Freecycle, Upcycle, Recycle

 A bounty of free bricks and pavers make fantastic edging material! 

colors!

A few of Judy's gorgeous photos—flowering kale, a carrot green forest, and Els' red lettuce . . .

 

Hello Everyone!

Yesterday was an amazing day at the garden! The weather was spectacular and we had ten people geared up to work. In addition to current stalwarts Els, Donna, Jonathan, Sam, Lauran, Blanca, Andrew, and myself, we were so happy to see Marcelo who has a few Saturdays off! Perfect timing! Darah, who discovered the Kitchen Garden a few weeks ago while walking her dog, joined us for the first time, and we anticipate another new volunteer in the future—Jenna, who walked by and was intrigued to learn what we were up to and if she could join in (of course!)

Sooooo, we accomplished so much and the entry area is truly transformed. First we made a brush pile outside the garden by the compost structure from all the detritus of branches, etc. on top of the dirt pile and removed all the weeds. We watered the cardboard we had put down a few weeks ago to start killing the grass and weeds and mark the site for some lasagna gardening. We started with a layer of compost that I had brought from home, topped with a deep layer of soil (basically, the entire dirt pile), covered with more compost that Judy had brought a few weeks back, and topped with chopped up leaves. Thus the layered "lasagna" bed. 

It looked good, but we were worried that the sides would melt away in the rain since there was nothing to contain it. Els disappeared and soon reappeared toting a tree limb. She and Andrew headed off on another search, and soon we had a bordered bed! Els topped it all with the weathered burlap Dave had removed from the fence. Credit to Els for the idea and inspiration!

The unsightly dirt/brush pile is now gone and we have a new bed. And here's the new flat, clear area for our shed and whatever other purposes we come up with! Els already planted beans along the fence line next to Zion.

Beyond this monumental accomplishment, there was more:

• Marcelo, Andrew, and Blanca did major work on the compost. They moved the contents of the center bin into the left bin and sifted out a wheelbarrow full of ready compost.

• Marcelo and Jonathan set up the timer for the irrigation system and we ran it to make sure it was working.

• Marcelo committed to organizing the big bin (and we're excited that we'll have more storage room once we get the shed, so everything should be easier to find)

• Darah set to work getting the pollinator garden in order, joined by Donna.

• Kids in the garden: A new initiative! Last week Sam brought eight kids (ages 4-5, I think?) to the garden and he and Donna helped them get gardening. They were able to work on Sam's bed and each one got to take home an anise hyssop. It sounds like a great success, which will be repeated every week. We discussed ideas like having the kids taste and smell all the herbs, bring food scraps from home and learn about composting, apply our homemade compost to their plot this week, and plant a variety of vegetables (starting with lettuce) that they can observe, nurture, munch, take home, and/or give to the food pantry.

• Naturally, we did the usual weeding, harvesting (some kale, cilantro), and hanging out.

The mesclun mix is popping up, but so far we don't see any signs of the green or red lettuces we planted. Hopefully by next week, we will. The carrot tops are getting bigger and bushier but the carrots are still small.

Thumbs Up for Fences!

We were thrilled to see our fence all secure with holes closed up and sagging posts replaced. 

What a relief to be groundhog proof. Thanks to Dave Person for the great and speedy job! He'll be back to work on the gate some more as well as to tighten up the fence on the Oak St. side of the garden.

We sent him a big thumbs up! 

We took out all the rest of the chickweed and cover crop, and left it root side up to dry into future green manure. We covered the bare earth with cardboard. Andrew turned the compost; Donna checked the perimeter to see what survived the winter, and transplanted some yarrow out there. We set the bird bath upright and filled it with water. I added stones for bees to land on. This keeps them from drowning.

We were inspired to do a big clean up. We straightened up all the tomato cages and made them into four neat stacks instead of being a huge mess. We put the most funky of them back in the shed.

• Next Saturday, we can plant the lettuce seeds and possibly the beans if it is warm enough. 

• If anyone is collecting food scraps at home, please consider bringing a pailful to add to the KG compost. 

Have a great week!

First time back in the garden!

Andrew, Judy, Blanca, Els, and I met at the garden this morning. Sam and his son, Nico, stopped by for a visit, and Nico got to feel the fuzzy buds on the pussy willow and sample some arugula and spinach straight from the garden. It was a cool morning, but working in the sun, we felt quite warm, and it was good to get our hands in the dirt! 

We admired the greens that had survived the cold winter, and Andrew turned the compost. Then we decided to concentrate on removing the chickweed that is growing everywhere and to cover the newly empty spots with cardboard. We discovered that the carrots planted in the spring, while teeny tiny, are actually quite sweet. Hopefully they will keep growing to a more useful size.

We inspected the fence, which has a number of very loose posts on the driveway side plus at least one big gap in the fencing. (All that in addition to the breached spots on the Zion side.) We can't start our spring crops until we have a secure fence. This is our first priority. 

We'll meet again next Saturday morning. Have a great week!

Ending of another beautiful season

 We're coming to the end of the Kitchen Garden season—a time that involves a lot of clean up, storing tools, and looking back on our work together in this ever-changing and challenging world. 

Our last planting of kale, carrots, and lettuce will, we hope, provide some fall/early winter contributions for the food pantry. The lettuce is the most cold sensitive, so we covered it with plastic for the night when we had our first dip into freezing temperatures. 

We also hauled many wheelbarrows of wood chips to replenish the garden paths, thanks to the generosity of our neighbors at Zion Episcopal Church. 

In the late winter/early spring, we'll take stock of what the world is like, what's happening in our individual lives, and make plans for the next growing season. New gardeners are always welcome to work with us on the community/food pantry areas and, in the spring, we'll know if we have any individual beds to offer.

If you are interested in a plot, please be in touch with Iris at hisk37@gmail.com

Ladybugs, groundhogs and other visitors

 As fall advances, things are winding down in the Kitchen Garden. Frustratingly, the groundhog has returned, and we fear for our fall harvest of kale, which it seems to like! We planted a last round of kale, carrots, and lettuce. Otherwise, it's time to begin thinking of putting the garden to bed: cutting back old plants, covering the bare soil with compost and mulch, putting the tools away, and maybe replenishing the wood chips on the paths. We'll leave the dead heads of flowers for birds and insects to feast on as their food gets more scarce. 

Separating the carrot seedlings: 

visiting ladybug