Raised Beds

[moser...@gmail.com]

Help! I'm a first time gardener at SMLC and I am trying to plan out
how many raised beds I need to make. Does anyone have advice for me
about the size/quantity I should make for a 20x20 plot? Thanks!

[Jennie Williams]

Raised beds are used to increase drainage and air spaces in the soil.
The general rule of thumb for raised beds is that you should be able to
reach across them. You don't want to have to step in them as that
compacts the soil. If they are too narrow, chances are you would have
to water more frequently. I find it nice to be able to reach across the
whole bed from one position. I think the beds in my garden are about
4'X6'. I've got 8 raised beds in one plot, I believe.
Hope this helps.

[Dick Dyer]

Hi Jamie,

I hope you will have fun with your garden. It is a great experience to see a seed turn into a plant.

In my experience 4 ft wide beds are a little wider than convenient. Maybe I have short arms, but 3-1/2 ft beds are much easier for me to manage. Keep in mind that the big deal with managing beds is to not walk on them. So everything is done by leaning or reaching over them. I find reaching across 4 ft to be almost impossible and having to work from both sides of the beds irritating. This is especially important if you plan to use "intensive planting" where spacing is minimized between plants in all directions. You can grow some nice stuff that way, but it will be almost impossible to use a hoe for weed management so hand pulling all weeds will be in your future. I go with 3 1/ ft wide beds and row planting, either across the bed or down the beds, with parallel rows that are spaced wide enough to get a hoe between the rows of plants. That way hand weeding is needed for between plant weeding only, and that's plenty for me. Plants in raised beds need
to be watered a little more often that plants at ground level; elevated beds dry faster. This can be compensated to some degree by working lots of organic material into your raised beds before you plant and by mulching with straw or other similar material after your plants are established. Watch out about mulching with hay. Hay by definition still has the seed heads of the cut grass in it, and it will add seeds that will sprout in your garden later on. These will be weeds that will have to be pulled. Straw, which is what is left after the grain heads are harvested, works much better for mulching. Another thing about raised beds is that once they are established you shouldn't have to redo them every year. Keep the ones you made and just use a spading fork or shovel to loosen/turn the soil, then rake them smooth when it is time to clean up in the fall and prep the bed in the spring. Top-dressing with a half inch or so of new compost before or after
turning the soil helps keep the organic matter in the soil at a higher level and that's good for root development, which is good for all garden plants. You will be surprised at the large number of worms you will see in the soil in your raised beds when you turn it. Finally, as time goes by be sure to use plant rotation to grow plants from different families in a given spot on consecutive years. I use a minimum of a 4 year rotation that goes something like tomatoes, garlic/onions, kale or other cole crop, cover crop including a legume, and then back to tomatoes. This helps with disease and pest management as well as nutrient balance in the soil. Don't make the paths between your beds too narrow or you will end up without enough space to maneuver between them. Have fun; vegetable gardening is a blast!

Dick Dyer
Gentleman of 60% Leisure

[Barry Wauldron]

Dick, thank you for the contribution of valuable knowledge in this matter!

On this topic, I am wondering if any other gardeners plan to use raised beds, and need to buy/build them. I am considering building some this summer, but am having trouble finding an affordable way to do it.  I do not think spending over $100 for a pre-made kit is reasonable, and am wondering if there is a better, cheaper way than buying new pressure-treated lumber and connective hardware, which can also get expensive.  Once we find a good method maybe we could combine on a bulk material purchase and save money.   Thoughts?

--
Barry Wauldron, Lecturer II
Department of Social Sciences
LEO Organizer
University of Michigan-Dearborn

[Dick Dyer]

Hi again,

The short answer is that I do not use a wooden frame around my raised beds.  I find it too costly for minimal gain, unless you plan to use an intensive planting format.  That would be like square foot gardening or the hexagonal array planting.  With those systems you will need to have a defined border.  As for me, I plant in rows on raised beds that are about 36" wide with no wooden boundary.  The edges of the mounds do tend to collapse a little bit, but when I cultivate for weed control I just scoot some dirt back up the side.  Between plantings I'll use a shovel in the paths to lift any additional dirt back onto the beds.  This does not look as tidy as the boxed in beds, and weeds do tend to creep in from the paths around the beds.  

