End of the year

Sadly, it's the end of the gardening season. Thank you to everyone who made this one of our best seasons so far.
Cleaning up the garden is a multi-step process - we need to make sure everything is clear so Owen Neville can get it plowed and we can get some winter rye planted to help the soil for next year.
Steps:
Take up all non-organic material - weed block, tomato cages, trellises, metal staples, plant markers, etc.
Pull up everything you planted. For the softer stuff, just pull it up and leave it in place. For tougher stuff such as sunflowers and corn plants, those need to be uprooted and dumped in the compost pile by the trail.
Walk through your plot and make sure any rocks you gathered for any reason and other debris is removed - rocks go into the woods along the verge, please.
We're supposed to be out by Halloween, but I think if we get it done by end of day Saturday, we should be fine.
Anything left behind will be absorbed into the mishmash of garden stuff and may or may not reappear next year.
I'll be around this weekend to help those who need it.

Thanks again - it's been a ton of fun.

Jesse and Michelle.

Finally got back to the garden after a vacation. Have to say thanks to everyone - the plots look beautiful. Everything is lush, green and lovely.
Thanks for everything.
We cannot believe it's already September, but time does fly, doesn't it. For anyone interested, Sept. 7 is the annual Boxborough Harvest Fair. It's a great chance to get the garden some visibility and to earn some bragging rights, as well.
 We plan on entering the mammoth sunflower growing at the entrance of our plot. Walking around today, I saw great green beans, some nice tomato plants, squash and a few others. All worth giving it a shot.
The photo on the right is a long-range shot of the sunflower in question. That little person is our daughter Abby.
Thanks to Manisse for the other two photos - on the left is an okra flower. At right are morning glories.
So, please, crow a bit about the summer. The fair is fun  and there is pleasure in having all the hard work recognized.
Again, thanks for your efforts keeping the garden neat and clean. Hope to see you Saturday.

A final note: The garden closes for the winter on Oct. 31 and we'll be having a work day to pull down the fence, clean up the rocks/etc. Please keep your eyes open for an announcement of when that work day will be - we really need the help. Thanks .

And the heat wave breaks!

Old Farmer's Almanac Ripeness Guide available online

Jesse found this Web site, Old Farmer's Almanac Ripeness Guide (clickable link), and I thought it was very useful and we should share. It's a long list of veggies and fruits, with clues so you can tell when they're ready to pick -- or even ready to buy. Very informative.

It looked so small and innocent!

So, we have this monstrous watermelon plant in our plot -- an unplanned endeavor! When we started our cucumber plants, we bought a flat of seedlings.

And lo and behold, one of the plants was not trailing gently along the ground, and started getting monstrous 18-inch wide leaves. We didn't know what it was, but it was clear it definitely was not a cucumber plant. Right now this plant has a rather large watermelon under it; only, we don't really know how large it's supposed to get. Hence, the guide.

It's growing more fruit, too -- can't wait to see what happens!

Please keep after the bugs ... I am dreaming about these beetles

Show no mercy -- they have none!

Don't forget to keep checking any cucurbits for our nasty friends, the cucumber beetles. If left alone, they will spread between neighbors, and they can kill your plants.

Neem oil and soap sprays are very helpful, but can also deter the good bugs. The most effective method of battle is to squish all the beetles you can find, and check all the undersides of your leaves for eggs, and squish those.

I am not a fan of squishing -- I am always afraid I haven't squished enough -- so I carry a little plastic salad dressing-size container in my garden basket, filled with soapy water (about 1/3 dish soap). I scoop up all the beetles and eggs, and put them in there, throw the lid back on, and take it home for the trash. (Never, ever just dispose of eggs in the compost or in the meadow -- they will just return.)

One of the many varieties of stink bug
(sometimes called "squash bug").
The eggs of all of these beetles look
like this -- they can be yellow
or golden brown.

Another benefit of the soapy water is that they kill stink bugs in less than 10 seconds -- and they don't make that awful stink.

Stink bugs are harmful, too, and should be squished.

Vacation time

If you're away on vacation, it's good to have someone come look after your plot, if you can. If you can't find someone, please ask Jesse and I and we'll try to look after things for you, to make sure your plants make it through your absence.

July is finally here!

