Friday, February 10, 2006
Four Things for This Community Gardening Season
Photo - Another of the TTCG arbors and pergolas built by John F. See 2.4.06 post for more information about him.
Beyond new seed varieties and plants, here are four things to try in my plot and in organizing the garden for the 2006 community gardening season.
1) Reach for the sky! Go massively vertical, More vertical gardening. Use more trellises, string and pipe devices to grow up this year. I have had success with cantaloupe and other heavy produce in the past. VG offers some real advantages. It maximizes the use of space,produce is "lifted" from contact with the ground, and the vining plants are more easily controlled.
2) Get the CG soil tested. The University of Minnesota does a basic test for $15.00. It makes sense to collect random soil samples from the 2 acres of garden and get them tested. Are we gardeners adding excessive fertilizer or not enough? Does the soil need amended organic matter? It's time to find out.
3) Get more gardeners to participate in the garden operation. Asking for volunteers, acknowledging those that do volunteer,and modeling the behavior has not worked. I wonder why? It's time to cave in and make it a condition of CG participation like most other large CGs. Any other ideas?
4) Use row covers more diligently. Past efforts and results have been haphazard. Run an experiment - one raised bed of the Brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli family with a cover and one without. Build a sturdy frame, anchor the cover well,and maintain it vigilantly. ¶ 8:01 PM
Photo - Another of the TTCG arbors and pergolas built by John F. See 2.4.06 post for more information about him.Beyond new seed varieties and plants, here are four things to try in my plot and in organizing the garden for the 2006 community gardening season.
1) Reach for the sky! Go massively vertical, More vertical gardening. Use more trellises, string and pipe devices to grow up this year. I have had success with cantaloupe and other heavy produce in the past. VG offers some real advantages. It maximizes the use of space,produce is "lifted" from contact with the ground, and the vining plants are more easily controlled.
2) Get the CG soil tested. The University of Minnesota does a basic test for $15.00. It makes sense to collect random soil samples from the 2 acres of garden and get them tested. Are we gardeners adding excessive fertilizer or not enough? Does the soil need amended organic matter? It's time to find out.
3) Get more gardeners to participate in the garden operation. Asking for volunteers, acknowledging those that do volunteer,and modeling the behavior has not worked. I wonder why? It's time to cave in and make it a condition of CG participation like most other large CGs. Any other ideas?
4) Use row covers more diligently. Past efforts and results have been haphazard. Run an experiment - one raised bed of the Brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli family with a cover and one without. Build a sturdy frame, anchor the cover well,and maintain it vigilantly. ¶ 8:01 PM