If you do use a wooden frame and want to be organic, it's best to not use treated lumber because it has potentially toxic chemicals in the treatment.  A rot resistant wood like cedar works well, but can be expensive. If you can find someone replacing cedar siding that might be a source, but it would be nice to know what the wood has been painted or stained with.  Again, this is for avoiding potentially toxic chemicals.

 

Dick Dyer
Gentleman of 38% Leisure

---

From: Barry Wauldron <bwau...@wowway.com>
To: Dick Dyer <drdic...@yahoo.com>
Cc: "moser...@gmail.com" <moser...@gmail.com>; SMLC Garden Group <SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, April 3, 2009 9:25:33 AM
Subject: smlcGG Re: Raised Beds

[Community Organic Garden Committee]

I love my raised beds! For some reason it is so much easier to keep
the weeds under control. Especially since I built the wooden boxes.
(Although this is not necessary). I wonder if when weed seeds start
blowing around they just end up in my pathways outside the boxes
instead. I agree with Dick, for me 3 1/2' works best for me. I'm
only 5 feet tall so you know I don't have a long reach.

I used untreated 2x6's to create my 4 x 8' boxes. (These were built
before I realized 3 1/2' would work better for me). Yes, I know what
everyone is thinking, that wood will rot fast. Well, I built my first
boxes about 10 years ago and they are still holding up pretty good.
Nothing has rotted so bad that I need to replace it yet, which is
cool. The cost was only $12 per box. I just used 3 1/2" screws to
connect them. In time, the corners will start to pull apart as I
found out with some of my older boxes at home. So I'm going to keep
my eyes peeled for some inexpensive brackets to make them more
permanent. I thought about just using some metal sheeting cut to size
to wrap around the corners.

For those of you not sure how to layout your plots, take a walk around
and check out other gardeners plots. See what looks like something
that would work best for you. You can get some great ideas that way
too.

Peace,
Wendy

> University of Michigan-Dearborn- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Aruna]

I am thinking about building a squarefoot garden with raised beds too.
Not sure if I'll manage to accomplish it since it is still in the
inception stage right now :-) .... We will try to build them in time
this year if not it might have to wait for next year. Last year just
creating mounds worked pretty well too.....Almost all of our plants
produced well for first time gardeners..... It was just lot of work
weeding though ......
I was thinking about putting weed barrier fabric to reduce weeds this
year .... What do you think about that ??? Anybody done that
before ??? I am planning to check out Home and Garden in Ann Arbor
this weekend.... It did not seem too expensive at Home Depot when I
checked out........

[Randy Schneider]

I am gardener at the SMLC and have used only raised mounds and I found last year that the weeds and grasses grew up on the edges of my mounds.  I used hand shears to cut down the weeds periodically and found that the weeds root structure made a nice firm barrier upon which I could add more compost and soil.  Although this technique takes more time it is very inexpensive.  Also I was not sure how much the weeds were actually affecting the soil of the raised bed.  I did however have healthy plants growing along side those pesky weeds.

 

On a related note I have done some research into building raised beds for potential clients/gardeners who do not have space or time to build up a full size garden.  Since I am a builder by trade I estimated that the cost to build a 4’ by 10’ raised box with composted soil would cost around $70 in materials. The materials would consist of 2 x 6 western red cedar without a weed barrier and about 1 cubic yard of composted soil.  I agree with Mr. Dyer in that once the box is made you shouldn’t have to do much more than continue to amend the soil with compost and rotate your crops to encourage a balanced soil.

 

Best Regards,

 

Randy Schneider

Randall Scott Company LLC

www.RandallScottCo.com

(734) 274-1845 phone

(734) 527-6082 fax

 

-----Original Message-----
From: SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com [mailto:SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Barry Wauldron
Sent: Friday, April 03, 2009 9:26 AM
To: Dick Dyer
Cc: moser...@gmail.com; SMLC Garden Group
Subject: smlcGG Re: Raised Beds

 

Dick, thank you for the contribution of valuable knowledge in this matter!

