At this point I am only able to keep up with mowing and watering at the garden. I'll be there from 9:00 to 9:30 every morning this week except Monday morning. On Monday I will be there from 10:00 to 10:30.
I'll also be there on Wednesday and Thursday, August 8 and 9 from 6:15 to 8:15 to mow.
The garden is desperate for a good weeding so please do come out if you can and spend some time weeding. If you can't come during the times that I am scheduled to be there, please come on your own and weed any bed in which you recognize what is growing. The garden really needs it.
Thank you!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Volunteer Days July 28 to August 4
I will be at the beach for this upcoming week, but please don't let that keep you from enjoying the farm. The green beans and tomatoes in A2 will be ready for harvest again by August 30. There are okra, tomatoes and banana peppers in B5, chard and celery in A1, basil and stevia in C5, sorrel in D2, sweet potato greens in D4 and D5, and flowers all over the garden. When you do come out to pick, please take a moment to weed any of the beds that you pick from - even 15 minutes will make a big difference.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Volunteer Days July 23 to July 29, 2012
During the last two weeks, the farm hosted a summer camp and then I took a week off to recover. The children had a wonderful time working on projects like building a worm bin, adding a rainwater catchment system to the chicken coop, and building a chicken tractor at the farm. Each day, before the heat got to us, we harvested a little something from the garden and then headed back to the kitchen on the main campus to turn it into herbed butter, pumpkin pie, salsa, pesto, and pizza. After lunch, the kids hung out with Science Jim doing physics challenges and experiments.
As of this week, the chicken tractor needs a latch and a few more diagonals added to some corners. It should be ready to try out by the end of the day on Monday, none too soon because it's time to start prepping beds for fall planting already. It will be nice to have the chickens helping out.
This week's schedule will be:
Monday, July 23, 9:30 to 11:30: We'll finish the chicken tractor and put the chickens to work. We'll also stir and spray fermented equisetum and milk and honey.
Wednesday, July 25, 9:30 to 11:30: We'll start prepping beds for fall leaf crops and weed the leaf crops that are still growing during the summer.
Wednesday, July 25, 5:00 to 8:00 PM: We'll have another potluck and open grill. When we're not cooking and eating, we'll start prepping beds for fall root crops, weed the leeks, parsnips and sweet potatoes, and check on the ginger.
Thursday, July 26, 9:30 to 11:30: We'll spray fermented nettle and continue working on the root beds.
I will be out of town July 28 to August 4, but I will post what needs to be done both in the shed at the farm, and on the blog. Please come out and help out if you are able to.
Thank you and I hope to see you in the garden this week!
As of this week, the chicken tractor needs a latch and a few more diagonals added to some corners. It should be ready to try out by the end of the day on Monday, none too soon because it's time to start prepping beds for fall planting already. It will be nice to have the chickens helping out.
This week's schedule will be:
Monday, July 23, 9:30 to 11:30: We'll finish the chicken tractor and put the chickens to work. We'll also stir and spray fermented equisetum and milk and honey.
Wednesday, July 25, 9:30 to 11:30: We'll start prepping beds for fall leaf crops and weed the leaf crops that are still growing during the summer.
Wednesday, July 25, 5:00 to 8:00 PM: We'll have another potluck and open grill. When we're not cooking and eating, we'll start prepping beds for fall root crops, weed the leeks, parsnips and sweet potatoes, and check on the ginger.
Thursday, July 26, 9:30 to 11:30: We'll spray fermented nettle and continue working on the root beds.
I will be out of town July 28 to August 4, but I will post what needs to be done both in the shed at the farm, and on the blog. Please come out and help out if you are able to.
Thank you and I hope to see you in the garden this week!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Volunteer Days July 8 to 14, 2012
This week I've been showing up twice a day to water because of the heat. So far everything seems to be holding up very well. I've gotten a lot of food from the garden and have been able to keep up with the harvest myself, but the tomatoes are promising to start coming on strong in the next few days and the basil will follow close behind so please come out and get some! We don't want this good food to go to waste. We also have a lot of pumpkins that will be ripe in the next week or so. Don't be shy about picking one up.
Next week, I will be running summer camp at the farm in the mornings. I invite everyone to come join us in the mornings any time between 8:30 and 11:00 Monday through Friday. I could really use help with weeding, mulching and harvesting!
If your child is looking for something to do next week, consider signing them up for Farm, Food and Fun with Physics camp. We'll be meeting at the farm in the mornings, taking care of the chickens, doing various farm projects and chores and harvesting. Once the heat gets to be too much, we'll head over to the school kitchen where we'll turn our harvest into a yummy snack and/or addition to lunch. After lunch we'll hang out with Science Jim as he leads us through fun and exciting physics challenges and experiments. Each day will have a different theme that will apply to both the farm and physics halves of the day. Those themes are Earth, Water, Air, Light and Heat/Fire. Your child is likely to get wet, eat yummy healthy food, play with fire (in a safe way), and figure out some more pieces in the puzzle of how the world works. If you are interested in signing your child up for camp, please contact Shannon O' Connor at sheadoc@earthlink.net.
Hope to see you at the farm next week, one way or another!
Next week, I will be running summer camp at the farm in the mornings. I invite everyone to come join us in the mornings any time between 8:30 and 11:00 Monday through Friday. I could really use help with weeding, mulching and harvesting!
