Let's Kick Start Spring:
Our Spring Work day in the garden is upon us: March 15, 9am to Noon. Here is a general list of things we'd like to do and a list of tools anyone can bring if they have them:
TO DO (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
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TOOLS REQUIRED
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Winter 2014 - To Do list!
February is Fruit Tree Month
February is Fruit Tree Month - check out Whitney's "Garden Corner" on the CSG website for pruning tips to do in february. Remember to bring all those trimmed budding branches inside to get some wonderful flower blossoms to brighten up your home.
Favorite gardening quote:There are 52 days in the year when you should not prune.
All of them are Sundays! |
January |
February |
Cool season veggies that can be started under lights in classrooms:
· Arugula · Kale · Lettuce · Spinach · Windsor beans – Fava · Chives? |
Go Go Go Go Go........
May 24 2013. Time to go all out in the garden. Now you can plant (or seed) all those tender warm crops like tomatoes and melons and cucumbers and beans. All those plants that said seed inside 6 weeks before the last frost! You didn't? - Never mind, you can still plant as seeds directly into your garden. But if you want to take advantage of already grown plants - all the garden plant stores are brimming with young vegetable seedlings right now. Go for it!
Don't worry you will get a reprieve in July when you can sit and watch it all grow - (apart from a bit of watering of course).
If you are not sure what to do - how many plants to get - and you only have one or two raised beds - google "square foot gardening" and you will be given plenty of guidance.
Don't worry you will get a reprieve in July when you can sit and watch it all grow - (apart from a bit of watering of course).
If you are not sure what to do - how many plants to get - and you only have one or two raised beds - google "square foot gardening" and you will be given plenty of guidance.
The Zen of weeding
The rain has stopped – this is the time! The air is fresh, the soil has relaxed (it’s hold on the roots) and the weeds are open and lush and literally reaching up to you.
Turn weeding into a satisfying relaxing process. Feel the weeds relinquish themselves in to your grasp, even the dandelions: No sudden movements, a gentle consistent pull from the base. You don’t want to hear a snap, just a gentle giving under the firm pressure.
The pose: Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, weeding arm extended, and the other arm bent and resting on the lower thigh, just above the knee. The weed situated equidistant from each foot, slightly in front of you. Fold your fingers around the weed at the base, below the leaves, as the stem meets the soil, in a subtle but sure movement, pull slowly, increasing the hold as you pull. Shake soil off the weed and put it on the path beside you. Move sideways along the bed to each new weed. At the end of the row stretch up, both arms raised to the sky in salutation, arching back, relax and repeat!
Let your mind go, think about the release of energy, of the plant giving itself to your …..
Too much? - OK, but you get the picture.
Namaste!
Turn weeding into a satisfying relaxing process. Feel the weeds relinquish themselves in to your grasp, even the dandelions: No sudden movements, a gentle consistent pull from the base. You don’t want to hear a snap, just a gentle giving under the firm pressure.
The pose: Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, weeding arm extended, and the other arm bent and resting on the lower thigh, just above the knee. The weed situated equidistant from each foot, slightly in front of you. Fold your fingers around the weed at the base, below the leaves, as the stem meets the soil, in a subtle but sure movement, pull slowly, increasing the hold as you pull. Shake soil off the weed and put it on the path beside you. Move sideways along the bed to each new weed. At the end of the row stretch up, both arms raised to the sky in salutation, arching back, relax and repeat!
Let your mind go, think about the release of energy, of the plant giving itself to your …..
Too much? - OK, but you get the picture.
Namaste!
This might be helpful
Wondering when to plant and when to harvest - inside or outside - here is a simple guide all designed around Charlottesville growing zone 7.
Check out this web site for other useful tidbits.
Veggie Harvest
Check out this web site for other useful tidbits.
Veggie Harvest
Spring Garden to do list!
April 2013
1 .Start seeds inside under grow lights
2. Plow in winter crops - leave 3 weeks before planting in beds. 3. Plant seed potatoes 4. Direct seed outside hardy vegetables such as Spinach, Radish, Beets, Swiss Chard, Lettuce and Arugula Your Peas should be in already! |
BEWARE: We still haven't necessarily had our last frost yet. Hold off planting those tender summer seeds outside. - start them off inside instead!
Tomatoes, peppers, melons and cucumber etc! |
Spring Family workday - To Do List .......
You know we have plans to expand the vegetable garden, and if you have looked lately you will see that the City Parks department have cleared the way for us - so there is plenty to be done on March 9th - Aside from sippin' coffee, munchin' bagels and chatterin' please join us to do some diggin'
New Picket Fence.