[Dick Dyer]

I grow a lot of tomatoes, usually 50-60 plants, in raised beds and use barrier fabric as a weed control. It works quite well for the tomatoes. However, there is an opportunity cost. While the tomato plants are small you could easily grow some companion plants like radishes or lettuce around the beds before the tomato plants get too big. I am unwilling to puncture the barrier fabric to do this, so I lose the extra quickly harvestable companions. I guess you could put holes in the fabric for these, but that seems like an invitation for more weeds to grow there, too, later in the season. I've always had plenty of other space for lettuces and radishes and kale, so elect to keep the barrier intact. If you use a barrier fabric, my advice is to use a permeable fabric or screen-like material. There are plastic mulches available but when you use them you need to be sure to water the plants very well and be sure the water gets under the plastic, because
little to no rain will get through the plastic. I am trying a trickle hose under plastic mulch this year on one bed of tomatoes to see how that works.

Dick Dyer
Gentleman of 60% Leisure



----- Original Message ----
From: Aruna <arud...@gmail.com>
To: SMLC Garden Group <SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com>

Sent: Friday, April 3, 2009 12:03:56 PM
Subject: smlcGG Re: Raised Beds

[Wendy Pellerito]

Ahhh, tomatoes!  Can't wait to bite into my first one this year fresh from my garden.  Dick, growing 50-60 tomato plants makes you a farmer, not a gardener.  LOL
That's very cool!

Do you have any special techniques you like to use on your tomato plants that you would not mind sharing?

Wendy

--
SMLC Office Manager
8383 Vreeland Rd.
Superior Twp., MI  48198

734-484-6565

[Dick Dyer]

Hi Wendy,

I learned last week that the USDA dividing line between gardner and farmer is 2.5 acres under cultivation.  So even with the two acres i will be starting this year plus the beds on my deck and my project grow garden I am still in the gardner arena. I'm disappointed to not be able to add a new line to my resumee!

I don't think I have any secret tomato techniques.  I plant my own seeds usually starting mid March. I typically plant 2-6 cells of about 20 different heirloom varieties and try to avoid determinant varieties. Several different cherry tomatoes, lots of large paste tomatoes, good slicers.  Some of my favorites are Kellog's Breakfast (a multi-lobed orange tomato with fantastic flavor), Opalka (a paste tomato shaped like a giant hot pepper), Cour di Buoi (a variety from Italy), plus some old standards like Bloody Butcher, Roma, West Virginis Hill-Billy and others.  Varieties that work well for me tend to stay on the list but sometimes a variety that works well one year is kind of a bust the next, so I'm not sure if mine is productive selection.  

Early in the spring I loosen the soil in my planting beds with a spading fork, then rake it so that the edges of the bed are a little higher than the center.  I always imagine this will help water stay on top of the bed to sink in there rather than run off the side, but I wouldn't swear that it really helps other than psychologically.  I plant in beds that have not had tomatoes or other nightshades for at least three years.  I try to put about half an inch of compost on top of the planting bed after I rake it out.  I sometimes sprinkle in a little bone meal as well, since calcium deficiency alone or along with unexpected water shortage causes a disappointing malady called blossom-end rot.  Lately I have been using either a porous landscaping fabric on top of the beds or that red plastic mulch sheeting that is supposed to help the plants collect more of the right wavelength of light.  I am not sold on the benefits of the later, which makes watering the plant very difficult.  I am placing a drip-hose under one of those this year to see if that helps.  I plant two offset rows of tomatoes through the landscaping fabric.  If the sets have grown particularly tall, I plant them deep into the soil so that only one or two pairs of leaves are above ground; this promotes more and deeper root growth.  I use either those conical tomato cages or stakes for each plant. If they grow well, the plants will be close enough to each other that a sort of tomato hedge develops.  This can add stability if it is all tied together.  I use strips of old cotton sheets to tie the plants up; tieing-off is important to keep the growth moving upward.  It helps to organize where I plant according to maturity days so when harvesting starts it is not helter-skelter around the garden.  I usually don't get that right.  Tomatoes need water to grow robustly when they are growing their vines, so I water each plant thoroughly once a week.  Watering time is a good time to tie up new or wayward growth, pinch off suckers (the extra branch that develops between the main stem and a main branch), and hoe the edge of the bed to stop weed growth. Suckers might ultimately produce some tomatoes but they seem to take much longer to bloom.  With adequate soil and added compost I don't typically fertilize during the summer.  I think some people spray with fish emulsion and seaweed extracts but I will be trying that for the first time this year, so can't say if it really helps.  A nice thing about growing several specimens of many varieties is you an do the experiment of trying something on one but not another so see of the treatment was better than the control.  

