Hell Strip to Swell Strip

It’s where salt build up occurs in cold weather climates and crabgrass tends to dominate. Last year, I was determined to change that. It all started with learning how to do winter sowing and obtaining some native seeds.

I attended a workshop given locally on winter sow process and came back with seeds and a few milk jugs. The jugs just had drainage holes drilled in the bottom and were cut nearly in half, leaving a bit so it’s still attached. I filled the bottom half of the jug with dirt, watered gently and sowed the seeds. I made sure to label all the jugs with a waterproof marker, taped up the two halves, left the cap off and set them outside to wait. It’s also important to check periodically to make sure they are not too dry.

Come March, Look what I’ve got! I let them grow until most were growing out of the top of the milk jugs, then it was time to prep for planting.

My trusty landscaper came and dug out all the grass, fortified with compost and some lime to help deal with the salt and left me with a beautiful bed to plant in. I took my jugs and some fertilizer and planted it up. I just grabbed about 9-10 hunks of seedlings from each jug and put in a hole with a sprinkling of fertilizer and watered daily. This is what happened in the first year 🙂 Can’t wait to see what it does this year!

Thanks to:
• Gary Phillips for getting me started on winter sowing, not only for leading the lecture I attended at a local library, but also providing numerous seeds, milk jugs and dirt to get me started.
• Southborough Open Space Preservation Commission for native plant seed donations.
• Ryan Wood of RJW Land Management for always making new gardens for me 🙂
• Trevor Smith of Weston Nursery for complimentary consultation.