So this weather, right? It’s amazing.

And it’s been getting me down into the garden regularly to check on things. I’ve seen a few of you down there, too! I did notice several plots that have not yet been “put away” so I want to emphasize that plots that are still harboring tomato vines & cages are going to be considered abandoned and will be given out to gardeners on the wait list. I highly suggest that if you haven’t already cleaned up your plot for winter, that you do. Really, with weather like this, who can even complain about doing it?

Onward for more lovely subjects:

We are compiling recipes for our Community Cook Book. It would be great to see recipes submitted that primarily contain food grown from the garden. If anybody is interested in working on this project with me, I’d love to have “a crew” to talk about how it might be best organized (i.e. seasonally, by ingredient, alphabetically…etc) as well as submit ideas and drawings or whatever ideas you might have, let’s make it a community effort!

But wait! There’s more!

We can talk more about the parameters of the cookbook project at the 2ND ANNUAL SEED SWAP, scheduled for February 29th at the Portuguese American Social Club, 32 Sheldon St., Providence. We will be renewing plots for the 2012 season, as well as doing sign-ups for greenhouse space at the event.  More info coming on that very soon. Until then, please send your recipes to me via email with COOKBOOK as the subject line. That will keep all the recipes in one thread so none get forgotten.

Also, because the weather has been so nice, I want to remind people that you all are free to use the greenhouse throughout the winter. Grow some microgreens!! Peas! Lettuces! Kale! Whatever! But please: use it.

I hope you all are enjoying a fantastic New Year and I look forward to seeing you again very soon!

Warmly,
k

PS If there are questions, please post them there in the comments for everyone to see. I will answer them through comments.

I want to first express my deepest gratitude for all the hard work so many of you have put into the garden this year. In my almost four years at the garden, I have never seen it so tidy and well-kept in general and this is clearly due to all your hard work.  So thank you so much, truly.

Many of you were at the Harvest party the on October 20, just a bit more than a week ago now. It was a super-duper family fun time! If you weren’t there, truly, you missed out on some great music, great food and a lot of general good will. But you guys already know that; I don’t need to rub it in.

We had the KC Moaners, semi-official garden Jug Band on site. If any of you get the chance to see these guys play, please do yourself a favor and take the time to go. They’re a hodge-podge assembly of home-made musicians, including their instruments. There aren’t many bands like this around today, so I hope you have opportunity to see them at some point.

The annual harvest party and fundraiser provides us with the means to better the garden. This year we were able to acquire the materials and the green house with the funds we raised at 2010’s harvest party. It also pays for a number of smaller things like replacement locks or watering cans, new hoses, etc. I only mention it because I want you guys to know what we do with the money we raise.

I know it was a little disappointing this year to not be able to offer honey from our garden. When Angel harvested the honey in 2010, her helping crew said they’d be surprised if the bees lasted the winter because they were suffering from Colony Collapse. To move that to a more literal statement, the hive actually collapsed during a windstorm, so even if they had made it through their own disease, they didn’t survive the elements. So Angel put in a new hive. And that is why we don’t have any honey this year. The bees need a certain amount of honey for themselves first, so what little is there needs to be left for them.

On the compost front, Hannah has done an amazing job of clearing and moving the debris and turning it into usable soil. Many people at the garden have expressed their gratitude for her taking the time and effort to reconcile our sorry-when-she-started position of the compost bins. I would like to bring up a couple reminder points about the bins to keep the system moving smoothly.

1) The bins are in an order specific to their decomposition. The order moves from left to right, the same way we read. All eligible debris should be put in the leftmost bin.
2) All eligible debris should be cut into small pieces for quicker decomposition.
3) Anything with seeds should go into the drowning buckets in front of the compost bins. We need to drown the seeds so that they don’t germinate next season.

On a similar note, the city has been picking up our trash and our brown bags (ineligible debris for compost). They have expressly stated that we cannot throw entire sunflowers into the trash. Sunflowers must be cut into reasonable lengths before being composted or otherwise disposed.  I think this length is between 3-6″. So please do not put any kind of plant matter into the trash bins without cutting them down. And really, beside the sunflower heads, the plant should really be composted in the leftmost bin of either compost station.