I save shallow produce boxes to use at harvest time to keep from squashing the tomatoes at the bottom of a tall container. We eat a lot of tomatoes fresh in salads, broiled for breakfast, on veggie kabobs, sliced with fresh mozarella, etc, etc,.  Still, most of what I grow ends up getting canned, usually in some value added product like salsa, tomato sauce, 5x vegetable paste, V-7 juice (I can never remember what that 8th thing is supposed to be) as well as pints and quarts of canned tomatoes. I try to combine several varieties when I am canning to get the most flavorful outcome.  We are actually tinking of moving so I can have a separate kitchen for canning in the summer and beer making in the winter.  Sounds like a deal to me!

I hope this is helpful input.

 

Dick Dyer
Gentleman of 45% Leisure

---

From: Wendy Pellerito <w.pel...@gmail.com>
To: Dick Dyer <drdic...@yahoo.com>
Cc: Aruna <arud...@gmail.com>; SMLC Garden Group <SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2009 10:57:50 AM
Subject: Re: smlcGG Re: Raised Beds

[Wendy Pellerito]

Well, you might not get to call yourself a farmer,  but how about calling yourself the super gardener?  I can't wait until I get to that point where I'm putting up jars of such an array of stuff like you are.   Opening up a jar of v-7 juice, in the middle of winter I'm sure is a real treat.

I really appreciate you sharing your techniques and what works best for you.  Like someone had said to me once, "gardening is a perpetual experiment".  You got to appreciate that line.

Thanks for the bone meal tip.  I did have a little problem with blossom-end rot last year.

I took a walk around the Community Farm garden where you have your plot at and I saw that they allow the weed barrier fabric and plastic.    When the garden committee was writing the rules and guidelines for the Community Organic Garden here at the farm, they decided not to allow these materials.  Our gardens are not individually fenced in like yours, so the concern was what if it wasn't secured down well.  It could blow over to a neighbors plot and potentially smother their veggie plants.  Also, we were concerned that if that gardener abandoned their plot and left us with some old fabric that was in the stages of deteriorating, that we would end up with the task of removing it.  Same with the use of newspaper to keep weeds a bay.  We had an incidence of a gardener not returning the following year after she had laid paper throughout her whole plot.  Come spring time, we found the paper all over the place after the winter winds had it's fun with it.  It was a mess to clean up.  I can see where having individual gardens fenced in as a benefit for your community.

Also, I was always under the impression not start tomato and pepper seeds until Apr. 15th. (or at least 6-8 weeks before our last frost date).  I was surprised to hear you started yours a month earlier.  So I want to apologize to anyone who I told to wait until mid April and please give it a try in mid March next time to see how it works.  Remember...garden is a perpetual experiment.  :)

Wendy

[Dick Dyer]

Hi again everyone,

If landscaping fabric is out, straw usually works pretty well as a mulch.  Just be sure the soil warms before you put on the straw mulch.  Wind can move it around quite a bit but it is certainly not a barrier to rain penetration and can be tilled into the ground in the fall or spring.  Be sure to use straw, not hay.

 

Dick Dyer
Gentleman of 60% Leisure

---

From: Wendy Pellerito <w.pel...@gmail.com>
To: Dick Dyer <drdic...@yahoo.com>

Cc: SMLC Garden Group <SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, April 5, 2009 5:11:17 PM

[Richard Dyer]

On my tomato start dates, I put mine outdoors early, so long as the temp will stay above 35 or so.  That slows them down somewhat, but assures they are hardened off when planted.  My tomatoes are currently sprouted but have no permanent leaves yet. Peppers are just sprouting.  If you grow yours under lights, in a greenhouse or otherwise indoors I'd recommend a later start date as Wendy has previously said.

