Wagner Farm Community Garden: Kale: A How To from The Peterson Garden Project

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Kale: A How To from The Peterson Garden Project

Kale is growing beautifully in our garden right now. It's a an easy to grow, healthy cruciferous green, with anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and cholesterol-lowering properties.

For a better understanding of when to harvest, how to cook, and best ways to preserve, check out the PGP's page on this powerhouse green. I was in the process of writing my own post on this topic when I found PGP's, and well, why recreate the wheel when PGP did it so well?

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The Peterson Garden Project is a a Chicago-based non-profit which builds community gardens in the style of 20th century victory gardens. Lead by inspiring LaManda Joy, the PGP has built 8 community gardens with 1,039 plots, 800 volunteers, and over 3,000 gardeners. It's an outstanding organization with tremendous resources.

One of those resources is WeCanGrowIt.org, a web page with posts about gardening, cooking with fresh produce, and their community garden program.

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What's This?

FieldWatch is a nonprofit organization that is intended to help pesticide applicators and specialty crop growers communicate more effectively. The site registers certified organic gardens and their beehives. This information is provided to crop dusting (pesticide) applicators to let them know the location of organic gardens. They use this information to plan their routes accordingly. Our sign alerts them to keep pesticides away! The Wagner Farm Community Garden and our Wagner beehives are registered as organic sites through FieldWatch.

Q&A

Q: Are cocoa shells allowed as mulch in the community garden?

A: YES! Cocoa shell mulch (also called cocoa bean mulch) is great for gardens. These shells have a sweet smell and look very neat in your garden bed. When cocoa beans are roasted, their shells separate. Roasting the beans sterilizes the shells. Therefore, the shells are weed free and organic. If you are interested in using them in your plot, ask for them at your favorite garden center.

Negatives-When cocoa mulch gets too wet and does not have time to dry between waterings or rainfalls, it can attract pests. Also, in hot, humid weather, the cocoa shells can develop a harmless mold. You can use a mixture of 25% water and 75% vinegar as a spray to get rid of the mold.

*CAUTION- Do not use cocoa bean mulch at home if you have dogs. This sweet mulch can be toxic to dogs if eaten.

Biggest Gardening Mistakes:

Biggest Gardening Mistakes:

1. Planting too soon-The weather forecast shows nighttime temperatures below 50º through next weekend. You are taking a risk if you plant your warm weather crops such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, zucchini, etc.

2. Not hardening off your plants-Plants that have been grown in your house or in a greenhouse need to be “hardened off”. This means they need to gradually get use to the outdoor temperature, sun, and wind before being planted outside. Ask if your plants have been hardened off at your favorite garden store. Check online to see how to harden off your plants.

3. Improper Spacing-Your seedlings look so small and cute right now, but they will be huge! Read plant tags and seed packages for recommendations on plant spacing. Proper spacing will ensure better air circulation which leads to healthier plants and better production. Planting things too close together will make your plants more susceptible to disease. It will also make it difficult to harvest your veggies.

4. Not staking plants-It is important to stake your plants. This will promote proper air circulation and will help prevent disease. Staking is especially important because we have overhead sprinklers.

5. Not weeding-Weeds compete with your veggies for valuable nutrients and space. Some weeds even send out growth inhibitors that stunt the growth of your plants. You will get a weed warning in the Community Garden if you decide not to weed.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Kale: A How To from The Peterson Garden Project

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