Howdy,

Been a while, I know.  Life does that, but here we are, so lets get on with it.

I want to introduce you all to this website, a bit non-evergreen, but very informative all the same.

http://www.communitygarden.org/learn/resources/acga-video.php

What should you be planning right now, according to Seattle Tilth.

They say that things can be planted this time of year, and they are right, but not a whole lot for veggie gardeners.

Territorial Seed Company, Started by the Great Steve Solomon, now has videos to instruct how to start seeds and other things coming up in the season

http://www.territorialseed.com/blog

Things that you can sow outdoors in February, (After Presidents day) include:

Chervil (a tasty delicate herb that is great for salads and is a bit like parsley and Dill)

Fennel (The delicious vegetable/salad bulb, has many great uses from a crisp snack to a candy coated digestif)

Arugula (an amazing spicy leaf that is great in pesto, salads, sauces and stuffings, really versatile

Radishes (Many kinds are offered, but the best and quickest i’ve ever had are French Breakfast radishes available at Seed Savers Exchange)

Pea Family ( sow soon! )

There are many varieties to plant this time of year.

Snow peas, specifically Oregon Giant Peas, Cascadia Peas, and Oregon Sugar pod

Shelling Peas, such as Canoe Peas, Serge Peas, Olympia, and Early Sweet

Fava beans can be sown if you like the hassle.  They are a lot of work, but the flavor and nutrition are worth the many shells these beans have. Varieties include Negretta Bean, Statissa Bean, Aquadulce, and Green Windsor.

To plant most of these lovely seeds, plant in the top two to four inches of workable soil.  This way, they get the most amount of light and heat from the weak sun. Soak the beans and peas the night before you plant them. That way the germination has already started, but the vital root system doesn’t get damaged. You can use a cloche, but it would be better to use reflective objects to deter our dark bird friends in the trees nearby.

One last trick for all you new gardeners, one that gets overlooked every year up here.  Make sure the soil is not too moist.  You should be able to make a crumbly ball that will hold together in your hand, but easily falls apart when jostled.

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I stumbled on this very interesting project while searching for a class project.  I thought it might be inspirational to those of you who want to live in cities, or detest cities because of the lack of gardening space.

http://www.verticalfarm.com/designs.html

That first link shows many of the designs by other students and architects all over the world.  They can be blown up to larger sizes easily, and they are spectacular to look at.

This second link shows  many of the thoughts and resources poured into the process of building these structures.

http://www.verticalfarm.com/articles.html

While  many of us committed to sustainability might shudder at the idea of having a skyscraper dedicated to plants in the middle of the city, many positive aspects of this are good in the long term.  These places have unlimited possibilities in learning opportunities, homes, research and many other uses.

A truly awesome idea

Having locally accessible food, farmed by the people who eat it.  Having  a better impact on the environment due to no output of fertilizers and nutrients into  the groundwater.  Having the ability to grow year round.  And, no relocation of Humans into rural areas and places that are already stressed due to climate change, erosion, drought, etc…

Time will tell, but these buildings are awesome to think about.

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As many of you probably know, our most recent and significant  global disasters have happened in the last 100 years.  The industrial revolution is one, but Industrial Agriculture is by far one of the worst things humans have done to this planet.  And why?  Why would humans knowingly rape, pillage and plunder the earth that sustains us all?

Some say greed, others say misinformation, still others say  it is a detachment of ourselves from our environment. I think that all of these are true.  Even though they may be true, there is still one man responsible for this idea.  He had a great one, and he did save millions of lives, but look at what he and others with money created. Norman Borlaug.

If you know anything about food systems and how globalized food has affected all of us, look no further than your own town.  I guarantee you you’ll find bananas or McDonalds or KFC.  All of this because of large scale  high input mono cropping over vast areas of land, ‘discovered’ by this man.  He is hailed as the greatest man to ever live, but was he?

His idea was to feed everyone, to make sure no one went hungry.  He did an ok job for a while “Rice and wheat varieties developed using Dr. Borlaug’s research sparked what is now known as the Green Revolution. They allowed developing countries to increase crop yields fast enough to feed their growing populations and spared millions of acres of virgin land from being converted to grow crops. Among the dozens of awards and honors bestowed upon Dr. Borlaug during his lifetime were the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the National Medal of Science, and the Congressional Gold Medal “(http://iambiotech.org/2009/09/14/norman-borlaug-1914-2009/?gclid=CJHy2LOl_50CFRPyDAodNDMXqQ).  But look at where humanity is at now.

We are hinging on the edge of global catastrophe, only comparable to an asteroid strike.  We have giant monopolistic corporations who have patents on life, a breathtaking number of obese and malnourished people, and a rate of loss of biodiversity similar to the last great extinction.  Why?  I can’t help but think of this man, his ideas and the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations who funded that idea then capitalized on it, (http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1970/borlaug-bio.html).

I am not trying to demonize his achievements, but he is in no way the greatest man ever on earth.  The effects of his  and others decisions are what have given us this world today,  and look at it for yourself.  Why are you working in a community garden?

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Hey all, this is Colin.  I’l be putting this in the resources list on the lefthand side of the screen, but I wanted to highlight what a great resource for you all this is, especially right now when there is so much good seed out on the farm that needs to be rescued!

http://www.seedsavers.net/handbook

Check it out!