Dick

[jay schlegel]

Hello, fellow SMLC Community Organic Gardeners,

 

Here are some upcoming Garden events... we hope to see you out at the Garden soon!

 

 

This Saturday April 18, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, Community Garden workday

 

Join us to help get the gardening season started!  Among the tasks we'll look to handle are: finishing the information kiosk, checking the fences for winter damage, repairing the garden gates, turning the compost piles, spreading woodchips on walkways.  Help us put the 'community' in Community Organic Garden!

 

 

Saturday May 16, 2:00 - 6:00, Community Garden Orientation Get-together

 

What is 'organic'?  What does SMLC stand for?  Who is on the Garden Committee?  What is that big pile of rotting vegetation for?  Where is the kiosk?  All these questions, and many more, will be answered at our orientation get-together!  We'll give you a brief history of SMLC, go over our garden policies, cover some information to help you garden organically, and answer any questions that you may have.  And, there will be snacks!  Join us and get to know your fellow gardeners.

[Richard Dyer]

One thing I forgot to mention about tomatoes.  To be sure the plants get enough calcium, I often include a small amount of bone meal right in the hole I dig for the transplant.  The plant gets all the calcium and other bone minerals (magnesium etc) it can use that way and I end up using less bone meal than if I broadcast onto the surface of the mound.

My tomato seedlings are about 2 inches high now and I will be thinning the cells that have more than one plant to the best specimen tomorrow.

Happy gardening.

Dick

[Richard Dyer]

After thinning my tomatoes I have 68 plants from 21 varieties.  They are enjoying today's weather!  I also have 6 paks of 6 types of peppers and several types of onion stared.  Looks like salsa will be coming along later this summer!

Dick

[Jamie Michelle Moser]

Does anyone have a guesstimate about how many tomato plants can an 4x8
raised bed can accommodate?

[Dick Dyer]

If you plant them 15 inches apart, they will "fuse" into a tomato hedge. In that format an 8 foot bed would handle about 6 tomato plants in each of 2 rows, so I'd guess 12 max. If you don't plant them so close together, each plant will grow somewhat larger. No matter how close they are planted, you will need to provide support (stakes or baskets) for each plant. Hope that helps you plan your garden.

Dick Dyer
Garlic's My Game

----- Original Message ----
From: Jamie Michelle Moser <jmc...@umich.edu>
To: SMLC Garden Group <SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com>

[jay schlegel]

FYI: there is a frost advisory for tonight. So, if you have any
tender/summer veggies planted, you might want to cover them.

P.S. Garden Orientation this coming Saturday, May 16 -- details to follow.

[jay schlegel]

What:  SMLC COMMUNITY ORGANIC GARDEN ORIENTATION

 

When:  Saturday May 16, 2:00 pm -- rain or shine

 

Where:  SMLC Community Organic Garden (or inside the office, if raining)

 

Who:  YOU!

 

 

Please join us this Saturday for a brief introduction/orientation to the Community Organic Garden.  If you are new to our garden community, please come and find out what it's all about!  If you have questions, come find out the answers (or maybe more questions).  If you think you already know all you need to know about gardening -- please come out and tell the rest of us how it is done!  Even if you have gardened with us for a while, please join us so that everyone has a chance to meet everyone else, and maybe learn something new too.

 

 

Here is the current schedule:

• A Brief History of SMLC - 15 min -- "Find out if 'SMLC' stands for 'Surely Must Love Carrots'"
• Garden Committee Introduction - 15 min -- "Who are those mysterious folks with all the answers?"
• Garden Rules - 30 min -- "Find out what is a No-No, and why"
• Workday and Demonstration - 30 min -- "Behold the wonders of the stirrup hoe!", "Learn how to tame the monster-rototiller!"
• Snacks & Organic Gardening Overview - 30 min -- "What is 'organic' and why should I care?"

