tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79115339049358342272024-03-13T10:34:32.847-04:00Food Gardens NorthAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13329320491674672393noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-78609024354209291022016-04-16T14:12:00.001-04:002016-04-16T14:12:34.761-04:00What a Difference a Week Makes!<h3 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">By Mike Davis</span></h3>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-5e63b113-202d-a2f6-7a44-ea216de774f9" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twenty-two degrees in NW Lower Michigan on a morning just a week ago, so the previous day’s snow melt had lost its momentum. There was some sun peeking through, though, so I took a quick walk in the back yard. A few things were awakening from their cozy winter slumber under white blankets including...</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sweet, versatile Egyptian onions, then:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Egyptian 4-9-16.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/OmxN_4vwLJ_wg9LpJOtaXbU32OvVmK1haFnDjh4t6O2XZ7erMEEQ2DUj7S8ynbXfqLIO9NHYD06grF6AQtydxKhJLGPzEgcaYO7llWMhWwVxXP3id9AKFWCAgvPqF_pgEho8FA5v" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="291" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here they were this morning:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Onions 4-16-16.jpg" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Bt21IMJu-yxPkSCnmdPi_iPYYKj1nMlL08Kan0ygUkQh5iPQJIS5LHpb-n9cp-UP-8NWeNAtZjrKvw52HMlBuPMt3mXiPVgLQWqw_vF3SUdp8RjYCdu4miL12grz5oshDqB1q-2z" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="308" /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sweet, mild Spontaneo porcelain hardneck garlic then:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Garlic 4-9-16.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-tNTeVMVdDHFYmnS_9fz898ceVgNLpKHJ6Rk9G0gKrzJnKGFWziMeQouBBPHvHrEkU09d8nAoRRZBbjBPJty1vnQ6cspPCuuQ9UFpzz2DE4uvWUQgOPEWyHzZFuZOV6x5RNIacz9" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="221" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The garlic plant in the foreground is growing from a clove harvested in August 2015, while the three smaller ones near the stake are from half-inch-diameter first-year “rounds” I grew from bulbils planted in 2014. (The green plastic pin to the right is holding an irrigation line in place.)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And now:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Garlic 4-16-16.jpg" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/xt0PbdI5onhnCWtCjYaYEYxiDPsurH7vIcXDIwi_CgviHwxbSh6Fskh_112XmU592YOWxr-MAUhOXYZnBeOI_amn3_543QSEBdAFMYE2xFVr5eTnApnc7AQWpmD3MRFqKbmz383l" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="267" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Note especially the rapid growth of the plants grown from rounds (around and behind the stake). For photos of the rounds and bulbils, please see my 8-1-2015 post below. The tiny bulbils planted last October are also up and growing now:</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7W17649uIok/VxJ-cIlW7XI/AAAAAAAAG8E/XCwhNGdHl6wX51oBvOtukdCjw7YjEeurwCLcB/s1600/Garlic%2Bfrom%2Bbilbils%2B4-16-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7W17649uIok/VxJ-cIlW7XI/AAAAAAAAG8E/XCwhNGdHl6wX51oBvOtukdCjw7YjEeurwCLcB/s320/Garlic%2Bfrom%2Bbilbils%2B4-16-16.jpg" width="310" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And the tasty, vigorous sylvetta (wild arugula) then:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Sylvetta 4-9-16.jpg" height="283" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/4LjF2PtM2BJRu6wdl3YIOuCctof8fFU0mbzG0rKbI9a6jtNtFcwqlk9FYrlXuvC2WzLT0MfQsHS2RLOeZompAb36pS65RzYyO69ckn39lSypPfj56KvDY-XAaozUi2Tu4SANTW1b" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And now (well, not so much different, but then I snipped some in the interim; it was OK but not quite as tasty as it will become):</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Sylvetta 4-16-16.jpg" height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Xzh35oMjFoqNam551PcCnuSVoolpgSqrs4V56-0JPoDn1vIteZOMYb9qM8_VfXFj3uRe7K-GTHjMGoTFq0tjCsbuzQG9FskH_uTv5oWp9Upu4tgA0unZlzbNVv3ZqIG-1u2EVwsz" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="281" /></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, and by the way, it’s 48 degrees warmer than the time when the May 9 photos were taken. Spring is finally here in Northwest Lower Michigan!</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-63003844405579565072016-04-06T09:58:00.000-04:002016-04-06T09:58:19.903-04:00First Harvest in the New Back Yard<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">By Mike Davis</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-733c8915-ebd3-d4f9-32dc-6677375f2001" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OK, it isn’t much. But it was a morale boost to savor my first small taste of a vegetable grown in our new garden-to-be location. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">During the latter part of October 2015, I harvested the last of the larger bulblets from my Michigan crop of Egyptian walking onions. We didn’t use them all prior to purchasing our new Ohio home, so when we were there with a trailer load of household goods in the latter part of January, on a day barely above freezing, I scratched a couple dozen bulblets into a small area along the back (east) if the house and gave them what little protection I could with a few crushed oak leaves. The “soil” there was heavy clay, with pieces of broken brick and mortar from an old landscaping job gone bad, a few tufts of persistent lawn grass, and a few nondescript weeds. These poor onions never had a chance, I thought, as they were already quite dry when planted, and days of 20-30 degrees with drying winds did them no favors.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But earlier this week, on April 3, there they were in the cracked clay, plenty to flavor a couple salads. The taste is similar to that of chives, but somewhat sweeter and juicier.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Onions 4-3-16.jpg" height="605" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IVmaMDnI391e5Z8rRCkXIQ7hPmNpN03XN5X_pHcRiBJ3-e96wROglvpTvtj7GJKjeB9gCpO24FXQ-AXpuYriRAl7lOshucNwlKP431FfL3Utw-XixWJyfaIgEWbGXrldZf4zzvCg" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="341" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ll leave most of these resilient treasures in place for now, moving them into a more favorable location as time permits after we complete our move from the Traverse City area to Beavercreek, Ohio, and begin transforming our new back yard. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-44378423155924094812016-04-01T08:27:00.000-04:002016-04-01T08:27:37.335-04:00Resuming the Blog<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.6667px; line-height: 1.656; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Mike Davis</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-25001c32-d1c0-b553-8227-ab7c0ebb16c4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">foodgardensnorth</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" blog was created mainly to serve as a reference and learning aid on home and educational food gardening, much of it youth-oriented, in the northern tier of the US. Since the blog's inception, we've lost one of its two originators (and a great friend), Kirsten Gerbatsch, then a FoodCorps member and Master Gardener Volunteer especially active in school garden development, now embarking on a new adventure in the political arena. There have been no new posts since August 1, 2015.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recent family considerations have resulted in my decision to move from my Northwest Lower Michigan home of the last decade to a location just east of Dayton, Ohio, about 5 degrees of latitude farther south. The prospect of the move led me to consider abandoning the blog. After all, folks from Southwestern Ohio generally don't consider themselves Northerners. But consider that my Michigan home at ~45 degrees N latitude is in Plant Hardiness Zone 5b (average low winter temperature -15 to -10), and my new Ohio location at 40 degrees N latitude is just one zone warmer, 6a (-10 to -5).</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Perhaps more meaningful is the sunlight-determined growing season. In his highly recommended 2009 book, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Winter Harvest Handbook</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Eliot Coleman discussed the cessation of plant growth that occurs in winter in regions with widely varying day lengths. Greek mythology gives us the fable of the Persephone, goddess of the underworld, whose mother, Demeter, wife of Zeus, supposedly caused plant growth to cease during the portion of the year Persephone spent in the underworld with her husband, Hades. Coleman's research showed that little growth occurs when sunrise-to-sunset times fall below about 10 hours, and he coined the term "Persephone Months" to signify those annual periods. By coincidence, my Grand Traverse area in Michigan has the same number of "Persephone Days," the 92 from November 5 to February 5, as Coleman's food-growing farm in Maine. My new home in Ohio has 73 such days, November 15 to January 27. The number of annual Persephone Days drops to zero below about 32 degrees north latitude.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the above and many other considerations in mind, I was still undecided on whether to resume posting articles in this blog. However, support and offers of participation from friends and family have been very encouraging, so </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">we</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will give it a whirl once my wife and I get established in our new Ohio home. I'll assume that "north" has a rather broad definition. In fact, we would be very interested in receiving contributions for posting from accomplished food gardeners representing a large area of the Northern US within a quite expanded definition: territory within USDA Zone 6 or lower (0 degrees F or lower minimum winter temperatures), or areas with at least a couple months of annual “Persephone days.”