Here are two updates for the price of one: a quick summary of this year's somewhat perplexing but ultimately successful hardening off of plants started indoors (click on METHODS & MATERIALS above); and a status report (below) on the delayed but promising beginning of our new Master Gardener-SEEDS partnership garden at the Historic Barns Park just outside Traverse City.  Startup is now just barely underway following completion of a geothermal project intended for temperature control in the classic barns that once supported a 50+ acre agricultural production area at the Traverse City State Hospital.

BEGINNING THE MG-SEEDS DEMONSTRATION GARDEN

by Mike Davis

We're starting our new garden with a very small group of Master Gardener Volunteers, with the support and counsel of the great folks from SEEDS, particularly Christina Carson.  See: http://www.ecoseeds.org/.  As we grow, we hope to provide education and the inspiration to generate perspiration to a much wider cross-section of our community: those who could live better through gardening.  In order to do that, first we need to gain the confidence of our community by demonstrating that we know what we're doing.  We'll try.  And we'll offer samples of whatever fresh, clean, safe(!) edibles we have ready to harvest to visitors as they stop by.  "What are those silly people doing with their tiny garden on a big, potentially productive piece of land?"  We hope we'll be showing those visitors what they might do if they have only a patch of grass on a sandy residential lot to start with, and not enough money to risk on rototillers or even plants from the garden center.  And those who live in neighborhoods where ornamental landscaping is a competitive sport, and whose neighbors frown on cabbages.  And those who live on shady lots without the "full sun" the garden writers say we must have.  And those who grew up not "liking" vegetables because....

Over the last week, we've begun learning more about our future garden site including available resources, by looking carefully at our soil test results, and by laying out the first of our future growing beds.  The soil sample we had tested was taken before the excavation and subsequent regrading following geothermal unit installation.  We'll plan to do another next spring.  The test results were promising, showing relatively high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus but low levels of potassium.  Recommended macronutrient applications were 1/4 lb of nitrogen and 1/2 lb of potassium per 100 square feet.  Since, including our planned buried pots, our total planting area is about 350 square feet, we'll spread most of a 50-lb bag of kelp meal (about 4% potassium) over our beds and pots.  We're still debating what source(s) of nitrogen to use, possibly blood meal, which should also be at least a little discouraging to foraging rabbits and deer.  The soil pH is 7.1, just a bit in the high side; the cation exchange capacity (CEC) is 7 meq/100 g (not as low as we feared); and the organic matter content is 2.8%, low, but respectable for our sandy soil.  We'll easily raise the organic content to a reasonable level by adding a cubic yard (almost an inch) of top-quality compost before we begin planting.  Micronutrient levels were all in a "normal" range.  It was a relief to find that the lead level, 31 ppm, was quite low.

One problem: see that freshly disturbed soil in the foreground of this photo?

Think concrete.  Well, not quite, but the structure of the soil has been significantly broken down from compaction by repeated passes of heavy grading equipment following the recent excavations.  Clearly it will take a while for that structure to be rebuilt.  Again, compost to the rescue, along with liberal use of our broadforks.

During the next couple weeks we’ll loosen the soil with digging forks and broadforks, outline our beds with cedar frames, apply our soil amendments, and, just maybe, get a few plants started.

Hope to see you there!