We hope that you can join us this Saturday!

 

 

ADDITIONAL REMINDERS:

 

If you have not filled out the 2009 Garden Registration Form yet, please do so ASAP and return it to Wendy.

 

You can always check out the Garden Rules, recent rainfall totals, upcoming garden events, and other useful information about the Community Organic Garden at: http://www.smlcland.org/garden.php.  There is also a photo gallery of pix from the garden from over the years.  You can also discover what SMLC is up to through the links on the left side of the webpage.

 

Also check out the Garden Kiosk (the big wooden signboard halfway between the office and the garden along the two-track path).  We will be posting useful information there throughout the gardening season.  Don't forget to check both sides!

 

Remember that your garden plot must be worked by Memorial Day (two weeks from tomorrow), so please plan accordingly.

 

And finally: If in doubt, ASK!

[jay schlegel]

Rain or shine, see you tomorrow!

[jay schlegel]

Hi,

 

A record low temp (33) was recorded for Ann Arbor last night, and another near-freezing temp is expected for tonight.  So, you might want to cover those summer veggies.

 

Also, for those of you who missed our fabulous Garden Orientation yesterday, please review the garden rules (http://www.smlcland.org/documents/2009%20SMLC%20Garden%20Rules%20and%20Guidelines.pdf) as well as the overview of organic gardening (http://www.smlcland.org/documents/2007%20SMLC%20Garden%20Orientation.pdf) from the garden page of the SMLC website.  And always remember: "If in doubt, ASK".

 

--Jay

[Jennie Williams]

A few words about compost…

 

Think of Bin #1 as the pantry…a place to store your kitchen scraps, weeds, leaves, grass clippings, etc…

 

Think of Bin #2 as lasagna baking in an oven…

 

Think of Bin #3 as dinner on your plate!

    +  + =    and

 

Bin #2 has been cleared out this weekend.  We laid cornstalks and large stems on the very bottom to facilitate air flow from the bottom up—then a layer from Bin #1 is added, then a layer of manure, then a layer from Bin #1, then manure, etc.  continuing in this manner until Bin #2 is full.

 

A note about Bin #1…There are pockets of dry leaves, manure, kitchen scraps, green weeds.  Rather than taking off this pile horizontally to add to Bin #2, go vertical.  For example, I started digging in the right side of Bin #1 started at the front—working towards the back.  This way the pile doesn’t just get flipped, it gets mixed.  When you hit a pocket of greens or browns, spread it evenly across Bin #2, so there aren’t specific pockets.  Then throw a layer of manure on top.

 

It would be great if Bin #2 could be layered and filled this week so it doesn’t dry out.  Try to keep the pile level rather than heap it up in the middle as piles tend to be created.  If everyone spends a few minutes on this task, it should get done soon and then in 2 weeks or so, we should have some good compost to add to our plots and our newly planted veggies!

 

As always—if you have questions, please ask!

 

 

 

 

[Jennie Williams]

This past weekend, I started turning the middle bin into the third bin.  If you are out at the garden this week, take a few minutes to move some of bin #2 into bin #3.  As soon as bin #2 is cleared out, we’ll start turning bin #1.

Also, I will take donations for Plant a Row for the Hungry campaign to Food Gatherers in the next few weeks.  If you have plenty o’ produce and would like to donate to our local food bank, let me know please.

For more information on food needs in Washtenaw county, please visit

 http://www.foodgatherers.org/hunger_facts.htm#local and http://www.foodgatherers.org/pdfs/PAR09.pdf

 

happy summer days!

Jennie

-------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

[jay schlegel]

 

What:  SMLC COMMUNITY ORGANIC GARDEN HARVEST POTLUCK AND GARDEN CLEAN-UP

 

When:  Saturday October 17, 3:00 pm -- rain or shine

 

Where:  SMLC Community Organic Garden -- yep, rain or shine!

 

Who:  YOU!

