The arrival of June

Great garden weather the past few days. The hot weather is drying out the ground quickly, so watering is important.
The pump does work, it just takes some fiddling.
If it hasn't been used for a while, pull the handle all the way up so the draw piston is all the way down the pipe. Fill the pipe with water. Using small slow strokes of the handle, work the water up the standpipe. If you hear it sucking air, it's not primed and you need to keep working at it.
There are two empty milk jugs near the pump. Please make sure they are always filled with water when you finish so the next person doesn't have to brave the ticks and poison ivy to get water from the pond.

Also, Michelle sent out info about the corn plot. Seeds are there, plant away.

Slugs, regs, nibbles, and snapshots

SLUGS
First pest of the season, SLUGS have been spotted in the garden. To see if you have them, check around the roots, stems and underside of the leaves of your plants. If you find em, squish em!

A good way to get rid of slugs is, amusingly, beer. Bury a small container -- like a tuna can, yoghurt cup, even a tin pie plate, so the lip is level with the ground, and fill with beer. The slugs can't resist the smell, and will slide right in.


REGS
Be sure to refer to your garden rules and regulations document if you have any question about any kind of structure you want to use, or even anything you want to leave at the garden.

The rules seem strict sometimes -- or even strange -- but they are the result of a lot of work done while initially establishing the garden, and many of them are intended to ensure that the garden blends in to the environment visually. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask us, we're very happy to answer any questions. 


NIBBLES
A recent pest report has indicated the we need to get out there and check the fence, to make sure it's not easy for critters to get in. I purchased a bunch of staples and will tend to that this weekend -- but please feel free to check the fence near your plot periodically. Use staples, or even stones, to make sure the bottom of the fence is in place. It's never going to be fool-proof -- we are in the middle of a large meadow -- but it does a decent job and keeps Mr. Ground Hog's visits to a minimum.

Another thing that will help is for the DPW to mow the grass a few feet back from the fence, which makes critters more reluctant to break in. We're working on that, too.


SNAPSHOTS
If you can take photos of any critter damage you have -- or even if you want to show off some gardening you're proud of -- please feel free to e-mail me photos for the blog!

The photo may be seen by other gardeners who may have experience with your mystery pest, and they could offer some good advice!

Organic veggie gardening can be a real challenge -- we're going to need each other, to keep aware of pests in the garden and share pointers about what works and what doesn't. So keep in touch!

New gardeners = new map!

A couple of new gardeners have joined us since the last map was put out -- so here's a new map. I will be sending out a new handout map (with names) to all the members.

Welcome!

Michelle

Flerra Community Garden Plot Map 05-20-11

The map should be clickable, if you want to view it larger in a new browser window.

Manure is here

Sunday morning, we had a load of four-year-old horse manure delivered to the garden. It's in what will become the communal corn plot on the right. According to the family that dropped it off, there's plenty more if we need it, so please go ahead and use it. If it runs out, we'll make arrangements to get more.
Do be careful - there are some vine roots and stuff mixed in which could be poison ivy/oak. If you see roots, please take care to toss them out of the garden using gloves or a shovel.

A note or two on the fence and the gate. Please check along the base of the plastic mesh fence bordering your plot to make sure it's secure. I tried to get everywhere, but a second set of  eyes doesn't hurt.
The gates are up. Let me know if there is a problem with them.

Saw some people are starting to get planting. Hoping the weather clears so we can all do the same.

JFloyd

About your car ... a gentle reminder.

A reminder from Town Hall: It's very important to be sensitive to how we use Flerra going forward -- and one issue that's important to our abutters and other Flerra users is parking.

Please park either in the spaces near the ball field, or alongside the road, parallel to the road, on the garden side of the road.
 
Please never park on the grass.

See the yellow triangles in the photo below.

Also, for the time being the boulder that usually blocks the entrance to the path through the woods to the garden is moved to one side. This is to allow access to the truck that will bring our manure, and to the workers who will fix our water pump.

Please note that no cars, under any circumstances, are allowed to drive on the grass or on this path. Our community garden wagon lives at the garden, and everyone has access to it to help them carry stuff back and forth. It is a nifty wagon, you'll love it.


This is a big concern for Town Hall, and I appreciate your patience and attention here. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! Thank you.

Garden is set up is complete, mostly.

Jesse, Ethan, Abby, Monica and I set up the garden fencing and plots today, and everything is complete and ready to go except for the gates on either end, which should be taken care of tomorrow.

Plots are marked off any labelled, and you're free to begin gardening. Next step is getting the manure in, and we'll let you know what we know, when we know it. It's certainly OK to start work now and enrich the soil later.

Flerra Community Garden Plot Plan 2011

Please refer to the e-mail sent out today to identify which plot is yours, or drop us an e-mail with any questions! (You can click on the image to make it larger.)

Burroughs Farm Produce List 2011

Here's a list of what's going to be available just down the street from the community garden, at Burroughs Farm Stand. It might help you make some planting decisions to know what's nearby!

	Produce List
	5/5/2011
	Burroughs Farm
	Boxborough, MA
	978-263-4346
	burroughsfarm@verizon.net
		Type	Variety			Type	Variety
		Arugula				Onion	Yellow
		Asparagus					Red
		Bean	Green				White
			Yellow			Pea	Shell
			Flat				Snap
		Beet					Snow
		Broccoli				Pepper	Green
		Brussel sprout					Red
		Cabbage					Yellow
		Carrot				Potato	Red
		Cauliflower					Yellow
		Chard					White
		Corn				Pumpkin	Jack-o'-lantern
		Cucumber	Regular				Pie
			Pickling				Hulless seed
			Seedless			Radish
		Garlic				Spinach
		Kale				Squash, Summer	Yellow
		Leek					Zucchini
		Lettuce	Greenleaf			Squash, Winter	Acorn
			Redleaf				Butternut
			Green oakleaf				Buttercup
			Romaine			Tat soi
			Boston			Tomato	Red
		Mesclun	Lettuce mix				Heirloom
			Spicy green mix				Plum
		Melon	Cantaloupe				Cherry
			Watermelon			Turnip	Hakurei