Bugs

Yellow and black squash bugs have appeared. The best solution: Crushing them or spraying with NEEM oil. They will skeletonize a healthy plant in a few short days. You know they are there because the plant - usually squash or cucumbers, looks stressed. A tip - look under the leaves for small clusters of eggs. Scrape them off and drop them into a small bottle of water and dish soap. It's got to be a communal effort to keep them from running the show.

Another friend has arrived: Cabbage worms. If your cabbage or broccoli looks like the photo, you have the worms. They are tough to see. When they are brand new, they are tiny and under the leaf. When they grow up, they are the same color as the plant, and tough to see. Squashing them is tedious and time-consuming but effective.

 I've heard putting fresh basil on the plants chases them off, but I haven't tried it. They can wreck a healthy garden, so eliminate them.

Corn

We've set up the corn plot all the way down the row on the right. It's covered in black weedblock with four rows of holes cut. We have room for a few more rows. If anyone wants a row of corn, holler and we'll set it up for you.

Housekeeping 

Weeds

Someone, perhaps more than someone, is dropping weeds into the corner by the wagon. Please take the weeds to the pile just to the left of the trail out to the parking lot. We're someday going to make a real compost site there, so it's a good place to drop the waste. 

Mowing

I don't know why the meadow is so high. I suspect it's because there is a desire to leave nesting meadow birds, such as bobolink, alone until the babies fledge. I've chopped back some of the stuff around the gate, but not much. Once we have a better answer, I'll pass along reason Flerra has been allowed to go shaggy this summer.

Perennials 

Reminder that perennials [strawberries, some herbs, asparagus, etc.] aren't allowed. If you have them, they may cause us unwanted headaches. 

Recipes, please 

Harvesting has begun. We're getting peas from the home garden, yards of lettuce and now some summer squash from Flerra. This is peas and squash sauteed with cilantro and garlic. If you have a favorite veggie recipe, feel free to share. 

Checking in

It's been a very wet June. With two weeks left, it's in the top five for wettest months. Please hang in there - better times will come.

The manure pile has been taken down and scattered down the path on the right. This weekend, we'll get in and cover that spot up with ground cover and plant corn.
If you want a row of corn for your very own, let us know. Corn pollinates best when it's fairly close together, so for the past few years, we've had the single, communal plot. If you want a row, it's yours to water and harvest.

The pump is working. It's a slog, but it works. Thanks to the DPW folks for getting that in order.

A note about neatness. Please make sure the tools and the wagon are returned to the spot next to the gate when you are done. Pull the plastic liner out of the wagon and set it upside down on the ground - it helps prevent mosquitoes. Watering cans should be on the stakes set up for them - it keeps them organized and they don't blow away. The water jugs in the wooden box should be refilled when you're done with them and kept in the wooden box. Weeds get tossed into the compost pile to the left of the path on the way out.  Thanks so much for your help on this.

Rainy this weekend ... and manure pile update!

So, not the greatest weather forecast for this weekend, but the weather has been glorious for plants for the past week or so. All that sun and rain has meant a growth spurt for all those seeds and baby plants. It might not be super-enjoyable to be at the garden for most of the weekend but wet soil does present some opportunities.

National Weather Service forecast for 6-7 through 6-9

1. Wet soil makes it a ton easier to pull weeds. Those tiny weeds that tend to entwine roots with your plants will be much easier to pull out in the moist soil. It's much less likely to disturb the "good" plants this way. 
2. If you wait until after the rain, it's a good time to apply things like neem oil and other organic pest repellents. The rain washes off the bugs and the pests, but can promote fungus. So after the rain is a great time to apply organic solutions because you're working with the weather. 

One thing we're planning to do this weekend is to try to take the manure pile down and spread it around the unused areas in the garden. We might focus on the last 20 feet on the right side, which is the likely spot for an opt-in corn plot later this summer. Please let us know if you'd like us to leave you a little -- but we do need the pile to come down.

A couple of quick notes

Maybe, just maybe, the weather will behave and people can start getting their planting done. It's tough when the ground is stirred into liquid mud.

The pump continues to be an issue. The DPW folks are aware and will get to taking a look soon. I think it's a gasket problem, but for right now, it won't hold consistent suction.
As an alternative, please haul water from home - we use a couple of 5 gallon Coleman camping cans and some one gallon plastic jugs. You can trek to the pond but remember, Boxborough has a ton of poison ivy, which grows in that tall grass quite nicely. It's not fun.
Also, during one trek the other day, I found a couple of spots where deer have bedded down. Deer mean ticks and ticks, like poison ivy, could appear on the town seal.