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We'll be comparatively late in getting a start on a backyard garden in Ohio this year, and even later in beginning the hoped-for relocation of my retirement "career" as a volunteer from Michigan’s Master Gardener program to Ohio’s. For starters, here's the central part of our new back yard where I intend to develop a small vegetable and small-fruit garden:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="Back yard Dec17 930am.jpg" height="321" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0HstTm-IeWHlYPvKVFrCbSj6HithGNiYJPdQz4vppmBCjkgMwfdQlxcAw_AiOsxIDV2z1GwVWSUtfU4301RdlFFebFXR-Rc9kRPHq1831CG3_q15ljKUMptefWqaSuZ41PMqkyQt" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="569" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The photo was taken about 9:30 AM; the neighbors' small shed (right of center) is about straight east from the camera. Obviously, our garden will be somewhat "sun-challenged,” and the north-facing slope means a slower spring warm-up. Also, with an average slope of about 7 degrees down from a lawn to the south where various chemical lawn treatments may be used, possible contamination from runoff and spray drift may be of concern. Initially, I'll have comprehensive soil testing done; I collected soil samples earlier this week. The soil is heavy, but the presence of numerous earthworms was a hopeful sign. Beginning in mid-April, I'll plot the areas of the yard with various sun exposure times, plan a garden style and layout with thought to appearance as well as safety and productivity, and report on that process here. As always, reader comments and suggestions will be very much appreciated.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-25001c32-d1c9-3cc3-cf67-469df57e857c"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Happy April Fool’s Day to everyone! I'm claiming this as my own special holiday!</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-65351378366033973762015-08-01T19:46:00.000-04:002015-08-01T19:46:46.937-04:00Critters, Garlic, and Sunshine<span style="font-size: x-small;">First the critters. We've identified two. One is our really close neighbor, the woodchuck, or groundhog. Just a few feet from the southeast corner of our garden at the Historic Barns Park, there's a typical groundhog hole that keeps growing in size, perhaps adding on an extra bedroom and bath in anticipation of a growing family. I'll have to admit that I admire the perseverance of the inhabitant, as the ground in that area is so heavily compacted that I can't get digging fork tines into it deeper than about 3 to 4 inches, yet the spoil from the hole is accumulating rapidly. Here's a heavily cropped photo, just good enough to show an eye peering out at us, waiting for us to leave so that 'lunch' will be unguarded. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The second invading critter is, as we suspected, a deer that appears to enjoy the challenge of a perimeter fence with the top wire about 8 feet above ground. Hoof prints where there were once healthy beet plants provide conclusive evidence. In both cases, the prosecution rests. Now it's up to us to take appropriate countermeasures against these habitual offenders, at least before next year's garden gets underway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Ah, but the critters don't bother the garlic, so there's a story of success and further promise to be told. Yesterday, I dug the first of this year's Spontaneo (a Northern Italian porcelain hardneck variety) in my home garden, planted 10/11/2014. It looks quite good, although not quite as large as usual. The bulbs, mostly with 5 cloves each, will average a little under 2.5 inches in diameter. On the same day I planted last year's cloves, I planted about 70 bulbils from a couple plants on which I had allowed the scapes to grow to full height and produce flower heads.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The following numbered photo series illustrates my experiment in propagating garlic cloned from a single parent plant. In case you're thinking of trying this, warning: patience required.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3gxB7MaV9aI/Vb1XFDQ9DUI/AAAAAAAACY8/T61JLX8XZGM/s1600/Garlic%2BProp.%2BNumbered.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3gxB7MaV9aI/Vb1XFDQ9DUI/AAAAAAAACY8/T61JLX8XZGM/s400/Garlic%2BProp.%2BNumbered.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1 - Raise garlic as usual, but allow some to produce bulbils. First dry freshly harvested hardneck garlic bulbs in a shady location with good air circulation (e.g., a garage), then store it in a dark place or a paper bag (prevent premature sprouting). Select the best of the bulbs for planting. Separate those into individual cloves and plant in early autumn, about 6 inches apart and 2 inches deep, and mulch with a few inches of straw. (Here at about 45 degrees north latitude, I get good results from planting in early October.) </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2 - As those garlic plants grow during the summer, their flower stalks ("scapes"} begin to curl. At that time, about the first of July here, remove and use most of these; they're juicy and delicious, and their removal generally results in somewhat larger bulbs.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3 - To propagate from bulbils, allow a scape or two to remain. It will straighten upward and grow to form a flower head in which its bulbils grow. We tie our straightening scapes loosely to bamboo stakes to make sure they don't blow over.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4 - A single flower head of our porcelain garlic typically produces 70-100 bulbils about the size of grains of wheat. When they're clearly loosening in the flower head, gently remove them and spread them out to dry right along with the year's harvest of garlic bulbs. Once dry, they will keep until spring if needed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5 - Plant the bulbils an inch or so apart, about 1/2 inch deep, at your preferred garlic planting time. Mulch lightly with straw. Keep carefully weeded the following spring; it can be difficult to tell the tiny garlic leaves from blades of grass.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6 - Carefully dig and dry the small single 'rounds' of garlic the following year at harvest time; I dug mine yesterday. Most are between 3/8 and 1/2 inch in diameter. I planted about 70 bulbils last year and found 55 rounds this summer; I could easily have missed a few smaller ones in sifting through the soil. I'll dry these and replant an inch or so deep this fall, hoping for some multi-clove bulbs next year and larger ones the year after that. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">As soon as I get this posted, I'll be out enjoying the lovely sunny evening. Yes, we need rain, predictions of which have been grossly exaggerated of late, and yes, that and the heat have adversely affected our gardens this summer. But blue skies smile as we hold the garden hose, ever so grateful that our friends at SEEDS have led the way to installation of a strong, reliable, solar-powered water system for their garden and ours.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">How wonderful is the sunshine!</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-56104865190467318752015-07-13T13:24:00.000-04:002015-07-13T13:24:04.527-04:00Win Some, Lose Some....<span style="font-size: x-small;">Last week I harvested the first two kohlrabis of the year from our home garden, both the variety 'Delicacy White.'</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-It-25lj9wcA/VaPydcJj7nI/AAAAAAAACJY/mVb-STSNDXM/s1600/Kohlrabi%2BDelicacy%2BWhite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-It-25lj9wcA/VaPydcJj7nI/AAAAAAAACJY/mVb-STSNDXM/s320/Kohlrabi%2BDelicacy%2BWhite.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">The two plants were virtually identical when planted side by side, about 10 inches apart, in some of my best soil but with no amendments besides last year's compost. The one on the left is the only one that split; all the others are gorgeous, ranging from about 2 to 3.5 inches in diameter, tender, and sweet! I've read that uneven watering is the main reason some kohlrabis split, but I figure this one was just trying to teach me a lesson: that plants will do as they choose.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">I quartered and peeled them, although the outer portion near the top of the 'pretty' one was so tender that I could have left some of it in place. The center of the lower stem area was fibrous and tough, so a small portion had to be removed. Kohlrabi greens are also quite edible, excellent in soups and stir fries, with a pleasant, mild flavor and soft texture not too different from my favorite kale variety, Red Russian (a variety of Brassica napus, species that includes rutabaga and rape, versus Brassica oleracea, which includes cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi, and others). We enjoyed our first kohlrabi harvest in a simple mixed green salad. This week, I'll combine it with some other vegetables (mainly root crops) and try it roasted with garlic infused olive oil and a dash of my favorite balsamic vinegar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In our 'demonstration' garden at the Historic Barns Park, though, we've only 'demonstrated' what can happen to kohlrabi and others of the Brassicaceae family left unprotected from the local critter population. (We have yet to identify the culprit.) Here are representative portions of what's left of our radish and mixed Brassica beds after some unknown invader did some premature harvesting. Two small kohlrabis survived the onslaught. Next year, we'll install some easily removable critter-resistant barriers around our most vulnerable growing beds.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ppp6RLlqYuI/VaPy3LzfqBI/AAAAAAAACJg/_9M5oK-vHDg/s1600/Brassicaceae%2BBeds%2BDecimated.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ppp6RLlqYuI/VaPy3LzfqBI/AAAAAAAACJg/_9M5oK-vHDg/s320/Brassicaceae%2BBeds%2BDecimated.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">And that's gardening! We win a lot more than we lose, and when we lose, we learn; and that's a win in itself.