We have our next garden workday scheduled for Saturday, November 12. If you like to come earlier as opposed to later, that is fine, but be sure to mark your time/ plot# in the book located in the shed. The workday will officially begin around 10am. Poor weather date will be Sunday, November 13.  I

This will be a good date to plant your garlic for next year. I will have some garlic cloves available for gardeners at the workday. Whatever is left over (if anything) I will plant in the kid’s plot to grow as seed for next year for the gardeners.

You are welcome to use the garden throughout the winter, even the greenhouse or you may build a hoop house on your plot, but please remove all dead summertime plants, tomato cages or any kind of supports for summer fruits in preparation for next season on or before the workday, Saturday, November 12.

In February we’ll be having a seed swap & renewal at the Portuguese-American Social club. This will also be the place for signing up to use the greenhouse for spring. We will not be charging any money to use the greenhouse, but first serve will be given to those at the seed swap. Any spaces that are left over will be doled out afterward. We assume that people will be fair with space and usage and will respect their neighbors on an individual basis.

The seed swap will be in the later part of February; we’ll organize it according to the public school schedule so we can make sure that the most people have access to the swap. If you were at the swap last year, you’ll remember how much fun it was and what great seeds we were able to exchange and talk about. We hope to see you there!

Over the winter, also, we’ll be collecting recipes from the gardeners to put together a Community Cookbook. More information on this project will come with the first reliable snowfall In other words, more soon.

For now, that’s all I can think of to talk about. Any other additions will be commented on the website. Please post your questions on the website as I don’t check the email all that often. I will answer questions directly on the website to provide answers for everybody in a central location.

Thank you all again for your continued hard work in our lovely community.

I’ll be doing a recap of the party (great success!) and some other news in the next week or so.

Warmly,
K!
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A couple things…I think I left a red and white checker dishcloth at the potluck on Monday…any chance anyone picked it up? If one of our gardeners didn’t is there someone at the club I can call or email?

Also, I was at the garden yesterday and found TWO blackberry cellphones. They both seem to be missing SIM cards and one is missing a battery. One of them was actually in the compost pile so my guess is that one of our gardeners didn’t lose it, but that someone simply threw them into the garden from the parking lot in an attempt to get rid of them. Not sure if you want to email the garden and see if anyone is missing them, however unlikely it may be.

Evan

We’ll have raffle items from the community available from the gardeners and local merchants. What better way to support the local infrastructure of our community by hanging out with them.

We’ll also have a potluck of deliciousness created by our very own. Be sure to prepare for at least 8 people. If you have opportunity to bring your own plates, silverware & cups, please do, but the garden does have re-usable dinneware available.

We’ll also have the KC Moaners again with their usual jug-band style. It’s sure to be a good time. I hope you all can make it.

A reminder: The party is not at the garden. It is at the Portuguese-American Social Club, located at 32 Sheldon street in Providence. This is 1 block up from Wickenden Street, off Traverse street. My best directions say to go to the Coffee Exchange and then up Traverse (the street next to the lot associated with Utrect).

If you have any dead corn stalks or other decor from your plot, email me (use the contact form so I don’t overwhelm my box with spam from putting my address here).

See you soon!

I spent a couple hours down in the garden tonight just kind of hanging out and working on my plot because I’m going to be out of town the next two Fridays. Justin will be there in my place if you need help or have questions about anything, but also because every Friday night is an official / unofficial work night.

In walking around the garden, I have noticed that some of you have been kinda slacking. I have instructed Justin to put flags on any plots that are not cared for by this coming Friday and what I’d really like to see is those plots cared for before I get back. If they’re not tended… well, we’ll figure out what to do if they’re not tended.  There are a couple specifically on the side of the parking lot side of the fence, one in particular the weeds are as high as my shoulders, and you all know, I’m not a small woman. So please, tend your plots; it’s part of your contract.

Also there are still wood chips available to spread; weeding can be done in the kids’ plot (especially if you have kids, put ‘em to work!) and in the terrace.

Now for nicety-nice news:

I have garlic for over wintering for those that want it; what is left over I will plant in the kids’ plot for next year’s seed. What I have this year is from last year’s leftovers, about 15 head, which should make about 60 cloves for planting. So I think we’re all good there. I will be bringing the bulk of it to the Harvest Party (shoutout: Thursday, October 20, 6pm, 32 Sheldon St., Portuguese-American Social Club).