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Hey all,

I have been watching and updating my self on an organization called 350.org, and I have been amazed at what is happening and what is about to happen.  Tomorrow, Sat 24th of October, will be the largest environmental demonstration in the world.  Almost every country and city in the world is making an effort to demonstrate that they are aware and want to prevent climate change.  What does 350 stand for?  It is is to reduce the CO2 in the atmosphere to 350 ppm.  The nearest events to us are in Olympia on the Chehalis Western trail, a walk and bike ride form 10 am to noon.  In Seattle, over 350 people will be doing ‘Thriller” in Unison.  In other parts of the world like Nepal, people are lighting 350 lanterns to be seen from the night sky.

The possibilities are endless, the opportunities to make a difference are out there.  Go to Olympia tomorrow and spend 2 hours to make your self heard, along with the rest of the world.

Here is  a link or two.  Enjoy

Olympia

http://www.350.org/node/5263

The official Website.

http://www.350.org/mission

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Hey again,

For those of you who are out in the rain, I congratulate you.  For those of you inside staying warm, get outside!

Many first time gardeners and sometimes seasoned gardeners think that this time of year is a period of rest and relaxation for your gardens.  It is, but only if you don’t want to have a super crop next year.  Right now, through the end of October you have plenty of things you can do.

To start with, now is the time to plant cover crops.  These are plants that amend the soil with missing nutrients.  Try by planting species from the Legume family (Peas, vetch, beans, clover) to help affix nitrogen.  A key element in plants health and well being.  Some other items to sow along with these are Winter Wheat, Spelt, Barley, and Cereal Rye.  These grains help support the Legume family and also help affix nitrogen.

You like salad?  You couldn’t ask for a better weather.  Planting Arugula, Corn Salad, Mizuna, and other heirloom lettuce varieties now would be an excellent idea for a mid-winter snack in the future.  Make sure to keep them covered though, they don’t do so well with frost and freezing temperatures

When starting on your plot, make sure to weed out any invasives such as morning glory, English ivy or scotch broom.  Any others that are unwanted may be removed to, but turning them over with the soil will just help build up organic matter in the plot.  A good thing.

Other items you can all start planting are members of the Alliaceae family. These include many varieties of Garlic, shallots and onions.  Plant now, so that you will have a good start for next year.

If you like Fava beans, now is your time.  If you plant them now, you will be able to have them for dinner around Easter.  Fava’s also do well here because of their ability to germinate in colder soils.  Watch out for birds, they just wait for you to turn your back.

Another and final thing.  Many of you have been told about all the Brassicas that are evil and taking over the garden.  True, they have taken over, but evil they are not.  If any of you want to build up the organic matter in your plot or amend the soil, these are great fixers for Calcium.  Take any of the plants that have grown wild, (remove that damn seed head) and till it in with your soil.

Enjoy.

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Thank you.

That’s for every single one of you who helped pull this thing together and make it happen.  It was great to see all your hard work turn into such a wonderful time for new and old comers. We really could not have done this without each and every single one of you.  Sappy, yes, truthful, yes.

This turned out to be one of the best Harvest Fests ever, and we are cool with that.  Check out all the pics, I hope we can get some more for everyone in the future.  Anyway, you look at the pics, I’m gonna sit back and watch my Rootbeer ferment and eat some tasty garlic.

Peace.

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It was really nice to see you all today.  We hope you enjoyed everything.  Here are some pictures, and the seed list is coming soon!

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Just writing you all to say that Wednesday at 4:30 pm we will be meeting in the Community Gardens to have an orientation for those of you who are not familiar with the whole place, and we are also going to get the chance to assign plot spaces!  It looks to be a great time for us to get to know you all.

See you all then.

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So, if you were free last night or tonight, then you may have gone to ArtWalk.  It was a pretty fun thing.  I and some friends roamed from place to place listening to all the music, tasting the wonderful food, and connecting with people.  Something that is a great asset to all you new students, the ability to connect with people in this city.  All the other students have done it already.

We started cleaning up Demeter’s Garden today to get ready for Harvest Fest next weekend.  Whoa, what a chore.  I don’t know if you guys have seen it lately, but the thing has been invaded by Morning Glory.  Your crew was there battling the vines and tasting the hidden gems in them all day.  We started at 10 am and finished mostly around 3 pm.  It was a blast uncovering all the things that haven’t been seen in a long time.  We found Raspberries, Turnips, Rhubarb, and Blueberries.  I am sure there was more there but we didn’t get that far.  Mostly it was just a get dirty grunt work day.       Always fun.  And thanks everyone, this place is gonna look great soon.  All thanks to your hard work.

Finally,  if you haven’t been down to the Organic farm or the Community Gardens yet, you are really missing out on a beautiful place.  Today the skies were a clear blue that only a fall day in the Northwest can have.  Anyway, that was all good, but what you really should get down here for is a chance to see some of the preserving going on this time of year.  There was a whole hothouse dedicated to curing Squash for the winter.  The kitchen has rows and rows of cut flowers, garlic, and other seed heads I can’t even remember the, name of.  You can also see how beans are dried and then stored for the winter too.

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