</span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-73528315894979812532015-06-19T13:25:00.000-04:002015-06-19T13:25:43.152-04:00Planted!<h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well, almost. After a host of delays, many weather-related, all 22 raised beds and 8 of the 10 buried pots in our demonstration garden at the Historic Barns Park contain vegetable or pollinator-attracting plants in some form. The following is a list of the vegetable varieties we're growing this year, bed by bed:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 - Tomatoes: Amish Paste, Siberian Tiger, African Queen, Golden Jubilee</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 - Tomatoes: SunGold, Sunpeach, Mountain Magic, Cherokee Chocolate</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3 - Beans, bush dry: Hutterite Soup</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 - Beans, bush snap: Royalty Purple Pod; and beets: Detroit Dark Red & Lutz Green Leaf</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 - Carrots: St Valery, Muscade, & Rainbow; and turnips: Hakurei & Purple Top White Globe</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6 - Beans, pole snap: Fortex & Northeaster; and carrots: Nutri-Red & Bolero</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7 - Cabbage: Late Flat Dutch</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 - Peas, shell: mix of Green Arrow & Recruit</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9 - Garlic, Spontaneo (planted Oct 2014); and peas, snap, Sugar Sprint</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10 - Cabbage: Stonehead</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11 - Beans, bush snap: Provider</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12 - Cucumbers: Straight Eight; and lettuce, leaf: mix of several, e.g., Black Seeded Simpson, Lolla Rossa</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13 - Potatoes: Kennebec</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14 - Potatoes: Dark Red Norland</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15 & 18 - Flowering plants: penstemon, monarda</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">16 - Beans, pole dry: Good Mother Stallard</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17 - Beans, pole dry: Speckled Cranberry</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">19 - Onions: Patterson, Bridger</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20 - Eggplant: Bride; peppers: Gypsy & Intruder; and cabbage: Late Flat Dutch & Tendersweet</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">21 - Kale, Red Russian; cabbage turnip: Naone Rosse; and kohlrabi: Delicacy White & Grand Duke</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">22 - Radish: mix of several, and daikon: Summer Cross</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Also in buried 5-gallon pots - a mix of ornamental flowers; chives; Greek oregano; garlic chives; parsley; and an heirloom summer savory or ‘Bohnenkraut’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Beside the bulletin board - sunflowers: Tarahumara White Seeded</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- In two wide rows just south of Beds 11 & 12 - buckwheat (mainly to attract pollinating insects)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At this moment, we have two empty buried pots, and we’re hoping some generous Volunteer will find a tasty herb to put in them--then we’ll have our garden fully planted!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’re always happy to welcome visitors to the garden, including an occasional monarch butterfly. (Well, maybe not the Colorado potato beetles and definitely not the squash bugs--we’ve agreed not to grow squash this year.) We’ve asked that a good portion of the surrounding meadow not be mowed until late autumn, as it contains numerous common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) plants and we’re trying to get a couple other locally native Asclepias species started to further support the monarchs and attract pollinating insects. That’s why, as shown in the photo below, our garden is surrounded by mostly “weeds.” Otherwise, the garden is representative of that one might do safely and at low cost in a sunny back yard--definitely more interesting and productive than lawn grass.</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-79760124664733418832015-05-30T15:38:00.000-04:002015-05-30T15:38:10.063-04:00Youth Gardening at Its Best<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Yesterday the Leelanau Community Garden came alive! More than 40 “Greenagers,” outstanding students from Traverse City West Middle School, came to the Garden to weed, apply compost, prepare growing beds for planting, and plant thousands of vegetable seeds and more than 100 plants that will provide much-needed fresh, organically grown produce to needy Leelanau County residents throughout the coming summer and fall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">The students were divided into a number of teams, each assisted by a Master Gardener Volunteer. The teams were chosen completely at random, so it was amazing to see them almost instantly transform into efficient, cohesive units. I was fortunate to be one of those volunteers, an especially gratifying experience since the five young people who worked with me proved courteous, considerate, and wonderfully dedicated and proficient gardeners. It seemed almost miraculous that a neglected, weed-infested garden was transformed in a mere two hours into a system of neat, precisely planted plots. The garden will soon be producing beans, cabbages, cucumbers, onions, peas, peppers, summer and winter squash, and a variety of different tomatoes to be delivered to a local food pantry. </span></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 16.3759994506836px;">Thank you so much, Greenagers!</b></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-47597847639705961122015-05-11T16:56:00.000-04:002015-05-11T16:56:17.990-04:00Shoot(s)out at the MG Corral<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Shoots, roots, and rhizomes, that is. Today began the annual battle against quackgrass and other villains at the Master-Gardener-run ‘corral’ behind the Barns. Here's one of the casualties, hanging from a post along with one of my trusty weapons, the other being my antique digging fork. We’re steadily weeding out the enemy!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As in the past, we’re off to a bit of a slow start at our demonstration garden at the Historic Barns Park, but in this our third year at this wonderfully located public site, good progress is evident. The weeds are getting fewer now, and this year’s planned expansion to 22 small raised beds will be much easier than installation of the first 15 thanks to a year of keeping much of the soil in the new area under a mulch of straw on brown cardboard. And we have a reliable water supply now thanks to superb leadership by the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Traverse City/Garfield Township Recreational Authority and our great local nonprofit organization SEEDS. We’re especially excited because soon that water system will be driven by a solar array--energy independence at last!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today we had a great surprise: one of our local gardening friends donated 20 like-new, heavy-duty tomato cages, some of which we’ll use at the Barns and some at the Leelanau Community Garden this year. Such a fine donation is especially appreciated since our basic garden operation is entirely volunteer-financed. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you, Chuck!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Next steps: assembling new raised bed frames, adding compost, loosening the soil with a digging fork or broadfork, adding organic soil amendments based on our soil test results expected this week, and planting. What great therapy! We welcome visitors of all ages and plan to offer informal seminars this summer, open to anyone interested in joining us as we garden and learn.</span></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-89239627408553844342015-05-10T08:41:00.000-04:002015-05-10T08:41:01.546-04:00Recycling Latte Cups<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">About a week ago, I did one of the most distasteful jobs of the spring. When I plant tomato seeds in cell trays to start raising the year’s plants indoors under fluorescent lights, I always use three seeds per cell. As soon as most have germinated, I thin to two tiny plants per cell; then when all have their first true leaves (different from the cotyledons, or ‘seed leaves’), I do the final thinning. With two healthy, nearly identical plants in each cell, it’s agonizing to choose the “winner” and snip off the “loser” with sterilized scissors--but it must be done. I base these decisions mainly on the stem diameter and strength, not the height of the plants. Shown here are plants in a 24-cell tray, now reduced to one plant per cell, partially hardened off by spending increasing times outdoors each day for a week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Today I’m transplanting my first tray of plants into paper cups saved from lattes </span></span><span style="line-height: 14.2399988174438px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"> consumed over the past year. Tough duty, but I always manage to accumulate a few dozen. For details on transplanting techniques, see the METHODS & MATERIALS page in this blog. Here’s a typical plant before and after transplanting; note that </span></span><span style="line-height: 14.2399988174438px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I've</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;"> removed the seed leaves and covered the stem to a point slightly above their former location.