We have been given a large amount of assembled picket fence panels. These need to erected around the new garden. So post holes need to be dug and the panels screwed onto the posts. |
Relocate the Garden Shed
The old garden shed needs to be moved from it's hideout in the storage yard and moved into the garden against the brick wall. The ground needs to be prepared and 4 concrete posts need to be placed and leveled |
Create new garden beds
Now the area has been cleared we can create some new beds. We need to rake up, seive and dig in the good soil to the marked beds. Spread straw around the beds and spread wood chips around the walking area and relocated shed. |
Nature Garden Maintenance
> Bird houses to be repaired, moved and installed >Grubbing, digging, pruning, clearing and removing things in most beds (will be identified on the day) > old trellis to be removed from around Mrs Shook's K door, |
WE NEED:
wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, and dolly are all available at the school. If you happen to have, please bring along (labeled):
Garden forks, gloves, bags of gravel, bags of quickcrete, post hole borer, 4 concrete posts, electric (cordless) drill and wood screws, level, Power saw (?) garden clippers.
wheelbarrows, rakes, shovels, and dolly are all available at the school. If you happen to have, please bring along (labeled):
Garden forks, gloves, bags of gravel, bags of quickcrete, post hole borer, 4 concrete posts, electric (cordless) drill and wood screws, level, Power saw (?) garden clippers.
Collecting - for the 4th Grade greenhouse project
Plastic bottles, plastic bottles everywhere. If you see one pick it up and deliver it to Mrs O'Brien's 4th grade classroom. - Thank you.
Did you know: Six: Is the number of hours that the energy conserved from recycling a single plastic bottle can light a 60-watt light bulb. 2/3: Is the amount of energy that is saved when producing new plastic products from recycled materials instead of raw materials. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Recycled bottles provide an environmentally friendly source for making new products and substitutes recycled materials for new plastic. Recycled plastic bottles make hundreds of everyday products, including fleece jackets, carpeting and lumber for outdoor decking - and greenhouses! Recycling one ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space. |
Collecting - preparing for the Spring Fair.
There is hopefully going to be a fairly large garden component to the Spring fair this year. In preparation, there are a number of items we'd love to collect (don't worry - they will be sold back to you)! Anything of the below items saved, please leave them in the basket in the Potting Shed reading nook, outside the library. They will be retrieved every tuesday. Thank you in advance.
Intrigued yet? Come to the spring fair to find out what we are doing with these things - better yet, volunteer to help and get insider information.
Plan your Spring Garden - we have!
While it's still cold outside and you are suffering from a bit of cabin fever - unless it's a snow day of course! Settle yourself down and surround yourself with a pencil and paper, gardening magazines and seed catalogues or browse the internet! - Searching for gardening on Pinterest, is a particularly salivating pass time. And start to plan your spring garden. Think about what you want this year, what you didn't get to last year and what you really enjoyed and want to grow again. Remember crop rotation (there is a quick lesson on the Potting Shed page) it's not complicated and don't worry if it doesn't seem to work out -it's just a guide to give reason to chaos - and some people like chaos! Plan you beds and order your seeds! I personally don't think it is worthwhile growing from seed indoors, unless you have a huge garden to fill or big windowsills to accommodate trays of seeds. I rather save my money and pick up young plants from the garden centers in the spring - they will be there. This will buy you a bit more time to put your feet up and dream, and negate any stressful nurturing, thinning and transplanting. Not to mention the the quandary of what to do with 50 extra tomato plants at planting time. (if you play your cards right - you may be able to help yourself to your neighbors 50 extra tomato plants). - Happy Planning!
To see Venables Spring Planting Plan - go to the plans page.
To see Venables Spring Planting Plan - go to the plans page.
Cover Crops
Red clover and vetch
Once you have cleaned and dug over your beds from the summer produce, if you are not going plant fall produce, cover your beds with winter crops instead. Also known as green manure, cover crops such as Red clover, Winter rye, White clover, Australian peas and Hairy Vetch all germinate and provide a green cover to the beds through the winter. They are plowed back into the ground in the spring and give the soil added nourishment. Cover crop also help combat weed growth and assist with pest control. The legumes; vetches and peas also feed the soil with nitrogen.
Most seeds can be obtained from southern Seed Exposure or 5th Season on Preston, and are easily sown on the surface of the ground, given a little water and require little maintenance.
If you don't get round to seeding, cover your soil with straw instead, keeping the ground warm and the weeds at bay.
Most seeds can be obtained from southern Seed Exposure or 5th Season on Preston, and are easily sown on the surface of the ground, given a little water and require little maintenance.
If you don't get round to seeding, cover your soil with straw instead, keeping the ground warm and the weeds at bay.
To water or not to water
Keeping Records:
We are setting up a rain gauge in the garden and asking the children to measure the amount of water in it the same day every week. The results can be recorded in their nature journals or on the white board in the garden. We will then know if we need to water that week.
The children are also going to measure how quickly the bean shoots grow up the bean poles.
We are setting up a rain gauge in the garden and asking the children to measure the amount of water in it the same day every week. The results can be recorded in their nature journals or on the white board in the garden. We will then know if we need to water that week.
