Corn plot

Hi everybody. Sorry it's taken so long to get info about the corn plot out. Just been busy.
Anyway, Ethan and I tilled the plot and planted the [donated] corn.
There are 12 individual rows. So far, we've assigned 0 through six. I think Rachel asked for two, so she can have seven and eight. I think Zoe asked for one - we'll put her at nine. Joanne at 10, unless .
That leaves 11 and 12.
Any takers? Or, anyone have a different memory of how this is all put together? Pretty certain I have it right, but my grasp of taking notes on the Iphone is shakier than I thought.
Please note: We planted two seeds in each spot and it will need to be thinned out. Also, corn takes a lot of water.

Finally, deer. Yes, we know about the deer incursions. We're shoring up the fence as we go, but mechanical stoppers only get us so far. Coyote urine, pepper spray, even harsh language are all part of the arsenal.

Thanks to everyone for their efforts this summer. Things do look great.

Jesse and Michelle.

Happy July! Garden update -- please read.

The garden looks beautiful, although there have been bumps along the way, which is normal. From past blog entries, you can see that it's normal for us to be fighting bugs this time of year.

Please keep at it! Your efforts are very important. And nothing does the trick like good old fashioned squishing. Spraying with a neem oil solution is also effective, but temporary.

Remember that this is a community garden and an organic garden. Organic gardens take extra work as a matter of course -- but so does maintaining a community. Without a community -- one that respects boundaries and does its best to keep all members from harm -- there would be no Flerra Garden at all.

Squash bugs will actually kill your plants if left unaddressed. And they will kill your neighbors' plants, too -- they can't tell the difference. If you have a plant that is far gone, or which you know you can't save, you have to pull it up and take it home and dispose of it. If you've lost a plant, we're sorry about that. We'd like to hear about it, so we can keep track of things, but it can be unavoidable.

If there are any issues at the garden, good news or bad, we appreciate you sharing them with us. Our job is to mediate and keep the garden running the best we can. It is a priority to keep the garden a welcoming place for all levels of gardener. The culture has been great so far. Please don't entertain disputes with abutters or other gardeners. If there's a question about the rules or the garden culture, we are the source. 

We are volunteers who do the best we can, but like you, we have full lives and limits. We are delighted to help you because we enjoy the place to much -- but we depend on you to care for your plot and communicate.

So since you read this far and got through my whole message in, here's really cute video of a beagle bringing toys to a baby.

The pump

Oh, our old friend the pump.

It is broken again. If you can bring water to the garden, that's probably the easiest solution. Use the garden cart to haul it into the garden.

You can also bring watering cans down the pond to get the water from there -- this is how it was done in Year One of the garden.

We've alerted the Boxborough DPW, and they will be working on the well. When we learn what's up, we'll let you know!

If you haven't been over there this weekend, the garden looks beautiful!