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VrUKQ9wjQiM/VU9PN35MXrI/AAAAAAAABrI/rDtMDecSZdw/s1600/Before%2Band%2Bafter%2Btransplanting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="202" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VrUKQ9wjQiM/VU9PN35MXrI/AAAAAAAABrI/rDtMDecSZdw/s320/Before%2Band%2Bafter%2Btransplanting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Now for the final hardening off. These were started on April 15 (25 days ago) and should be ready to plant in one of their garden destinations during the first week in June, about 7 weeks after starting. At outdoor planting time, the top halves of those labeled latte cups will begin the last phase of their useful lives as cutworm collars around the stems of the plants </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">they've</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> helped nurture. I’ll bid a fond farewell to most of the bottom halves of the cups, although if some have survived in fairly good shape, they might do for starting next year’s pepper plants. I hereby resolve to empty even more new latte cups before next spring.</span></span></span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-72694086723707034972015-04-25T18:58:00.000-04:002015-04-25T18:58:02.748-04:00Egyptian "Walking" Onion Harvest<span id="docs-internal-guid-fb4019b0-f2bb-f0f9-d6d9-7038acc32bc9"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">I just had to have some onion for today’s salad, so I dug the first of this spring’s perennial Egyptian ‘Walking’ ones. Stems averaged about ⅜ of an inch in diameter, and they were just a little tough, so they had to be cut into quite small pieces to avoid adding an unpleasant texture to the salad; but they tasted delicious!</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k6NZrekvPn4/VTwX4qb89DI/AAAAAAAABmw/Y0OndTuhsD0/s1600/Eg.%2Bonion%2Bharvest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k6NZrekvPn4/VTwX4qb89DI/AAAAAAAABmw/Y0OndTuhsD0/s1600/Eg.%2Bonion%2Bharvest.jpg" height="229" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Egyptian onions have extensive, succulent root systems. Even these early ones required a good bit of tugging on a digging fork with tines pressed at least 8” into the soil to pull them out. Shown here are the roots from just one stem; the root mass for these six closely spaced stems was a tangled ball about 10 inches in diameter. For the person patient enough to wash them carefully and snip them into tiny bits, or better, to puree them in a blender, the roots can add a wonderful spicy flavor to an otherwise bland salad dressing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-fb4019b0-f2bd-e8f5-bd5a-e7efae36c9c7" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, you ask, how can I grow these earliest of delectables? See </span><a href="http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene18b1.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/homegardening/scene18b1.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for a summary. I honestly don’t recall where I got my original start of these perennial onions, but if you’re reading this, you can do a quick online search for information.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">Plant the bulbils (top setting “seed” starts something like the “sets” you can buy everywhere this time of year) in the fall, and harvest just a few in the spring but let the remainder grow another year. By the following spring, you’ll have a nice onion patch like this:</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jaWNdUgzMyo/VTwYam7wFEI/AAAAAAAABnA/VLkADapdDcs/s1600/Egyptian%2BOnion%2BPatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jaWNdUgzMyo/VTwYam7wFEI/AAAAAAAABnA/VLkADapdDcs/s1600/Egyptian%2BOnion%2BPatch.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Harvest what you wish, but leave some for the future. By mid-summer, your onion patch will have clusters of bulbils atop each plant:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RlactmIrw6A/VTwZA9nnreI/AAAAAAAABnI/2LB4d5wUkAQ/s1600/Eg.%2Bonions%2Bsummer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RlactmIrw6A/VTwZA9nnreI/AAAAAAAABnI/2LB4d5wUkAQ/s1600/Eg.%2Bonions%2Bsummer.jpg" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">By early autumn, these will have matured and may even send out shoots on which additional bulbils will form. At this time, the largest of the bulbils can be harvested for pickling, or for the luscious flavor they’ll add to soups or stews.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-fb4019b0-f2c2-384f-e128-ab36f0932581"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">As winter approaches, the top stems will die and fall to the ground, allowing bulbil clusters to touch the soil up to a couple feet from their parent plant stems. There a new plant will be seen to have ‘walked’ to its new location. Are these bulbils hardy in northern climates, you ask? The average February temperature in my region was just over 9 degrees F, but here’s a bulbil cluster that lay on the ground all winter, now sending forth roots and shoots.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pfDIHbAW_t4/VTwZdgSYyzI/AAAAAAAABnQ/eGRV8WPSo3g/s1600/eg%2Bonion%2Bbulbil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pfDIHbAW_t4/VTwZdgSYyzI/AAAAAAAABnQ/eGRV8WPSo3g/s1600/eg%2Bonion%2Bbulbil.jpg" height="202" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">By next spring, a new bunch of tasty green onions will have grown at this spot!</span></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-17179571458207686282015-04-01T11:00:00.000-04:002015-04-01T11:00:27.696-04:00"FAR OUT"!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Far out west, that is, there’s a blog with an accompanying site worth a long look, wherever your garden aspirations may lie. Los Angeles? If, like me, you live in Michigan, that’s like another planet, huh? But raising food plants from seed indoors and getting them ready to plant outdoors is pretty much the same around the world; indoor climates aren’t generally all that different from one place to another.</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-28672656-7577-35c8-b822-5ff1a3523648" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For an accurate, well presented, and beautifully illustrated series of articles on nurturing many types of food garden plants from beginning to end, start with the link: </span><a href="http://www.gardenbetty.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.gardenbetty.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and click on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">garden-of-eatin’</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The ‘Garden Betty’ is Linda Ly. The remainder of Linda’s site and the accompanying blog are generally entertaining, but it’s the almost universally applicable garden how-to that I’ve found worthwhile. I’ve looked hard for any serious bits of bad advice in Linda’s articles and have found nothing worth exercising my specialty (nitpicking) upon. I take a few extra steps in sanitizing my indoor plant-raising operation and have a few additional tips, some of which are or will be buried in the METHODS & MATERIALS section of this blog; but Linda’s quality photography and text give very workable alternatives for most food garden activities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Another tip for the day</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Michigan Master Gardener Volunteer Whitney Miller is developing an extensive annotated map of community gardens, both food and ornamental ones including school gardens, in Northwest Lower Michigan. See: </span><a href="http://mganm.org/community-gardens-nwmi/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://mganm.org/community-gardens-nwmi/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The site includes links to the local Master Gardener Association and many others related to the Master Gardener Volunteer program coordinated by the Michigan State University Extension. Numerous opportunities to volunteer and to learn are available throughout our area!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hinB0gBiNGU/VRwGv5F57mI/AAAAAAAABgs/F0OMX9jnC_k/s1600/Onions%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BLCG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hinB0gBiNGU/VRwGv5F57mI/AAAAAAAABgs/F0OMX9jnC_k/s1600/Onions%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BLCG.jpg" height="151" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-28672656-757b-e609-9f9b-d42d80a53e74"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Onions from a local community garden destined for a food pantry serving families in need</span></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-45593937603936596162015-03-20T14:24:00.000-04:002015-03-20T16:25:27.527-04:00A "Cool" Article<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Just a short post today to recommend a really good article by Rebecca Krans in today's Michigan State University Extension newsletter. Please see: </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/cool_vegetables_for_you_to_grow_this_spring?utm_source=Home+Gardening+-+MSU+Extension+News+-+03-20-15&utm_campaign=Home+Gardening+03-20-15&utm_medium=email">http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/cool_vegetables_for_you_to_grow_this_spring?utm_source=Home+Gardening+-+MSU+Extension+News+-+03-20-15&utm_campaign=Home+Gardening+03-20-15&utm_medium=email</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I have just one suggestion to add: using a broadfork or digging fork to loosen soil without turning it helps to minimize disruption of the soil structure and maintain populations of beneficial soil organisms. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-35836727485415040822015-03-15T16:24:00.000-04:002015-03-15T16:29:21.847-04:00Thankful for the Thaw...and Onions<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before I start describing our plans for spring in the gardens, I have a little anecdote to share. A few days ago, just before the big snow melt, my wife lost one of her hearing aids. We looked everywhere we could think of for it--no luck. The one possibility I feared was that when she had been out shoveling snow, it might have come out without her realizing it and been tossed into the 3-foot-high snowbank near the walk. I thought perhaps I might find it someday, or more likely, it would become part of the shrubbery or the front lawn. Well, yesterday I was on my way out to get the morning newspaper, and behold: there it was emerging from the melting snow on top of the somewhat lower remaining pile. And it still works! That’s the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">second</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> reason I’m glad spring is on its way!