Harvest and Sharing

Shelling pea harvests are getting larger. Picked enough for a couple meals for myself. Added them raw to my salad last night.

Benefits of a community garden include sharing ideas and harvests. Seona gave me a head of red-leaf lettuce; another farmer at the CF Lewis garden offered me a head of green leaf.  A little later, a neighbor at the Rotary Club Garden gave me some fresh basil. 

Peas before shelling.

Garden tips, progress and dilemmas

My tomato plants at W.F. Lewis Community Garden are not looking too healthy planted at W.F. Lewis Garden in S. Chelmsford.  The leaves are yellow as if they are lacking nitrogen. I’ve given them a dose of nutrient dense fertilizer and pulled seaweed a bit away from the stems.  

Tomato plants small and not looking too healthy

Asiatic beetles have been chewing on the young spinach and sunflower leaves in the Lowell, Rotary Club Community Garden (RCCG) raised bed. Since these little buggers fly and mostly after dark, the best solution is to use row cover over the plants. 

beetles been munching

The seaweed and coffee grounds help deter the crawlies; seaweed because of the sharp edges. Coffee grounds deter slugs. Not sure why.

Broccoli and cabbage have been transplanted. While corn is coming up at the Wotton St. garden plot in North Chelmsford.  To stagger my harvest about 12 corn seeds are planted every 10 days or so.

Brassicas and corn

Transplanting:

I try to garden by the moon phases. At times, this is not practical.  Most seeds germinate best around a new moon when upward growth is stimulated. Transplant around a full moon when root growth is stimulated. It’s less stress on the plant. Better not to transplant during the time of upward (leaf and stem) growth.

My gardening mentor gave me many tips. One is to remove the primary leaves from the plant before transplanting. 

Pinch off primary leaves

Then loosen up roots. This saves the plant the energy it would expend sending them out. Don’t worry. It really helps the plant. I’ve root-pruned houseplants when transplanting.

Set the plant in the ground deeper than it was in the pot. Roots will develop along the underground stem.

Notice the stem is crooked..It's now buried. The plant will grow straight

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Before I set the plant in the ground, I fill the hole with water. Mud pie!  This puts the water right where the plant needs it most.

No visual..Sorry.

http://urbanfarmerseward.posterous.com/potato-towers-and-living-fence-posts

 

Overview 

Gardening is my summer hobby. I love watching things grow and enjoying the harvest. I’ll share my experiences and to keep a gardening record for myself in this blog.  I hope you enjoy.

Since it is already early June, I need to catch up on spring happenings.

One exciting and unusual thing happened early. Leeks, planted last season and harvested by cutting at base, came back up in March. I’m enjoying very early leeks.

The unusually warm and relatively dry early spring provided opportunity for early planting.  My peas, spinach, arugula, lettuce seeds and onion sets went into the ground March 10.

As the peas emerged, many were eaten by a garden critter. My lettuce didn’t survive the critter. The arugula and a bit of spinach survived.

Exciting stuff: Potatoes planted in late April are starting to bloom. Shell peas are setting on the vines.

June 7 buds on the red potato plants. Note: potatoes are planted on the ground and under hay for ease of harvesting new potatoes during season.

Shelling peas, planted in early March, developing on the vine on June 7. June 7 buds on the red potato plants. Note: potatoes are planted on the ground and under hay for ease of harvesting new potatoes during season. Shelling peas, planted in early March, developing on the vine on June 7.

Before I go much further, I need to describe my gardens.

I am an apartment dweller. Since moving to Lowell, I’ve been fortunate to find one garden site after another. My first, and still used, is a 4 ½’ X 12’ framed, raised bed. This is my 5^th year at this site. After two successful years, the woodchuck discovered our beds. Now only vegetables that do not suit woodchucks’ palettes i.e. hot peppers, garlic are grown. This year, it’s only onions due to lack of space which is now occupied by perennials.

Original raised bed. Onions doing well. Perennial chives blooming. Notice the miniature red rose bush. Feathery plants are cosmos that reseeded themselves.

Original raised bed. Onions doing well. Perennial chives blooming. Notice the miniature red rose bush. Feathery plants are cosmos that reseeded themselves.

 

My second garden space, on its third year, is in South Chelmsford.  This space, now reduced, is 15’X15’ with three, double dug raised beds. This is the site of my earliest planting.

I’ve improved the soil of both beds over the years by adding seaweed (collected on a Cape Cod beach) and coffee grounds, from home and a local coffee shop that is happy to fill gardeners’ five-gallon bucket with grounds. The seaweed is a good fertilizer, mulch and natural pest control especially for slugs who don’t like the sharp, salty edges.  Coffee grounds improve texture, encourage worm activity and repel slugs.

Two more recent sites for me include a project within cycling distance of home. This was conceived and managed by Mill City Grows to encourage urban gardening. Each gardener has a 10’X 4’ framed, raised bed. Beds are deeper than normal (about 3’) to eliminate the possibility of urban soil contamination.  Beds are filled with 80% compost and 20% loam.  The soil is nice and loose; perfect for root vegetables.  More carrots, lettuce, spinach, arugula planted Memorial Day weekend along with a pepper plant, two sauce style tomato plants and, small sunflower and marigold seeds.  June 5 and all seeds are sprouting.

Notice the height of the beds. Good practice with urban gardening to eliminate possible soil contaminates being taken up by vegetable plants.

Other than basil, tomato, cucumber and pepper plants, seedlings still quite small. We’ll watch it develop. Although, some critter, probably an Asiatic garden beetle, munching on tender leaves of spinach, sunflower, lettuce.

Notice the height of the beds. Good practice with urban gardening to eliminate possible soil contaminates being taken up by vegetable plants.

Now to find a solution.

Check this for control of Asiatic beetle.

http://extension.unh.edu/resources/representation/Resource000542_Rep564.pdf

 

North Chelmsford soil prior to tilling

Finally, a new site developed by Chelmsford Open Space Coalition, in North Chelmsford, again closer to home than the South Chelmsford site.  My 15’X30’ plot, heavy with clay, still needs tilling and the addition of soil amenities before I can plant.

North Chelmsford plot finally tilled; busy days ahead.

Two small areas dug and planted after about 9 hours of work removing clumps of weed roots and digging as deep as possible (~18")