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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Hey again,