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">As always, the approaching vernal equinox brings happy thoughts of seeds sprouting and the first delicious fresh garden produce of the year. It’s still a little early for the outdoor spring cleanup (necessary because the fall cleanup was far from perfect), but definitely not too early for things to get moving indoors.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Actually, I have a little head start already. Seed starting trays are washed, some paper “pots” made, seeds purchased, and onion plants slowly growing under fluorescent lights in my cool basement. In recent years, I’ve been just purchasing onion plants, as they need an early start and some patience to be ready for planting outdoors sometime around the third week in April. In fact, I ordered quite a few plants for this year, scheduled for delivery in mid-April. But I’m resolved to grow more onions this year, as we’ve already used most of last year’s harvest, so I also obtained some Bridger and Yellow Borettana seed and got that started on February 12 and still looking more like a thin stand of lawn grass than onions.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U4V9ouwyXPs/VQXpjaxKI5I/AAAAAAAABdg/P7PmP0QP2E8/s1600/Onion%2Bplants%2B1%2Bmonth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-U4V9ouwyXPs/VQXpjaxKI5I/AAAAAAAABdg/P7PmP0QP2E8/s1600/Onion%2Bplants%2B1%2Bmonth.jpg" height="320" width="254" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">That brown stuff on top is milled sphagnum (not peat!), which, along with careful sanitation, and good air circulation, helps prevent fungal damping off disease.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Aside from these, we’ll be growing mainly Candy (sweet as…) and Patterson again this year. My few remaining Pattersons are as firm and crisp as on the late September day when I finished moving them to our cool basement after drying.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our always-tentative indoor planting schedule for this spring looks something like this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March 23</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">March 30</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and spinach</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April 6</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sage (needs light to germinate well) [I lost some of mine to</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> encroaching</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> shrubs </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.2; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">last year.]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">April 13</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and lettuce</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">About a week after that, we’ll be starting our first cool-season crops outdoors; but we’ll leave that for another day.</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-66390017129676390642015-02-27T09:11:00.000-05:002015-03-15T15:33:50.957-04:00Master Gardener Strategic Visioning Retreat<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">On February 19-20, 2015, the Michigan Master Gardener Volunteer Program took a cautious but determined step forward toward bringing new life to an already invaluable statewide community service program. No such program is, or ever will be, perfect; but on those two days in DeWitt, Michigan, strong hands pulled this one to a new level by its bootstraps.</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3e02e0c6-cb5b-935a-68a7-e252e2c8065c" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Special Kudos to the following:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Dr Ray Hammerschmidt, MSU Extension (MSUE) Director, for his presence on a busy day, and his inspiring talk reassuring all of the Extension's strong support for the program</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Mary Wilson, State Coordinator, MSUE Master Gardener Program, for her continuing dedication, superb leadership, and unflagging positive energy in the face of unstable funding in recent years</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- Bonnie Wichtner-Zoia and Claire Bode, MSUE Educators, for their outstanding work as facilitators--they managed to keep a rowdy crowd on track!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">- The entire Board of the Michigan Master Gardener Association for strengthening ties among Master Gardeners throughout the state and financially supporting their activities</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Attendees at the conference addressed five different but interrelated critical issues, with preliminary assessments described below.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Recognition/Relationships</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Participants believed relationships among all levels of Master Gardener (MG) program participants would profit from careful rebuilding. The program has suffered by losing many of its former MG Volunteers, who have failed to obtain recertification, in many cases because they have found the costs in time and money needed to recertify were prohibitive. Providing value to those individuals in the form of encouragement and rewards, and simplifying recertification requirements, were seen as possible stimuli in regaining their participation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Communication/Roles</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More thorough and timely communication among all parts of the MG program, including consistent guidelines for volunteer and educational hour reporting, were considered desirable. Major improvements in the usability of the Volunteer Management System (VMS) program were sought in the form of enhanced mentorship of VMS Ambassadors from the state level and application of more consistent guidelines. Adding new functionality to the VMS should result in more MG Volunteer appreciation of its utility.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Equity</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Participants recognized and appreciated the great integrity consistently demonstrated by MG program participants at all levels. Strategies to improve equality in the actual delivery of program benefits to all portions of Michigan's culturally and economically diverse population included surveying potentially underserved groups and updated program delivery methods. A "marketing plan" was proposed to locate areas of need and solicit feedback on potential program growth in areas now lacking adequate access to the MG program.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Program Delivery/Distance Learning</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It was agreed that providing standardized (but also carefully aligned with local needs), top-quality educational materials statewide by multiple delivery methods is at least desirable if not essential to MG program equity and growth. Participants indicated preference for carefully constructed, quality-first introduction of new technology in both initial MG training classes and follow-on educational events. It was felt that stability of new delivery systems after introduction would be very important in encouraging participation among areas now lagging in adoption of up-to-date technology.</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Funding/Program Sustainability</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was generally agreed that at least modest increases in overall program funding are needed, but participants generally emphasized the need for improved funding equity and for tapping alternate means of resource acquisition. It was proposed that Master Gardener Volunteers might act as advocates for additional local, state, and federal support; and that the possibility of additional support in the form of corporate sponsorship should be sought. The concept of substituting locally available skill sets from both Master Gardeners and other local area residents was also discussed at length.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Overall, it was a great privilege to participate in an event that opened many possible doors to enhancing and expanding a program offering great opportunities to learn, to work for the betterment of our diverse communities alongside many outstanding people who share our values, and to look toward better future science-based care for the environment in which we live. The MSUE Strategic Vision holds great promise for the future, and it will be exciting to see its results begin to take hold.</span></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-40024114208662088552015-02-25T09:22:00.000-05:002015-02-25T09:22:01.979-05:00Thoughts on Watering<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">On Thursday 2/26/15, a school garden training program will be held in Traverse City; please note our previous post on that event. As a small part of the proceedings, I'll be saying a few words about watering food garden plants. As a friend of mine is wont to say, "Everything has to have a drink." Here's an outline of what I'm planning to say:</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Conserve water when possible</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Whether planting indoors or out, start with planting mix or soil with structure that holds water well.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Add organic matter as needed to improve soil structure.</span></span></div>
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</ul>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Mulch with material that dries quickly on the surface but reduces evaporation from soil.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Learn which plants require more water and which can do without; apply only what’s needed.</span></span></div>
