GREAT STRIDES!!

Although my blog presence has been lacking we are still working very hard on growing the garden. I am so excited at the beautiful fence fellow gardener Roy and Terry erected!! It is beyond anything I ever imagined and looks beautiful. THANK YOU gentleman! Roy has also been insturmental in arranging and managing the BGE/power progress. Cross your fingers for a working well in the spring.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Bounitful Harvest

Before the nasty buggers got my plants I was able to harvest some pumpkins and watermelon. The tomatoes are coming in by the basketful, and so delicious! Now that I have 10 less plants to water I have graduated to buckets with holes in the bottom for watering. They hold more water and the plants are already showing an improvement. The top picture of the watermelon is one that grew between the slats on the pallet and grew into the shape of an 8. It was ready the day I took this picture but had nothing to cut the slat with to get it out. Unfortunately I had missed my window of opportunity, when I returned the next day the watermelon had burst or been broken by someone or something. We were able to get one of these varieties that had orange flesh, it was delicious!

Sad News

 The heat, lack of nutrients in the soil, vine borers and squash bugs have claimed the lives of 3 Zucchini plants, 4 pumpkin plants, and one Watermelon plant :-( Although we were lucky to get a harvest from each plant before their demise, I am very upset about this garden defeat. I continue to remind myself this is a test plot and a learning process for next year.  This heat, lack of water and lack of soil nutrients made these plants vulnerable to the attack. I have learned a lot about farming and pesticides, the more stressed a plant is the more susceptible to bugs, therefore the more we use pesticides. Apparently the squash bugs and vine borers are a common malaise of cucurbita family in this area. Part of the planning for next years garden will involve their prevention and management. Any suggestions, tricks and advice is welcome.

Time Flies and Weeds Grow!

I can't believe it's already mid July! The garden is doing great, unfortunately so are the weeds around it. With the use of newspaper, paper bags and straw I have been able to keep weeds out of the garden. The surrounding area is another story. They weeds have shot up in the last few weeks from being a few inches tall to a few feet tall! The best way to combat these bothersome plants is to pull them by hand or cut them down. Before I can do that I need to have enough paper and straw to cover the cleared area. This will keep them from growing back and create some much needed raw material to roto-till back into the soil in the fall or spring. If anyone has paper, grass clippings, leaves or anything else to suppress weeds please drop it off at the farm. THANK YOU!!

Our First Meeting - July 2nd 9am

The Goshen Farm Community Garden - Get Dirty Eat Fresh - will have its first group meeting tomorrow July 2nd 9am behind the farmhouse at the garden. It will be an informational meeting to discuss plans, ideas and suggestions. Please bring a blanket or chair to sit on. Feel free to email me if you need directions. I can email a packet from the meeting to those who can't attend but are interested.

Watching a happy Bee at work on the sunflower.

Our first watermelon  to emerge

A baby pumpkin

The first tomato to turn red!

A delicious Zucchini from the garden ready for the grill.

Uno

We met our friend again today. The deer I met earlier in the spring decided to curl up and watch us tend to the garden today. My son noticed him and immediately wanted to see how close he could get. He managed to get within almost 6 feet of him before he slowly stood up and walked away. We noticed he only has one antler. There are many reasons for this including, injury, poor diet, or genetics. We have fondly named him Uno and look forward to seeing him again.

A Blessing in Disguise!

I might have grumbled and moaned a few times when it was time start the watering process...again...fill jugs, load up car, unload car, carry to garden, empty out...everyday for the last 3 weeks. We have had NO rain!! Not having the luxury of running water has been a blessing in disguise. I have learned that plants benefit from daily hand watering best. They are getting water right at the root of the plant where they need it most, not sharing with the weeds. It has forced me to become up close and personal with each plant everyday. To see them grow and produce food in a matter of 24 hours is amazing! I was able to notice that with my best efforts to keep them hydrated emptying a gallon of water on them in a few minutes wasn't enough. I needed them to get water over longer periods of time. All that kept coming to my mind were the large bags landscapers use to keep young trees hydrated. I scoured the internet but found nothing worth what they were charging. The answer was right in my kitchen...Ziploc bags! A few pin holes in the bottom, half a gallon of water in the bag and PRESTO self made irrigation system! It takes most of the bags almost an hour to empty. The water again goes straight to the roots of the plant and not the weeds over a long period of time.

