Excerpt from the full article:

A heirloom tomato (called a heritage tomato in the UK) is an open-pollinated (non-hybrid) cultivated variety of tomato that can be grown from seed. Conventional hybrid tomatoes bought from your local grocery store, however, cannot be grown from the seeds you would save from them.

I figure, what’s the point of paying for and supporting parts of the food chain that are not self sustainable? Besides, heirloom tomatoes are very tasty fruits that are easy to grow and it’s free to save the seeds for the next growing season.

Hello Gardeners!

I’d like to schedule a workday and a couple workshop days, and maybe we can combine most of it into a workweekend. The way I envision it is that we have a full workweekend like we did in the early Spring with select “break hours” for workshops. I’m very interested to hear ways we can better this plan, so please give me input wherever you may have it.

Unofficially, every Thursday evening is a work(night), but there are things that need to be done in the garden that might require a stronger workforce.

I’m thinking to schedule it for the weekend of September 18-19 so we have time to really plan it. September usually offers luscious weather for such events, and it’s only 3 weeks away so it’s not too crowded between now and the Harvest Party which is scheduled for the 21s of October.

I’d like volunteer resident experts for the following subjects:

Seed Saving – how to let plants go to seed and/or collect and (if) process seeds for next year
James said he’d head the tomato department

Compost Management – how to really work compost

Weed Management – which plants are weeds, which are not, which can be eaten.

Harvesting – when to harvest certain items

Companion Planting- which plants benefit other plants

Pest Control – best methods of organic pest control

Food Storage – I’d really love to see a canning class which can be held off-site and possibly on a different day. If we have enough interest in this, I’ll look for a site where we can hold it. Otherwise, methods of processing for storage in the freezer or cellar.

If you have interest in leading one of these workshops or have a suggestion for a workshop, let me know by going through the website, email or phone: 831.224.7352

http://www.foxpointgarden.org

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¡Hola Hortelanos!

Quisiera a planificar un día para la limpiada de la huerta y tambíen a organizar las clases para cosas importante a la huerta. En la manera que lo veo en mi mente es que nos tenemos un fin de semana completa como nos teníamos en la primavera temprana con eligado “horas a parada” para se participan en las clases. Tengo mucho interesada las maneras a mejorar esta planifica, asi pf me dan cosas en cualquiera manera que ustedes piensan me ayudaré.

Habitualmente dedicamos las tardes de los jueves a la huerta, pero hay otras cosas que también requieren nuestra atención y nuestro trabajo en grupo.

Estoy piensando a programarlo para la fin de semana del 18-19 de Septiembre asi que nos dispongamos el tiempo a planificar bien. Normalmente, los días de Septiembre son muy bien para estos eventos y también esta solamente lejos a 3 semanas asi no es una conflicta con la Fiesta de Cosechado, en el calendario para el 21 de Octubre.

Quería los voluntarios para las temas siguentes:

Guardado Las Semillas – como se permita las plantas a ir a la semilla para colectar y (si necesario) procesarlas para el año siguente
James de tomate me dijó que él demonstrará como guardar las semillas de tomates

El Manejamiento del Composto – cómo se usa completa

El Manejamiento de las Hierbas – Cuál plantas a comer, cuál no, cuál a removar.

Cosechando – cuando a cosecharlas

Sembrar a Compañero – qué plantas se pueden cultivar junto a otras a fin de que se beneficien mutuamente

A Controlar las Plagas – los métodos para controlar de forma natural las plagas del campo.

Guarda los Alimentos – sería muy agradable tener algunas clases sobre cómo conservar en frascos los productos de la huerta. Si hay muchas personas interesadas en esto entonces habría que buscar un lugar más adecuado que la huerta. También veremos cómo congelar los alimentos o cómo conservarlos en el sótano.

Si tiene la interesada enseñar un o más de esas clases (o tiene una sugerencia para una otra), no se deje contactarme por el sitio de web, email o telefono 831.224.7352
–

http://www.foxpointgarden.org

Just wanted to let you know that all the summer squash plants are infested with the squash vine borer. I pulled a dozen or so of the nasty little buggers out yesterday by slicing the main stem vertically and removing them with a knife. It is very important that the damaged stems stay covered with moist soil to encourage re-roooting. I think we might lose 1 or 2 plants unfortunately, but they might stand a chance if they stay properly watered and covered. If you could spread the word for people to pay closer attention it will help out a lot! Fingers crossed.

