Filled with a plethora of history, Annapolis has been sited as the one of the ten best seasonal cities to retire. Filled with a wide variety of activities, and having a safe and clean downtown, Annapolis is one city which has more cultural venues in which retirees can participate, in addition to engaging in educational opportunities if desired.

While most retirees search for a city offering four seasons, look no further than Annapolis, where activities are available year round. In fact, it has been estimate that over five thousand new homes are planned for construction for which those over 55; and another project is underway in which over two thousand homes will be built in the Odenton area as well. Just to give you an idea of the popularity of this city, many who have moved away are returning in droves.

Annapolis has been called the “Athens of America,” and besides the many important figures who have been associated with this city, it is an area where its historic buildings, some fifteen hundred according to estimates, make up the largest l8th century architecture in the US. The U.S. Naval Academy, established in 1845, is one of more well-known facilities in Annapolis. So too, arts and entertain play a huge role in this city. With year round fairs and festivals; a ballet troupe; a symphony orchestra and opera company, as well as its theatres; Annapolis has been touted as one of the top distinctive destinations in the US. This thriving, living community, with a waterside location that offers boating, yachting, and summertime festivals; attract crowds to the City Dock for crisp salt air and views of sailing vessels. This charming city is approximately thirty miles from Baltimore, Washington, and Delaware.

As an ideal place to retire, Annapolis wins hands down. If you are a history aficionado, or have a particular love for the arts, this city will welcome you with open arms.

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Keeping Your Soil Healthy

Your soil is the most important part of your garden, but too many people forget to nurture their soil. Soil is a living thing, containing microbes, fungi, insect life and general “creepy-crawlies” vital to plant health and vigor, as well as a receptacle for chemicals and trace elements. Doing a little soil prep every fall pays off each and every harvest.

First, add more organic matter. Use your rototiller or your spade, and dig under frostbitten plant material, grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, and compost. Avoid using any diseased plant material as compost – burn it first if there are no local restrictions on burning. If you live near any livestock, cover your garden with 1 – 2” of uncomposted manure, then disguise that with other organic materials, and let the whole thing winter over. A blanket of snow from December through March will turn all of it into about ¼” of the most beautiful topsoil you can imagine.

It’s also time to think about soil pH, or the acidity or alkalinity. The addition of organic materials can lower the pH, or make it more acidic. If your soil is already high in acid and you’d like to neutralize it, you can also add lime or wood ashes to your garden. Wood ashes are wickedly alkaline, but after a season or two, create an excellent haven for earthworms and add enough potash to the soil to grow wonderful root crops.

Finally, feed your fungi. Really. Many stores specializing in products for organic gardening and sustainable agriculture sell micorrhizal spores, which is a fungus that helps soil release its nutrients more easily. Micorrhiza needs to be fed in order to reproduce and survive the winter. Use a hose-end sprayer, and fill it halfway with gooey, blackstrap molasses. If you can find the sulphured kind, so much the better. Fill the rest of the sprayer with flat beer, and spray the solution over your garden beds. The sugar in the molasses feeds the existing fungi and beneficial bacteria in the soil, and the yeasts and enzymes in the beer add more.

You’ll literally make your soil come alive, and that will help your garden thrive next year.

About The Author

Jean Fritz is a farmer and freelance writer. She owns and operates KittyVista Organics, a small organic farm located east of Indianapolis which specializes in heirloom, open pollenated and unusual varieties of flowers and vegetables. Visit the KittyVista website at clik.to/kittyvista/” target=”_new clik.to/kittyvista/

mailto:kittyvista@yahoo.com kittyvista@yahoo.com