Thank you to all who attended the orientation meeting on Saturday!! We're hoping to hash out a more solid weekly summer schedule starting in mid-to-late June. To see what weeks are already taken, take a look at the calendar (link on the sidebar to the right)
Here's an update about what's planted in each row/bed and how it's doing. For a diagram of the garden layout, see the sidebar to the right. There you can also find a chart of all plantings (with dates and notes) thus far.
Bed 1:
A: Cucumbers (4 in one row). Growing nicely but need trellises!
B: Parris Island Romaine Lettuce (planted in 2 rows). About 1 inch tall currently, but healthy.
Bed 2:
A: Carrots (danvers 126, in two rows). They've all sprouted for the most part and are battling the weeds.
B: Freckles Romaine Lettuce (in two rows). A bit sparse, but the ones that have sprouted are quite healthy. About half an inch tall.
Bed 3:
A: Carrots (two rows). Hardly any have sprouted. Odd, as they were planted only one day later than the ones in bed two and with the same level of compost and watering.
B: Cherry Tomatoes (alternating red and yellow) from Gr. River Farms. Planted sideways and doing well.
Bed 4:
A: Spinach (Bloomsdale Long Standing, two rows). Spinach is up and thriving, largely due to the generous dose of compost added while planting and the Reemay sheets to keep off direct hot sun.
B: Heirloom Red Onion Set (two rows). Growing beautifully
Bed 5:
A: Spinach (Bloomsdale Long Standing, two rows). This spinach was planted one day before bed 4 and without compost. The leaves are noticeably smaller and thinner, and the plants are more sparse.
B: Heirloom White Onion Set (two rows). Growing beautifully.
Bed 6:
A: Cherry tomatoes (alternating red and yellow, one row). Donated fr. Green River Farms. Planted sideways. Doing well
B: Green Revolution Bell Peppers (one row). Doing well. Loving the heat.
Excess cherry tomatoes and peppers were planted along the North side of Otto Wied's subsection of the garden.
Row P1: Purple Majesty potatoes. Planted a few days before the rest and growing like crazy, far faster than the other potatoes. More weeds by far in this row than the others as well. Planted in the trench of a small hill.
Row P2: Adirondack Red Potatoes. Planted to the right side of a mound-row of soil. About a foot apart. The plants are starting to pop up. Some are a few inches tall, some have just come up.
Row P3: Green Mountain Potatoes. Planted in the trench of a small hill. Results largely the same as p2.
Row P4: Mixed Potatoes. The remaining GM and AR potatoes. Results largely the same.
Row P5: Blue Lake Bush Beans. The crows ate the first round of beans, so we replanted and covered with Reemay to ensure a smooth germination. We'll see what happens.
Row P6: Four "Cucumber Volcanoes." Mounds of soil with large basins in the top. Two cucumber plants are planted on opposite "slopes" and water is poured in the basin to irrigate the plant.
BACK HALF: Buckwheat. Just starting to sprout.
Next year, the new compost system in the cafeteria will help fertilize our veggies. After looking over our experiences form this year, we plan to hone our selection of vegetables to better fit the soil and the needs of the cafeteria. We also hope to expand our project, possibly with another plot just for potatoes. Additionally, we are looking for funding for next spring--we need new plants and more garden tools, and we would like to purchase deer fencing to keep the critters off our veggies. A foundation has offered us a grant of $1000 if we can raise $500 or more.
Three varieties of potato salad!