</li>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Most plants, even in sandy soil, can do well with less than the equivalent of an inch of rain per week. That’s about 60 gallons per week per 100 sq ft of root zone.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Use a rain gauge to help determine when plants have received sufficient water.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-aeeef85d-c110-42d3-9dc9-7d0ccc2e90c3" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">When starting from seed:</span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Especially indoors:</span></span></div>
</li>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Premoisten soil or mix before planting.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Apply a light mulch, e.g., milled sphagnum, which dries quickly, reducing chance of fungal pathogens.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Cover containers to reduce evaporation, but watch for fungus growth!</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Mist or gently sprinkle soil surface twice daily as needed to keep moist until germination is evident.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">After germination:</span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">If indoors, move to a cooler area and begin bottom watering to keep surface relatively dry to reduce chances of disease, e.g., fungal “damping off,”</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">If outdoors, gradually allow soil surface to dry before additional watering. Don’t overwater, but make sure soil several inches below the surface is moist.</span></span></div>
</li>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">If in doubt, squeeze a soil sample tightly; if it “clumps” together, it’s too wet.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">As plants grow:</span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Learn which plants require more or less water and apply accordingly.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Water the soil over plants' root zones, and avoid unnecessarily wetting the foliage.</span></span></div>
</li>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Root zone can extend laterally more than twice as far as the plant’s drip line; water the root zone, not just the stem area.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Water early in the day so that foliage can dry before night; and evaporation losses are lower then.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Water less often; with well-established plants, twice a week should be enough.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Add extra mulch (straw).</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Methods:</span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">A sprinkling can is fine for a small school garden; and remember: kids love to water!</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qq_Alm8leOE/VO3ZmZyDGeI/AAAAAAAABZc/W7FX8pL-rvs/s1600/Haws%2Bnolabel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qq_Alm8leOE/VO3ZmZyDGeI/AAAAAAAABZc/W7FX8pL-rvs/s1600/Haws%2Bnolabel.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A watering can with a long spout allows a child to water plants without walking too close.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16.3759994506836px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Develop child sense of pride in nurturing.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Teach awareness of plant below-ground structure.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Sprinklers or sprays are good for germination and very early growth, but:</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Ground-level drip irrigation systems are much better for established growing plants.</span></span></div>
</li>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Less likelihood of disease.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Less water waste to evaporation.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">See: http://communitygardennews.org/gardenmosaics/pgs/science/english/mainscience.htm</span></span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"> Click on Watering Garden Plants, etc.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-86643713753005266252014-12-17T04:15:00.000-05:002014-12-17T04:15:06.403-05:00WELCOME, ELISE!<h3>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-f1b4389c-577b-0a3e-3a82-4366bde3f67c" style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Master Gardeners across our district in Northwest Lower Michigan are delighted to welcome our new </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consumer Horticulture Program Instructor, Elise M. Carolan, to the MSU Extension office in Leelanau County! As coordinator of Master Gardener Volunteer activities in our area, Elise will be overseeing numerous community service projects including the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leelanau Community Garden (LCG)</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, now in its 23rd year of operation, as well as our MG/SEEDS Demonstration Garden just outside Traverse City.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbFD46ux-Lw/VJFIvH0nWRI/AAAAAAAABRg/lyN3l4HcUiU/s1600/From%2Broad%2Bsmall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbFD46ux-Lw/VJFIvH0nWRI/AAAAAAAABRg/lyN3l4HcUiU/s1600/From%2Broad%2Bsmall.jpg" height="125" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">For background information, please see</span><a href="http://www.leelanaucommunitygarden.blogspot.com/" style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 1.15; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.leelanaucommunitygarden.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;">. The LCG blog has not been supported since 2012 but remains online and serves as an example of the opportunities the garden offers for teaching as well as growing food. The effort was formerly supported in part by the Leelanau Family Court, but that support was terminated in 2014. It’s my understanding that in 2015, financial support is to be forthcoming from the Master Gardener Association of Northwest Michigan, for which we’re extremely grateful. The garden represents a wonderful opportunity for additional Master Gardener Volunteers to perform an important community service while gaining invaluable experience in food gardening. Even before her selection for her new position with the Extension, Elise offered excellent new ideas on possible ways to improve the LCG’s productivity and overall value to the community; beginning in January 2015, we’ll be consulting with her in more detail. Stay tuned!</span></div>
</span><br />
</h3>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-66550875194545068972014-12-06T15:44:00.000-05:002014-12-06T15:44:02.164-05:00Nice December Day (!)<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">After a snowy November, it seems downright tropical in our back yard at 34 degrees and sunny. Having left the garden beds mostly in sad shape earlier this fall, I did a little late fall cleanup. The ground was frozen just enough on top to make most stems of remaining annual plants easier to break off than to pull, which was just fine with me. Most of those roots I left in place will break down quickly next spring, adding much-needed organic matter to our loamy sand soil; especially the legumes will add extra nitrogen as well.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One discouraging discovery was the proliferation of vole superhighways through the grass, leading to almost every section of my irregularly shaped garden:</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3bWHVvfrheo/VINoin9iqoI/AAAAAAAABQw/TafLj4Zp-r0/s1600/Vole%2Btrack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3bWHVvfrheo/VINoin9iqoI/AAAAAAAABQw/TafLj4Zp-r0/s1600/Vole%2Btrack.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">I suspect that my expenses for galvanized hardware cloth next spring may exceed those for garden seeds.</span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And speaking of seeds, I'm glad to see those garden seed catalogs arriving in the mail about every day now. For one thing, they’re much better winter entertainment that what’s on TV these days. But for another, if you’re looking at this blog, you and I are likely to be “on the same page” with regard to recognizing the importance of fresh, organically vegetables in our daily diets. One certain way we could all improve our health and well-being over the next year would be to order something from one or more of those catalogs, plant those seeds or plants next spring, nurture them, and consume the results. Questions on methods? I'll help if I can. A look at our demonstration garden at the Historic Barns Park on the SW outskirts of Traverse City, MI, might be a good place to start. We’re hoping for a better-than-ever garden there in ‘15.</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-39122011563306062712014-11-20T11:44:00.001-05:002014-11-20T11:44:58.569-05:00To Bed for the Winter<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Regarding the title: the gardens, not me, although based on the November’s weather so far, the idea doesn’t sound too bad.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ll start with the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leelanau Community Garden</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (LCG)--a significant Leelanau County community resource about to be lost unless new leadership emerges, hopefully from within the local MSU Extension and its Master Gardener Volunteer program. This year, Lead Volunteer Kathy Lewis and a precious few other Volunteers managed to coax more than 870 lb of fresh, organically grown produce out of the garden, only a couple hundred pounds below that of years when irrigation lines were still functional and volunteers were more numerous.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The great one-day efforts (May 29) of over 50 “Greenagers” from Traverse City West Middle School helped tremendously in getting things started, but from there on, few Volunteers were on the scene. Kathy deservedly received the award of 2014 Master Gardener of the Year for Leelanau County, based mainly on her outstanding effort and leadership in literally saving the LCG from complete failure.