...We have FINALLY had enough rain to fill the 3 rain barrels!! HOORRAAY!!

Paying it forward - THANK YOU

The Cape Saint Claire Garden Club has taken their good fortune and re-given it to a cause they believe in. The funds acquired at their annual plant sale were donated to the Goshen Farm Preservation Society along with almost 10 tomato plants! We are so grateful for their generosity and thoughtfulness. We hope to have many of their members join us in growing and educating ourselves at the garden. THANK YOU Garden Club! http://capegardenclub.wordpress.com/

Get Dirty! Get FIT!

I was elated to be reminded that all this hard work at the garden is not only good for the community, but good for my waist line. A recent article in SHAPE magazine stated "getting down to earth burns 162 calories per half hour, boosts bone density and may even make you smarter (a bacteria in soil simulates the release of a neurotransmitter involved in learning)" It has also been noted that those who spend time gardening are more energetic and optimistic than those who don't. So go ahead get dirty and get fit!

Oh how we GROW!

Everything is growing is so quickly! We are watering everyday and things are thriving. We installed a rain barrel system by the farmhouse, but have yet to get any rain to fill it with. We have managed to keep the weeds under control with paper and a thick layer of straw. Pepper plants and fencing were donated (THANK YOU Rob and Christie!)and we will continue to improve the stability of the fence.

Snap Peas

Our first tomatoes!!

Sunflowers

The new baby pepper plants.

Mystery Goo

The garden is SO happy to have all this rain this week! Everything is growing great...even the mystery goo. The goo was noticed a few days after planting the garden. It seems to be "growing" from the ends of some of the cut roots. My boys poked sticks at it and a nasty decomposing musty smell filled the air! YUCK! I have searched the internet as much as I could to find a clue of what this might be and how to get rid of it. It has now been 2 weeks since the sighting of the goo and after my visit today I've noticed it's changing. I seems to form a orange/yellow scab. If it is not harmful to the plants I will just let it run it course but if it prohibits the growth of things in the soil then I would like to know how to get rid of it and it's smell! Thanks for any input.

We have visitors

We have a had dry spell for a few days now and my little plants need water. I went up to the farm with my 15 jugs of water to quench their thirst. As I approached the garden I froze in my steps and meet gaze with a deer. He was in the far corner away from the garden but he was the first one I have seen. I quickly checked the plants and they remained untouched. PHEW! I guess that stinky liquid fence stuff really does work.

Thank You Brownie Troop 5339!

5/7: Brownie Troop 5339 came to the farm to learn history and help with the garden. These girls were very enthusiastic and excited to participate. They helped water the plants with jugs of water I had brought from home. They then tested their strength by pounding metal fence posts into the ground around the garden. We then planted some tomato plants and pulled up some of the large roots that are left in the ground. We only had a small amount of fencing to work with and they helped me secure it to the posts. As they pulled up roots we began using them as a pickets for fencing around the test plot.

I was encouraged by the enthusiasm and willingness to help of these young girls. I was up at the farm on Sunday and one of the Brownies was so proud of what she had been a part of she brought her family to come see. It is things like this that keep me excited and motivated to grow this garden to it's fullest potential. Pictures to come soon.

The plants are in the ground!

5/5: The soil at the new test plot area is easy to work with aside from the large numerous roots that remain. Pulling the roots is difficult but satisfying. There are an overwhelming amount to deal with but will be pulled out little bits at a time. My sister and and mom were visiting and helped me plant the seedlings. We put each in the ground with a  good amount of compost and fertilizer. The plants were  then covered the with straw. We put some of the roots in the ground around the small plants to protect them from being stepped on. We used longer roots to make structures for the peas and beans to climb up. Before we left I applied liquid fence to protect the plants from being eaten by animals.