The town was over recently and mowed the area around the garden. Please keep an eye on the soft soil around you plot. If you see deer tracks, let us know.

The manure pile has been in place for almost a month and needs to be scattered soon. It's kind of ugly and part of our agreement is to move it out ASAP. We will choose a spot and scatter it there for the community corn plot. I'm aiming for Sunday or some evening next week.

Weeds: As you pull weeds, please don't toss them over the fence. There is a pile to the left of the path as you are leaving. Dump them there. Eventually, we are going to put up a compost bin, but it hasn't happened yet.

Rocks: Again, if you're moving stones from your plot, make sure they make it into the woods. Hate to lose a mower blade because we didn't make the extra five feet. Thanks

Ok, I guess it's more than a few things...

Planning your space -- a helpful, FREE online garden planner

I went to check on the Mother Earth News garden planner tool and found out it is no longer free!

Luckily, I found an almost identical FREE one at Gardeners.com. This is helpful if you need to figure out how many plants you can fit in your plot.

Click here to go to the Gardeners.com online garden planner tool.

Again, if you have any questions, just ask!

Saturday

We made our big debut in the Beacon this week - the Q&A has already generated interest from two three gardeners - so slowly we'll fill up the plots.
The gate has been fixed with a couple of chains fixing it to the post. which should keep it in place.
The pump seems to have some issues - it's working but it seems to have an issue with the seal at the bottom. We'll have DPW check it out on Monday.
A couple of people have started their planting and we'd like to get everyone tilling and digging this week. Remember, we can't leave the manure pile forever, so if you want to use the compost, you need to get started .
When I got to the garden today, I did find a section of the fence had fallen. If you see that, try to fix it and let us know so we can make some more permanent repairs.

Weekly notes

I was at the garden today, planting beets and other stuff.
Some things are apparent. First, I have to get the door better secured to the fence. I'll work out a better solution this weekend and fix it for good.
There's a white bucket at the well head right now. I'm going to bring over the wooden box with gallon jugs. Please be sure these stay full of water for priming the pump. the bucket was empty today. It's probably still empty because I forgot to fill it, but there should always be water around the pump to prime it.
We have few tools that have survived the rigors of summer. Michelle and I have loaned a transplanting shovel and a hoe. We're on the lookout for others and we'll keep you posted.
There are still a lot of plot available, so if you know of anyone interested, encourage them to join up.

Happy Gardening.

It's a start

How many people can say a highlight of the weekend was the delivery of several hundred pounds of horse manure? We can. 

The Veley's delivered the manure Sunday.  It's become and annual tradition and such a boon to everyone who gardens at Flerra.

On Saturday and Sunday we set up the new deer fence,  laid down the center walk, built a new gate and roughed out plots.

Thank you to Dave for stopping by and helping us creating the trench for the fence. Many hands make light work and all that. 

We'll send an update when we're all good to go. In the meantime, there are still plots to be had, if anyone knows someone interested, have them get in touch.

Thanks

A sure sign of spring

If you drive past Flerra Field, you might notice a few things. 

First, the pump has been installed and appears to be ready for the season. 

The big rock has been rolled to one side, granting access to Tom Napoli's plow - and to our hoped-for manure delivery. 

And, most critical of all - the field has been plowed. The  work was done sometime on Monday. 

We'll send an email later this week, but we're planning on setting up the fence and measuring out the individual plots on Saturday. We'll nail down the time between now and then, but I'm going to say 10 a.m. 

The more people who come and help, the better off we'll be, so come on out and help us get this summer off to a tremendous start. 

Here are a couple of questions I got today from prospective gardeners. Thought the answers might be helpful!

I'm interested in the garden, but I'm a real first-timer. Can you provide guidance as I go? What's it like to get started?

You are a perfect candidate for our garden!


Jesse and I -- and other gardeners, too -- are happy to offer advice. I would also look into a basic book on organic vegetable gardening and rely on the Internet to Google basic questions, too. There are tons of community gardens with blogs -- and on the other end of the scale, there are many university and government agricultural bodies that offer advice on organic gardening.

