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April Garden Workday Recap
We had lovely weather for our April workday, and we accomplished alot even though it was a busy weekend for many.
Thanks to volunteers from Young Men’s Service League for weeding, mulching, and re-establishing our garden path.
Turnips, Cabbages, and other leafy greens were harvested and a cart-load sent to the food pantry. All cole crops should be harvested NOW…they are starting to “bolt” and turn bitter. (leaves of all coleslaw crops can be donated, and eaten like cabbage)
We planted summer crops with Tomato, Peppers, Cucumbers and Cantaloupe, transplants supplied by Diane Brown, Al McGaver, and Dan Kinkade. Now is the time to plant warm season crops. It’s late to plant onions and potatoes…but leave them in the ground until early June.
We discussed creating a blue flag or to renovate the blue stakes to let gardeners know that you are unavailable and need help watering and harvesting. We did not decide which option we preferred, but thanks to Pat Gaines and Justine Faghihifar we now have fancy new stakes!
Finally, we still have a couple of open plots available. Remind new gardeners that we only give out new plots on workdays…we don’t hold plots!
Our next garden workday is May 11th…see you there.
Don’t Miss Our Next Garden Workday!
This Saturday, April, 13th, from 9-11 am is our next Garden Workday. We will enjoy lovely spring weather, harvest produce, swap seeds, transplants, and give out the secrets to a great gardening season!
Wear your Grow and Share Garden T-Shirt with pride!
Buy extra T Shirts for only $10.00 each…FREE Worm with every purchase. (Dig your own)
Signs, Signs, everywhere a sign…
Thanks to Kimberly Hall for completing our new signs for the community plots!
We also have a new “flag” system. On Garden Workdays, (and only on Garden Workdays) we will harvest any ripe produce from any plot…UNLESS you mark your plot with a RED flag. Green Flags or No flag means it’s okay to donate your harvest to food pantries. The other 29ish days of the month…you harvest and donate as you see fit. I created flag holders and a sign explaining everything.
Remember this ONLY APPLIES ON A GARDEN WORKDAY…do not harvest from anyone‘s plot without their consent!
Finally, I have FREE PLANTS! Mostly tomatoes varieties such as “Sungold”, “Celebrity”, “Early Girl”, and “Better Boy”. In addition I have a few Swiss Chards. I will bring them to the garden Tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. First come first served!
Workday Recap: March 2024
Welcome to spring! It’s garden season, everyone!
We focused on some major cleanup activities—weeds to pull, compost to turn and sort, and crops to harvest! We also relocated the tires for our climbing vines and did lots of general maintenance. The garden looks spiffy!
Though the last average frost date is next week and we still technically could get a freeze, it’s pretty much all systems go for planting right now. Hold off on the major hot-season plants like peppers and tomatoes outdoors (but start them inside of you want!)
Other good crops are beans, cucumbers, lettuce, kale, radishes, leeks, and more!
We took a vote and overwhelmingly agreed we will now start harvesting everything every workday — unless marked “do not harvest.” We will be getting red and green survey tape: red means “stop, don’t harvest yet,” and green means “thanks for the help, please harvest!”
Thank you Kimberly for agreeing to remake our Community plot markers. These will help us easily identify which plots are a shared responsibility.
We’ll see you at the next workday April 13, from 9-11 a.m.!
A Time To Sow…
Spring is here…and so is our next Garden Workday! Join us this Saturday, March 9th, from 9-11 am. We will work on pathways, compost, harvesting, weeding, and our new “Wattle”.
In addition, we will discuss spring planting, best practices, and give away FREE seeds and transplants at our Seed Swap…so bring your extra seed packets, and transplants to share
We still have a few open plots, so remind your friends and neighbors to come to the Garden Workday if they are interested in gardening. Remember, we can only assign plots during a Garden Workday. ( This is so we can go over our program and give them an orientation).
The weather is fine and we can’t wait to see you there!
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What’s a “Wattle”?
A “wattle” is an medieval fence using natural materials to create a fence, animal pen, raised bed, or even a simple structure. It is made by weaving vines, and branches around a series of stakes or poles. We are using it to create a raised bed outside of our fence to grow sweet potatoes, taro, and jimaca.
Wednesday and Thursday bring some cooler weather (lows about 40 degrees), then an early spring is predicted for the next two weeks. Friday and the weekend might be a good time to plant tomatoes and any other spring crops…it’s best to get an early start!
Finally, potatoes are beginning to emerge…be prepared to add mulch or compost to “hill” them in order to get the best crop.
Workday Recap: Feb. 2024
The garden is always—even if it is raining! But we had our workday inside so the gardeners didn’t melt.
We still had a lot to do. We talked about our goals for the garden. Some highlights included:
- Making the outside of the garden beautiful
- Keeping the garden organized/tidy around the fences
- Keeping a community engagement focus
- Donating abundantly
We agreed to set a donation goal of 2,000 lbs. for the year. Help us out by logging all your donations and by harvesting regularly so nothing goes to waste.
We also had a spirited conversation about the merits of having teams harvest weekly to avoid any produce spoilage. There were strong points on both sides, but for now no decision has been made. Bring your ideas to the next workday!
In terms of what to plant, February is a tough month as the last frost date isn’t until March 10. That said, for now the weather looks very mild. Plant at your own risk!
It’s the time for potatoes, onions, and leeks. Lots more to come next month, and think ahead—planning your garden “wishlist” now will ensure you save space for all the things you want to grow.
See you at the next workday, March 9 from 9-11!
We will still meet…even though it looks like rain…
We will still meet for our workday…but if it’s raining we will be inside. We have onions, potatoes, leeks, and seeds to give out. In addition we will discuss how to prepare for spring, and may get done early. See you Saturday at 9:00 rain or shine!
Watch out…them tators have eyes!
We will be planting potatoes, onions, and getting ready for the spring season at the next Garden Workday. It’s this Saturday, from 9-11. We will meet rain or shine.
Remember to wear your Grow and Share Garden T-Shirt! (They make great gifts too…only $10.00 each)
Time for onions…(and maybe tators too!)
The time has come…the time is now…plant your onions, you don’t even have to plow!
Now is a great time to plant onion sets. Pull up any badly damaged crops, turn the soil and plant onion sets about an inch deep. You can do a row along the edges about 4 inches apart, or plant up to 16 in a square foot area!
Best varieties are 1015Y, Red Bermuda, and White Granex.
There are some extra sets in the shed NOW! First come first serve.
More about Potatoes soon…but it’s about time to plant them as well!
Grow & Share Community Garden 