If your child is looking for something to do next week, consider signing them up for Farm, Food and Fun with Physics camp. We'll be meeting at the farm in the mornings, taking care of the chickens, doing various farm projects and chores and harvesting. Once the heat gets to be too much, we'll head over to the school kitchen where we'll turn our harvest into a yummy snack and/or addition to lunch. After lunch we'll hang out with Science Jim as he leads us through fun and exciting physics challenges and experiments. Each day will have a different theme that will apply to both the farm and physics halves of the day. Those themes are Earth, Water, Air, Light and Heat/Fire. Your child is likely to get wet, eat yummy healthy food, play with fire (in a safe way), and figure out some more pieces in the puzzle of how the world works. If you are interested in signing your child up for camp, please contact Shannon O' Connor at sheadoc@earthlink.net.
Hope to see you at the farm next week, one way or another!
Friday, June 29, 2012
Volunteer work days, July 1 to 7, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 8:30 to 11:00: Sir and spray the milk and honey prep. This particular prep encourages increases in our beneficial insect population. Plant more green beans, and weed, feed and mulch the strawberries.
Thursday, July 5, 5:00 to 8:00: We'll hill the ginger, harvest potatoes, and weed and mulch any root beds that need it. There will also be a grill available, and a vegetable from the garden will be served. Last Thursday we had fresh, sun warmed tomatoes and green beans sauteed in ghee.
Friday, July 6, 5:00 to 8:00: Stir and spray fermented nettle prep, weed, feed and mulch the flower beds. The grill and fresh veggies from the garden will be available this evening as well.
Saturday, July 7, 5:00 to 6:30 in the morning: Stir and spray the silica prep. The silica prep helps plants make the best use of sunlight and has been shown to increase flavor and sweetness. Because of its relationship to sunlight, it is best applied just at sunrise, thus the super early start time.
Thursday, July 5, 5:00 to 8:00: We'll hill the ginger, harvest potatoes, and weed and mulch any root beds that need it. There will also be a grill available, and a vegetable from the garden will be served. Last Thursday we had fresh, sun warmed tomatoes and green beans sauteed in ghee.
Friday, July 6, 5:00 to 8:00: Stir and spray fermented nettle prep, weed, feed and mulch the flower beds. The grill and fresh veggies from the garden will be available this evening as well.
Saturday, July 7, 5:00 to 6:30 in the morning: Stir and spray the silica prep. The silica prep helps plants make the best use of sunlight and has been shown to increase flavor and sweetness. Because of its relationship to sunlight, it is best applied just at sunrise, thus the super early start time.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Volunteer Days, June 20 to June 27, 2012
The summer schedule is likely to change from week to week as I adjust for vacations, summer camps and the like. Below is the schedule up through June 29. A number of excellent regular volunteers have agreed to come in for two hour time slots while I am away on vacation. Please come and support them if you are able. The garden is in great need of weeding, but there is also plenty to harvest!
Below is the schedule. In addition to the work mentioned below, there will be time to harvest chard, celery, dill, basil, spring collards, arugula, cilantro, carrots, squash, tomatoes, and green beans.
Wednesday, June 20 from 9 to 11: Weed B3. Thin sunflowers. Add mulch. Deadhead all flowers in the bed. Penny will be your guide.
Thursday, June 21 from 10 to 12: Finish anything that didn't get done in B3 the day before. Weed C1. Add mulch. Deadhead all flowers in the bed. Kristen will be your guide.
Friday, June 22 from 3 to 5: Weed celery and swiss chard in A1, plant big empty spaces with cover crop and water well. Put thick layer of leaf mulch around chard and celery. Therisa will be your guide.
Saturday, June 23 from 10 to 12: Weed B5. Thin and transplant okra. Feed entire bed with a thick layer of sifted compost and a scoop of feather meal. Cover with leaf mulch. Attach vine plants to trellis with twine or twist ties where possible. Kristen will be your guide.
Monday, June 25 from 9 to 11: Finish anything that didn't get done in B5 on Saturday. Weed A2. Feed entire bed with a thick layer of sifted compost and a scoop of feather meal. Cover with leaf mulch. Snip suckers from tomato vines and continue training up strings. Pat will be your guide.
Tuesday, June 26 from 9 to 11: Harvest garlic in B1 and lay out in greenhouse to cure. Check ginger in pots near shiitake logs. If base of ginger plant is bright pink, add 4" of sifted compost to that pot. Give B1 a quick weed, plant cover crop over entire bed and water well. Weed D4 and cover bed with leaf mulch. Nice will be your guide.
Wednesday, June 27 from 9 to 11: Finish anything that didn't get done the day before. Weed D6. Thin leeks and transplant so that plants are 4 to 6 inches apart in their rows. Water well. Add a layer of leaf mulch.
Thursday, June 28 from 5 to 8: This will be our first attempt at summer potlucks. Bring an easy dish to share. I'll have a small fire going for grilling and plans for something fresh to eat from the garden. As to work, we'll finish anything that didn't get done the day before. Weed D1. Plant cover crop in big empty section and water well. Add a thick layer of sifted compost and another layer of mulch around potatoes.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Volunteer Work Days June 10 to 16, 2012
There will only be one work day this week, Thursday, June 14 from 8:30 to noon. We will weed, weed and weed some more.
The chicken coop is finished and chickens will be arriving tomorrow late morning. Come check them out!
Stay tuned for the summer work schedule which will start next week. Yes, we will be gardening throughout the summer! Meanwhile have a great start to your summer break.
The chicken coop is finished and chickens will be arriving tomorrow late morning. Come check them out!
Stay tuned for the summer work schedule which will start next week. Yes, we will be gardening throughout the summer! Meanwhile have a great start to your summer break.
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