 

Please Bring:  Your own plate/utensils/drink, and a potluck dish to share

 

 

Please join us this Saturday as we put the garden to rest for another season.  The Garden Committee will provide some hotdogs/brats and buns, as well as a grill for firing up any of your own creations.  Just bring a dish to pass, something to drink, and your own plate/utensils.  First we'll tidy up around the garden, then we'll fire up the burn pile (weather permitting).  Then we'll each spend some time getting our garden plots ready for the winter, by removing all spent plants and maybe adding some compost for next season.  Lastly, during the potluck, we'll share our garden stories from this season, and maybe learn something new too.

 

Here is the current plan:

• Community clean-up - 3:00pm -- Help us put away the hoses, put away the tools/buckets, and empty the rainbarrels.  Many hands make for light work, right?
• Ignite the Burn Pile - 3:30pm -- Goodbye tomato blight, goodbye jerusalem artichoke, *whoosh!*
• Clean up your plot for the winter - 3:35pm -- Put your spent plants in the compost/burn pile.
• Potluck and Garden Successes/Challenges - 4:30pm -- Yes, there were successes -- come find out what they were!  Bring your own stories and questions!

We hope that you can join us this Saturday!

 

 

Remember that your garden plot must be cleaned up by Halloween (that's two weeks from this Saturday), so please plan accordingly.

 

--Jay

[ruth hart]

If you want to, bring saved seeds to exchange, too.

--- On Tue, 10/13/09, jay schlegel <jayhsc...@comcast.net> wrote:

> From: jay schlegel <jayhsc...@comcast.net>
> Subject: smlcGG Harvest Potluck and Garden Cleanup this Saturday Oct. 17 at 3:00 pm
> To: "SMLC Garden Group" <SMLCgar...@googlegroups.com>

[jay schlegel]

And so, with frost in the forecast, another gardening season draws to a close.  And you know what that means...

 

 

What:  SMLC COMMUNITY ORGANIC GARDEN ANNUAL HARVEST POTLUCK AND GARDEN CLEAN-UP

 

When:  Sunday October 10, 2:00 pm

 

Where:  SMLC Community Organic Garden 

 

Who:  YOU!

 

Please Bring:  Your own plate/utensils/drink, and a potluck dish to share

 

 

Please join us this Sunday as we put the garden to rest for another season.  Just bring a dish to pass, something to drink, and your own plate/utensils.  First we'll tidy up around the garden (e.g., put away the hoses, clean up the tools), and we'll fire up the burn pile (weather permitting).  Then we'll each spend some time getting our individual garden plots ready for the winter, by removing all spent plants and maybe adding some compost for next season.  Lastly, during the potluck, we'll share our garden stories from this season, and maybe learn something new too.

 

 

Here is the current plan:

 

• Community clean-up - 2:00pm -- Help us put away the hoses, put away the tools/buckets, and empty the rainbarrels.  Many hands make for light work, right?
• Ignite the Burn Pile - 2:30pm -- weather permitting. 
Clean up your plot for the winter - 2:45pm -- Put your spent plants in the compost pile, and woody/diseased stuff in the burn pile.  Now is a good time to remove those pesky weeds and/or add a layer of manure.
• Potluck and Garden Successes/Challenges - 4:00pm -- Yes, there were successes -- come find out what they were!  Bring your own stories and questions!

 

We hope that you can join us this Sunday!

 

 

Remember that your garden plot must be cleaned up by Halloween (that's four weeks from today), so please plan accordingly.

 

--Jay

[jay schlegel]

Hi All,

 

Reminder: Please clean up your plot for the winter by Halloween (Sunday October 31, that's just three weekends away).  

 

• Put your spent plants/veggies in the first/east compost bin. Add a couple scoops of manure to the bin when you do.
• Put thick woody stuff (sunflowers, corn stalks) in the burn pile. 
• Now is a good time to remove those pesky weeds and/or add a layer of manure or compost (from the third bin).  
• Let persistent weeds, such as thistle, dandelions, and creeping grasses, dry out completely before adding them to the compost pile. 
• Now is also a good time to plant a cover crop.  If you want to know more, ask one of the Garden Committee members.
• Do not put plastics in the compost bins.

Thanks.

 

--Jay