We’re also planning a seed swap for February; last year’s was so much fun! At the seed swap, we’ll have sign-ups for greenhouse use. The board and I decided against charging for the use of the greenhouse; we figure those that really want space will be at the seed swap, so we’ll open up the sign up list there and then whatever is left over can go to the general garden. And there’s room in there now if you want to use it! Please do, in fact!

We will also be renewing plots at the seed swap. I can’t even begin to tell you how smoothly registration went this year. I mean, it was unbelievable.

I’m also going to try to get seeds from the URI extension like we did this year, but I don’t think they’ll be available in time for the swap which is fine because we’re building a pretty nice little seed bank in our shed. Which reminds me: if you’re collecting seeds, why not put some in the shed for other gardeners? But please, don’t save hybrids. You never know what you’ll get with those guys!

And finally, I want to remind you that we are part of the South Side Community Land Trust’s Grower’s Network. As part of the network all resident gardeners of Fox Point Community Garden are able to attend workshops without charge. So please take advantage of what they have to offer because I’m not sure if we’re going to join again next year. I’ll talk more about that at the Harvest Party.

Thanks to everyone who put such a sincere effort into making this one of the most beautiful years I have spent at the garden. It really has looked nearly perfect the whole season, and I can’t thank you enough for all that combined effort. (Don’t forget to sign in your work hours in the shed).

Warmly,
k!

(And let me express my apologies in advance if I need to write a couple more times before I leave. I’m not sayin’ it will happen, but I’m not sayin’ it won’t. )

Addendums in the comment section. Please review them!

Print out the 2011 Flyer for your fridge!

Also, at the garden on the bulletin board is a sheet that I would like for you to mark with what type of thing  you’ll be bringing to the potluck. All you need to do is mark the column, Appetizer, Entree or Dessert, so that we can gauge what we need to bring to the party. No need to be specific, just give us a heads-up.

More soon!

An excerpt from the linked article:

Powdery mildew thrives in temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees. Dry, shady conditions are ideal, as are areas with poor air circulation. Planting disease resistant cultivars and making sure you allow for good air flow are two ways to guard against powdery mildew. Inspect plants regularly during warm, dry conditions, and remove any leaves that show signs of infection. Destroy (do not compost!) infected plant parts. A spray made with baking soda, if applied weekly at the first signs of infection, can protect plants against further damage. Plants that are badly infected should be ripped out and destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading further.

Baking Soda spray:

• 1 gallon of water
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid

Does anyone else have organic remedies they’d like to share?  Comment below.

It is that time of year again, where we are gearing up for the Harvest Party. As always, this event will take place at the Portuguese American Social Club, 32 Sheldon Street, about 2 blocks off Wickenden Street.

We are seeking donations of goods from the gardeners for raffle items. If you have something you would like to donate for the raffle, please e-mail me with your item & estimated value (if there is one). The items can be anything you would like to share!

We will be having the KC Moaners Jug Band again and the party is potluck style. More to come soon!
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Sincerely,
k!

It grows in the late fall or early spring and then, conveniently dies for the summer growing season, thus leaving behind a light mulch that makes it difficult for weeds to get a start.

This is a case of choosing your weeds. If you choose to have no weeds, then you will get weeds that you don’t want. The penny cress is an extremely polite weed: it does not compete for water or nutrients throughout the typical growing season, and it helps to retard other weeds.

I just received this email from Renee who collects donations for Camp Street Ministries & Amos House.

Today I delivered to Amos House again as their hours are very flexible for delivery. They also have cooks which prepare meals and can use the kinds of green we have to very good results. The kale we delivered was very well received. All ingredients for soups are especially helpful.

The request I got today was for jalapeños and tomatillos. Can you send a note to our members and let them know that we are looking. Since people lost so much real food during the weather problems, any donations that they can give will be most helpful. You cannot imagine how grateful all of these agencies are when we come with real, healthy food.

So if you have any of these things to donate, remember that Renee & Norma collect on Thursday evenings. Leave a note on the bulletin board with your plot number (or location) and what they can collect for the communities that need it.