Hello friends of urban chickens,

I just wanted to bring everyone up to speed on where we are, what’s
coming down the pipeline this week, and how we are planning on moving
forward

Last Thursday, Katherine, Nicole, and I went to the City Council
meeting to try to speak with the Ordinance Committee members before
the Council meeting and gauge whether they would be likely to support
the ordinance change. We spoke with Councilmen Narducci, Solomon,
Hassett, and Yurdin (Cliff Wood was late, but he’s also the sponsor of
the ordinance change). All seemed very supportive of the ordinance
change, but emphasized similar concerns: that we make sure the
ordinance language is “done right.” I would assume that this is
connected to the concerns that we’ve already anticipated (smell,
noise, rats, predators, humane treatment, etc.), but this is important
to keep in mind.

At the Council meeting, the request for the ordinance change was sent
straight to the Ordinance Committee, as we expected. The Ordinance
Committee meets this Thursday, 7/22, at 5:30 pm at City Hall
(Committee Room A, I believe?). We would like to have as many people
there as possible in the room to show support for the ordinance, but
we’ve been told that it would be best if only 4-5 people spoke to the
Ordinance Committee. We don’t want to irritate the members by
dragging the meeting on and on, but please invite friends, family, and
chicken-loving strangers alike to show up on Thursday at 5:30. If we
have a huge turnout in numbers, that will help us show the Ordinance
Committee that there are a lot of people in Providence who support
having backyard hens! Kate has been working on getting a chicken
design made so that everyone at the Ordinance meeting can wear a
Providence Chicken sticker and show what ward you live in. Kate, do
you want to email that to this list?

Here’s who we have lined up to speak already: Christie Moulton (Farm
Fresh), Christine Chitnis, Leo Pollock (SCLT). If you are interested
in speaking, please email me directly and we can figure out the
details. But once again, we will be better off if we have a room full
of people in support, but a very small number of people to speak so
that we keep the meeting short and sweet.

I’ve attached the most updated version of our Chicken Packet, which we
have been and will be handing out to all of the Council members. Hope
to see many of you Thursday!

Yours in the chicken revolution,
Leo

The next potluck is scheduled for Thursday, July 22. Apparently, we missed the first one, so I’d like to make it up and have another one at the end of July and two in August as well. We need more potlucks

I’d like to schedule the 2nd July potluck for Saturday July 31. All potlucks are at the garden and are weather sensitive.

Board Positions Available

There are presently 2 spots available on the Board. If you are interested in becoming a board member, please contact me.

Workday Changed:

Every Thursday evening is an unofficial work day, and it seems to be working out really well so far. I’m scheduling an official workday for Saturday, July 24th from 8am-5, weather permitting. If you would like to come earlier than that, please don’t let me stop you. I’ll have a list of things posted on the bulletin board if you can’t make the scheduled work hours or wish to come earlier in the day.

Fertilizer:

We’re going to be selling organic fish fertilizer next week for $10/bottle. I bought 4 gallons, which should be about 32 bottles. It’s concentrated, fantastic stuff! If you can, let me know that you want some, that way if I need to order more I can see if it’s possible.

There’s more information to come in the next few days after I get the minutes from the prez, so consider this is a head’s up.

I’m helping to build a community garden for an elementary school which we’re hoping to plant things by next week. If you have any plants that maybe getting too much shade or need to be thinned out, please let me know as soon as possible by contacting me using the contact form here. Thank you so much!

I work for the company that is producing Mutual of Omaha’s “proud sponsor of life’s aha moments” campaign– visit www.ahamoment.com to see what an aha moment is and the great real stories we filmed during the campaign in 2009.

Associated to that, we have a 34-foot Airstream mobile film studio that is traveling the US on a 25-city tour to capture the country’s aha moments. We are headed to Providence next Tuesday, June 29th & Wednesday, June 30th, and would love to invite the board and members of the Fox Point Community Garden to share what lead you to become involved with the garden, and how your lives have changed since. We love what you are doing for the community, and I am sure there was a moment you each knew you wanted to dedicate your time to this cause. You would just have to step into the Airstream studio for a few minutes and tell your story on film, which would be posted to www.ahamoment.com .

We would love to have any of you that are interested! We will be parked at Burnside Park (at approx. 2 Kennedy Plaza, on the Washington Street sidewalk near the ice skating rink), Tuesday, June 29th (11am to 7pm) and Wednesday, June 30th (11am to 7pm).

Let me know as soon as possible and I can reserve some time for you, thanks!

k