed your oil you may need magic to keep your car running.

 

So all this hoopla about the end of the earth doesn't mean I shouldn't order seeds from the arriving catalogs. The date does mark a transition, an end, and a beginning. It is the end of autumn the beginning of winter and the transition to a new year. The sun traces its lowest arc of the year. It rises slowly south of east and sets south of west. The longest winter night is as long as the longest day in June. Mother Nature is dimming the light. December will bring the least amount of daylight of any of our months.

 

It's the event, not the date which is important. It is convenient that the evolution of our calendar marks the winter solstice around the 21st of December each year. But there is nothing about the name December or the 21st which is meaningful by themselves. The natural year ends and begins with the winter solstice. Our calendar says it is January 1. The natural year says winter begins with the solstice. Meteorological winter began December1st

 

It is amazing and a little frightening to me how quickly the time has passed since the summer solstice in June. The last half of the year seems a lot shorter than the first half. The days grew shorter, unperceptively at first then rapidly. Lately these short days seem to crawl. They will continue to crawl even though after the 21st the days will be lengthening. It seems a long time until June.

 

Annuals can't make it through our winters and have gone to seed and died, their seeds lying in wait, who knows where, hoping for the right conditions to enable them to spring to life. All other plants are taking a well-deserved rest. The trees are in bud just waiting for spring. Perennials' roots are full of food and slumbering like a man on the couch after a thanksgiving feast. When the light and its attendant heat accumulate to the right amount they will arouse and begin their lives anew. Plants "know" this is the end which is also a beginning. It is the end of the world as they know it. Dandelions and tiger lilies and bear's britches, Oh My!

 

This holiday season think about gardening gifts. Perhaps you can give yourself a present of becoming a Master Gardener Volunteer? We are planning a new training class to begin in April. The classes will be held on Fridays. If interested let me know at phang@columbus.rr.com. There will be more information to come.

 

Things to do in the garden:

 

Thankfully, there are not too many things to do IN the garden as much as there are things to do ABOUT the garden.

 

If you haven’t already, clean up crop debris and crop residue. Shred it and put in the compost heap or till and turn it over to bury in the soil. Get the garden ready for spring planting as much as possible.

 

On nice days wander about your place and notice how some plants continue to develop. If the local temperature reaches 50 degrees they grow, only to cease when the temperature falls. Those bitter cress weeds are small now. I find them in between the bricks of my walk. They and ground ivy in the beds and in the lawn are trying to gain a foothold now while they have little competition. The bi-ennial mullein with its fuzzy lamb's ear like leaves is growing flat against the earth. Pull them up while you have the chance.

 

Once the ground has frozen hard and deep, mulch the perennials to prevent heaving. This freezing may not happen this month. If the ground remains open it’s still not too late to plant lilies, tulips and daffodils. You may find some bargains. Avoid the soft and shriveled ones.

 

Check houseplants for insects. Move clay pots inside to prevent breaking.

 

I hope your holidays are happy ones and visions of summer dance in your head while snug in your bed.