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rD_PyaJE10I/VG4O1YlWb7I/AAAAAAAABGQ/yyyAobmiHT0/s1600/Greenagers%2B5-29-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rD_PyaJE10I/VG4O1YlWb7I/AAAAAAAABGQ/yyyAobmiHT0/s1600/Greenagers%2B5-29-14.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greenagers at the Leelanau Community Garden</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing we’ve learned from our experience at the LCG is the importance of water-conserving gardening methods. The soil there is mostly sandy with some heavier gravel in a few of the beds. The available flow rate from the old dug well there is less than 1 gal/minute, and the 10+ year old drip tape wasn't even close to usable. And even Kathy found it difficult to hold a garden hose in one hand while planting or weeding or mulching or harvesting with the other. Sometimes working alone, she probably didn't average more than about 120 gal/week of water on roughly 1600 sq ft of growing beds, or the equivalent of roughly 0.14 inches/week. Several factors contributed to the relative success. First, we've added a good bit of compost over the years; now I would estimate average organic matter at somewhere around 5%, so the soil structure now provides much-improved water retention. Extensive use of straw mulch helped keep soil temperatures from reaching extreme highs and lows, and reduced evaporation rates. Minimizing tillage reduced evaporation losses (and carbon losses). Also, plant varieties needing more water and plants in critical fruiting stages were given priority.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Special kudos to Volunteers Rick George, Kathy Pilon, and Ellen Lapekas for their excellent work at our </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MG/SEEDS Demonstration Garden</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> at the Historic Barns Park in 2014! Two huge anticipated upgrades for next year there are plans for installation of a reliable, environmentally friendly water supply; and the prospect of Kathy Lewis joining our our effort. Our outstanding nonprofit organization S</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EED</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">S (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cology + </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">E</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ducation + </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">D</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">esign) is currently conducting studies on a solar-powered water system we hope will be installed in time for most spring planting. Our success this year was made possible by Rick’s carrying in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">many</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> jugs of water and hand watering our 15 growing beds (about 374 sq ft). I estimate our maximum water use to be almost exactly the same as that at the LCG, about the equivalent of 0.14 inches/week. This year we’re planning to expand our growing area to 542 sq ft, and we hope to water at a rate up to about 200 gallons/week, or the equivalent of about 0.6 inches/week, about 40% of estimated requirements for the remainder of the food gardening areas at the Park.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oKMcC5xQ_6w/VG4Pko6t4gI/AAAAAAAABGc/de41MMs_nxE/s1600/5.75lb%2BKennebecs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oKMcC5xQ_6w/VG4Pko6t4gI/AAAAAAAABGc/de41MMs_nxE/s1600/5.75lb%2BKennebecs.jpg" height="220" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 lb of Kennebecs</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And on the </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Home</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> front, 2014 brought r</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eally good onions, garlic, late broccoli, cabbage, kale, and tomatoes, germination problems with beets, carrots, & parsnips, very poor quality cucumbers. Favorites this year were Red Russian kale; Golden Jubilee, Sunpeach (F1), Sungold (F1), and Mountain Magic (F1) tomatoes; Rainbow carrots; and, as always, Provider beans. Voles ate the tops off of lots of the root crops--even radishes--and all green beans lower than about 8 inches above the ground. I guess we need a cat--but that's </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> going to happen, so I’ll have to use better low fencing with 1/4 inch hardware cloth next year. I hadn’t grown rattail radishes for several years, but this year I truly enjoyed their tasty pods in salads.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JkaXA-1W9K0/VG4RRdPghvI/AAAAAAAABGk/3csiRFbzUY0/s1600/Mt%2BMagic%2BSunpeach%2BSunGold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JkaXA-1W9K0/VG4RRdPghvI/AAAAAAAABGk/3csiRFbzUY0/s1600/Mt%2BMagic%2BSunpeach%2BSunGold.jpg" height="168" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L to R: Mountain Magic, Sunpeach, and Sungold</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nvDN2i6WsFM/VG4YtMwoz6I/AAAAAAAABHE/3pz284COu8s/s1600/1lb12oz%2BCandy%2BOnion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nvDN2i6WsFM/VG4YtMwoz6I/AAAAAAAABHE/3pz284COu8s/s1600/1lb12oz%2BCandy%2BOnion.jpg" height="311" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1 lb 12 oz Candy Onion</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lessons learned:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">We need to do a better job of keeping the soil moist around newly planted seeds to improve germination. Once a day is not always enough.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">More careful screening and longer “finishing” times of compost are needed to decrease “borrowing” of nitrogen by soil organisms as they continue breaking down organic matter, particularly any wood chips in the mix. (We would prefer not to use wood chips in compost at all.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tomatoes are heavy, and jute twine weakens quickly outdoors. We need to be more thorough in pruning and supporting our indeterminate tomato vines.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For best quality, we should harvest more frequently. especially our green beans.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Potatoes need to be covered with more soil and/or heavier mulch layers as they grow to prevent “green tops.” This is especially true in soils that are “fluffy” and subject to significant compaction by rain. Next year we’ll try planting in shallow trenches and filling those in with soil as the plants grow, then continuing to aff straw mulch during the summer. </span></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-34253418705117225342014-07-24T07:22:00.000-04:002014-12-15T06:25:51.275-05:00Last Planting Day...Almost<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">On Tuesday, hoping for some production into autumn at the Barns Garden, I planted some Jade bush beans (est. 53 days), Provider bush beans (50 days), Winner kohlrabi (45 days), Easter Egg radishes (30 days), Red Russian kale (25 days baby, 50 mature), and Tyee spinach (40 days). The only planting remaining to be done there is the garlic, which we'll harvest in perhaps a couple weeks when there's a little more brown on the leaves. We've stopped watering to allow the bulb wrappers to dry partially in the ground. We'll further dry the bulbs in my unheated garage. We'll leave a few inches of stem left on the bulbs, not washing them but only carefully brushing off the majority of the soil. We'll donate about 80% of our harvest to SEEDS or a local food pantry, then plant the remaining 20% sometime in October in anticipation of a similar harvest next year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Overall plant growth this year is mostly mediocre, not surprising given the poor soil we inherited and our sparse use of even strictly organic soil amendments. And that's OK: we want to show what can and cannot be done with minimal investments. We do have some promising successes. Our tomatoes are healthy and have reasonably good fruit set; our beans are strong and full of bloom; and except for deer damage, most of our other crops are on par with the norm for our region though our investments are meager. Our methods work.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">On Tuesday morning there was still no water available, so I used four of the jugs Rick had brought from home to water the seeds in. I refilled those and three more of my own, thinking I would need them to do a better job that afternoon, but when I got there, the generator and pump were running and there was good pressure to our hose! So everything but the garlic got a really welcome drink of water from the on-site well. Friends from SEEDS are doing their best to keep us informed on when we can expect water to be available.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">The water issue, though, remains critical to our success in fulfilling the main objective of our garden: to demonstrate and teach methods of home food production that involve no power equipment, minimal initial investment of both time and money, little ongoing maintenance (e.g., weeding), and inexpensive, strictly organic care of the soil and the plants it supports. Success in that endeavor, unfortunately, in our region with its sandy soils and sporadic rainfall, presumes the availability of a reliable water supply beyond that of direct rainfall. Most homes have at least one such supply readily available: either an external "hose bib" offering full-time well or municipal water on demand; a sloped roof large enough to fill barrels, cisterns, etc., with sufficient rain water; or both. At our Barns Garden, we have neither. Thus, regardless of other advantages our site may have, it falls short of our goal of offering a gardening environment representative of that available to the typical home gardener. Being truly representative, providing a realistic model of the successes and failures, resources and deficiencies, that home gardeners may anticipate, is the essence of our main mission as volunteers at this site.