In fact, if you find any good blogs or sites, please share them with me, so I can post them here.

On the right-hand column of the blog, there are some good reference sites to start with. One is a planner which helps you figure out how much space you need (Mother Earth News Garden Planner Tool).  Just looking through our blog and others (keeping in mind our region is cooler than most) will give you a good idea of what's ahead.

Gardening organically isn't a whole lot harder than being able to use modern chemicals, but it is more hands-on. Basically, when you find bugs, you have to spend time squishing them and using gentler deterrents and other methods -- but you get to have your veggies knowing there are no harmful chemicals on them.

As a beginner, you can have great success doing some planting seedlings and some seed-sowing. For some plants, like tomatoes, squashes, and peppers, I would definitely suggest starting this year by buying seedlings and planting those. I don't think it's warm enough to start right now -- stores like local farm stands and Idylwilde will have plenty of seedlings once the ground is ready!

There are a couple of things that are very easy (even preferable) to start from seed, such as green beans, peas and lettuce. Peas are a good very early crop. Beans need the soil to be warmer, so you would start them later; maybe in early June. Lettuce can be grown in cycles (continually cutting it back, adding little bits of seed every week) until it gets too hot.

Pumpkins are fine started by seed or baby plant, and are a good example of why it's good to plan. They are fun to grow, but take a long time and LOTS of space!

I would keep it simple, though -- not too many different kinds of plants -- and plant food you like to eat.

Baby sunflower coming up

And maybe some flowers. I like to plant lots of marigolds because they deter pests. Also there are sunflower seeds in the soil at the garden -- from past year's plants, worked back into the soil. If you can spot them as they come in, just don't pull them up (if you wish). Some will get as much as 12 feet tall.

You definitely want pay attention to our "frost date." After this date, USUALLY, it will not get cold enough at night to freeze your plants. The frost date for around here is about mid-May. This means it is  possible to plant in early May, but waiting for late May would be most prudent. We almost always risk it and plant something really early, because we can't want. (And this means we have had to RUN over to the garden to cover some of the plants with paper bags overnight.) There is also work to do beforehand, getting the ground planned and the soil ready.

On the first weekend in May, we will be putting in the garden fence and preparing the common areas and drawing the plots. This is  a community activity we need help with. While you're there, you'll be able to see what other folks are doing and get some ideas and pointers.

The deer fence - wicked important

Just wondering whether compost/soil is provided? If there are slugs or other annoying bugs/worms, is the individual's responsibility to treat them or the garden community will do it?

A local farm in Boxborough usually leaves us a huge mound of composted horse manure. This will be within the next couple of weeks. (And this hasn't been arranged yet, but we can pretty much count on it.) This is for everyone to use – and there is plenty of it!

As far as maintenance, your garden patch is your castle. It’s everyone’s responsibility to take care of their own pests (we’re volunteers!). It’s important that everyone takes care of their plot, too – things like bugs and mildews can spread, so they need to be take care of, for everyone’s sake. Keeping everyone aware of what’s going on around the garden in this respect is something Jesse and I will do, as managers. We have people connect their email to the blog (don’t worry, we won’t fill up your in-box) so they can receive updates about things we need to do as a community.

For community activity, we ask for help with setup, shutdown (in October) and sometimes some maintenance on the fence in-between, as well as keeping your plot, the tools and common areas in good order. We may also do a community corn patch, because corn grows better in big groups. This would be purely opt-in, and welcome any ideas! Everyone is responsible for their own row, but weeding isn’t so hard once the stalks get high.

We also ask everyone to take a look at the regulations and stick by them, and to come to us with any questions or problems. People do make innocent mistakes and shouldn't feel bad about it – Jesse and I are there to gently nudge when it’s needed.

Welcome spring 2013!

We're taking applications for 2013!

Just like last year, there are 10x10, 10x20 and 20x20 plots, from $20-$40. Last year's members have precedence -- request last year's plot, or ask for a new location.

The application form: http://www.town.boxborough.ma.us/boxborough/FlerraGardenApp.pdf

The regulations: http://www.town.boxborough.ma.us/boxborough/FlerraGardenRulesRegs.pdf

Please disregard the dates on the forms -- everything's the same from last year.

Please let us know if there are any questions!

- Michelle and Jesse
FlerraGarden@gmail.com