The children are also going to measure how quickly the bean shoots grow up the bean poles.
A couple more things...
- Plant the garlic
- Cover the 'hoops' with garden fleece
- Plant the broad (butter) beans.
Fall Work Schedule
What we hope to achieve on our family workday in the Garden:
- Clear the spent vegetables - CHECK
- Remove and store the bamboo canes - CHECK
- Clean the beds ready for fall planting - CHECK
- Erect winter gardens over 2 beds - 1/2 CHECK
- See nature garden 'to do' list - CHECK
- Paint a chalk board on the rain barrel - CHECK
- cabbage / broccoli - CHECK
- garlic /onion / shallots
- beans / peas
- kale / spinach / turnip - CHECK
- lettuce - CHECK
- beets /chard raddish / even carrots- CHECK
Harvest Harvest Harvest Harvest.........
August 2012
Yes it's that time. All the hard work over the spring and summer is paying off great dividends. Harvesting generally helps the vegetables keep producing. If certain plants go to seed, the season can be over pretty quickly. So it's always a race to keep picking and beat the squirrels to it.
Don't be shy or polite. If you are in the garden and it is ripe - It's Yours!
All we ask is that you share the experience with your child.
(Check the bench in the school entrance for any produce).
Yes it's that time. All the hard work over the spring and summer is paying off great dividends. Harvesting generally helps the vegetables keep producing. If certain plants go to seed, the season can be over pretty quickly. So it's always a race to keep picking and beat the squirrels to it.
Don't be shy or polite. If you are in the garden and it is ripe - It's Yours!
All we ask is that you share the experience with your child.
(Check the bench in the school entrance for any produce).
Things ripe for picking!
Tomatoes - Don't let them rot on the vine.
Squash - A few summer squash are still being produced
Potatoes - Dig down there are a couple in there.
Swiss Chard - Just the leaves, leave the plant - a great example of a plant that benefits from being 'thinned'.
Herbs - Don't forget the basil - perfect with the tomatoes. Must be cut down regularly to make new bushy fresh growth. If you see flower stalks forming please pick them off.
Cabbage - Coleslaw
Peppers
NEARLY READY:
Peppers - Wait till it's red, but watch it, it might be red hot!
Beans - We seem to have lost our garlic in the depths of the bean vines - never mind - we'll find them in the fall.
NOT AT ALL:
Bird's Nest Gourd - Do not eat these! - They dry on the vine and then we'll make nests for the birds.
Squash - A few summer squash are still being produced
Potatoes - Dig down there are a couple in there.
Swiss Chard - Just the leaves, leave the plant - a great example of a plant that benefits from being 'thinned'.
Herbs - Don't forget the basil - perfect with the tomatoes. Must be cut down regularly to make new bushy fresh growth. If you see flower stalks forming please pick them off.
Cabbage - Coleslaw
Peppers
NEARLY READY:
Peppers - Wait till it's red, but watch it, it might be red hot!
Beans - We seem to have lost our garlic in the depths of the bean vines - never mind - we'll find them in the fall.
NOT AT ALL:
Bird's Nest Gourd - Do not eat these! - They dry on the vine and then we'll make nests for the birds.
Weed Weed Weed Weed Weed Weed.......
Nutsedge.
Need we say more. It seems the plants that really thrive in the heat are the weeds...(weeds are just plants growing where you don't want them to - like a rose in a corn feild). Again if you're passing and see a weed - give it a tug and chuck it in the trash (too invasive for the compost). It's quite therapeutic actually. You don't have to pull them all, every little helps. Here is a picture of one of the worst offenders so you can pull with a clear conscience. Nutsedge looks like a grass, but doesn't have flat leaves.
Sedges have edges!
Sedges have edges!
Wire Grass - on the weeding theme.
a peony bed completely invaded with wire grass
Wire grass is the bane of every gardeners life, when it's not in their lawn! It is an invasive perennial grass, AKA Bermuda Grass. Being a perennial it lurks! When you think it is removed, it is likely to be dormant only ready to burst into full spreading mode in the spring and summer. It can take over a bed. It spreads by underground rhizomes, which can travel under edges and even concrete walks. It thrives when you break the root when you pull on it's green leaves. Every time you hear that root snap it's jumping for joy.
So how do we deal with it? And more importantly be rid of it before you plant your bed. Chemicals probably work wonders - but we don't like to use them. Interestingly the good old fashioned way is strangely satisfying, and negates gym fees. If you can dig down into the bed with a garden fork, the large roots loosen in the soil and come away with suprising ease. Try it you'll see what we mean!
So how do we deal with it? And more importantly be rid of it before you plant your bed. Chemicals probably work wonders - but we don't like to use them. Interestingly the good old fashioned way is strangely satisfying, and negates gym fees. If you can dig down into the bed with a garden fork, the large roots loosen in the soil and come away with suprising ease. Try it you'll see what we mean!