</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-45477276420201341162014-07-18T12:44:00.000-04:002014-07-18T12:44:58.442-04:00Mid-July Updates<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Earlier this week (7/14/14), Rick and I divided a few hours between the Leelanau Community Garden and the one at the Historic Barns Park. At the former, Rick and Lead Volunteer Kathy Lewis mowed for a while to perk the place up a little, and we replanted a sad-looking bed of beets of which no more than a few percent had germinated. The potato plants were being consumed with gusto by a small army of Colorado potato beetles, and the 6 hills of cantaloupe planted July 7 were just beginning to break ground. Adding to our pessimistic thoughts on the future of project is the prospect of needing volunteer financing to pay the electric bill for operating the pump beginning next year: a mere $18.46 per month to provide a maximum flow of only about one gallon per minute. Surely a community that benefits from donation of an annual average of over 800 lb of fresh, organically grown produce could cough up that much. Sad.</span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-3d772d59-4a47-5606-69ab-8c292a97ff77" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the volunteer-financed Historic Barns MG/SEEDS Garden, our main concern proved to be...what else...water. On that day, the pump failed. Our good friends at SEEDS have been working the problem, though; by today, someone had filled our water jugs and done a good bit of watering. I’m not sure which of our friends to thank, but Thanks! The squash, onions, garlic, beans, tomatoes, and carrots all appeared to be in good shape. No new deer damage to report! Timing being almost everything in gardening, though, we missed our green shell pea harvest season--not a very large one, but still a loss. We’re letting them dry on the vines; hopefully a local food pantry will find a good home for them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And here at home, my vole problem continues:</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J73EsE_bXgo/U8lNyyoVdkI/AAAAAAAAAx0/T3D-IyEsmXI/s1600/Potatoes+good+and+bad+7-18-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J73EsE_bXgo/U8lNyyoVdkI/AAAAAAAAAx0/T3D-IyEsmXI/s1600/Potatoes+good+and+bad+7-18-14.jpg" height="233" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of my potatoes look OK--no beetles! But here are some of my Dark Red Norlands</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">Need I say more?</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-38917375401705981472014-06-28T11:15:00.000-04:002014-06-28T11:15:52.404-04:00Barns Garden Ups & Downs<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On Thursday afternoon (6/26/14), Rick George and I went to the Barns Garden to do some watering and to start on some bamboo trellises for our growing tomato plants. We found that our great volunteers had been busy weeding, watering, and planting; their squash and herbs are up and doing well. We were fortunate to find the generator and pump running, so watering was easy. It was disappointing, though, to find that the bed of beets had been demolished by deer and the beans and carrots were coming under attack. Upon learning of the loss, our FoodCorps friend and coauthor Lianna was moved to reply, “Oh, deer”! I, for one, have decided to forgive the pun. This time.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PhAnNJfskoE/U67bAPtbjII/AAAAAAAAAvs/XWzd_GK3bXs/s1600/Oh+Deer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PhAnNJfskoE/U67bAPtbjII/AAAAAAAAAvs/XWzd_GK3bXs/s1600/Oh+Deer.jpg" height="310" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note the hoof prints</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.15; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’re still awaiting news of a hoped-for decision to provide full-time electric power to the pump that services the SEEDS Educational Garden, the Community Garden, and our smaller effort at the Historic Barns Park. If and when that’s accomplished, we’ll contemplate installing some drip irrigation lines. And we hope before long the remainder of the surrounding fence will be improved to exclude Bambi and family.</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-48125725343290942752014-06-20T16:36:00.002-04:002014-06-20T16:36:49.331-04:00New School Garden at Betsie Valley Elementary<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.1500000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">by Lianna Bowman, FoodCorps</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite the on-and-off drizzle and the last-week-of-school jitters, last Wednesday (6/11/14), Mr. Luebke’s 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">rd</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> grade class and I headed outdoors at Betsie Valley Elementary to get to work on their brand new school garden. We had delivered three raised beds and a load of compost a couple days before, and after much discussing over the “where” and the “how,” it was finally time to put the 3</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 9px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">rd</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> graders to work! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">We split into two groups. The “woods” group went to gather more top soil from the surrounding forest, and the “weeds” group pulled up weeds from the ground where we would place the beds. You could see the students getting totally absorbed in their tasks, dirt and weeds flying back and forth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">One student had so much fun pulling up sod that he wanted to take a sod chunk back to class with him! (Don’t worry custodial staff, he was finally persuaded to leave the sod outside).</span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But alas, time flies when you’re having fun. After 45 minutes outside, we had barely filled just one of the beds! So it became a multi-day project for the 3</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 9px; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">rd</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> graders, and on their last day of school, they planted five tomato plants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.1500000000000001; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mr. Luebke and I planted a cover crop of peas and oats in the remainder of the new bed space, and he is organizing families to be in charge of watering for a week at a time over the summer. Here’s hoping we get a beautiful crop of tomatoes for students in the fall!</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-26648873471569835332014-06-18T10:57:00.000-04:002014-06-18T10:57:21.064-04:00Leelanau Community Garden Update<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Just a reminder:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> there will be a work bee at the Leelanau Community Garden (on Horn Road, 1/2mile north of M-204 between the villages of Suttons Bay and Lake Leelanau). Kathy Lewis will be there tomorrow (Thursday 6/19/14) from 9 to 11 AM</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">. She has tomato plants to plant (and stake) and leftover seeds to plant. Beets, turnips, and carrots are coming up and will need thinning, mowing should be done, and as always...weeding!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The next work bee will be at the regularly scheduled time, Monday from 9 to 11 AM, on 6/23/14. I'm not sure I can be there, but Kathy will definitely appreciate your help!</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-28137813668025255232014-04-21T18:59:00.000-04:002014-04-21T18:59:11.380-04:00PEAS, PLEASE!Finally, it feels like spring! Yesterday I celebrated by getting some peas in the ground. Soil temperatures at 6-inch depths were 47 where the dark soil was exposed, and 43 where I hadn't cleared away all of last year's straw mulch. I planted where it was 47, which should allow slow but reliable germination. This year I'm planting Sienna and Dark Seeded Early Perfection shell peas, Snowbird snow peas, and Sugar Sprint snap peas. For some really early tasty tendrils for salads and as a cover crop in an area with poor soil, I'm including some field peas. Later, for a fall shell pea crop, I'll try Recruit, which is reported to have good mildew resistance but poor heat tolerance.<br />
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This evening, if the rain doesn't chase me in, I'll get some early radishes (Rover) and some rat-tailed ones for seed pods to add to salads.<br />
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Also, yesterday we uncovered and harvested the last of the dismal late carrot crop at the MG-SEEDS demonstration garden. These were planted as soon as we could get a place prepared for them, in 95-degree soil in mid-July. They were well covered and didn't show signs of having frozen, but they didn't have time to mature last fall and were small and tasteless. We're hoping for an earlier start on carrots this year--maybe tomorrow!<br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911533904935834227.post-84674112429574980582014-03-30T12:10:00.000-04:002014-03-30T12:10:36.753-04:00EXPERIMENT<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve never before tried starting either beets or spinach
indoors, but I figured only two things could happen: failure, from which I
could learn, or success, from which I could eat. Or something in-between. Transplanting beets would seem difficult, but
a few years ago I watched a good friend do so with almost 100% success. Her "secret" was making a planting hole the same depth and diameter as the root ball, then carefully holding the root ball together and sliding it down into the hole, and then watering immediately.</div>
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So this morning, I started Red Ace F1 and Detroit Dark Red
beets, and some Red Kitten F1 early flat-leaf spinach. Instead of my usual milled sphagnum, I
covered these with moist coir. Like the
sphagnum, coir is said to have antifungal properties, minimizing the chance of
damping-off problems.</div>
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The <i>Brassicas</i> I planted 10 days ago are doing fine. They’re
getting only bottom watering now, and I’ve begun thinning. Germination was above 90%, and there’s at
least one healthy (so far!) plant in each cell.</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0