Wagner Farm Community Garden: June 2016

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Dear Gardeners,

Please note that the following workshop has been rescheduled. Hope to see you there!

"Grow Your Own" Workshop- Wednesday, July 27 from 6:30 p.m.- 7:30 p.m.
Jeanne Nolan, The Organic Gardener, has been growing food organically for over twenty-five years. She's helped build over a thousand organic food gardens in and around Chicagoland for families, schools, restaurants, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

Discover how Jeanne's background in large-scale organic communal farming influenced her current approach to gardening. Obtain detailed how-to lessons on designing and maintaining a productive organic garden, based on Jeanne's five keys to gardening success.

"Grow Your Own" will be held in the Heritage Center at Wagner Farm.

RSVP to Alyssa if you are interested in attending. Alyssa.Tadelman@glenviewparks.org Please specify the class(es) you are interested in.

Thanks!
Alyssa Tadelman

Friday, June 3, 2016

Dear Gardeners,

Your gardens are looking beautiful! It's my favorite thing to walk around the garden and see all of your plants sprouting and growing. I am continually amazed by how everyone's garden is so different too! What creative things you are all doing with a 9 x 23 foot piece of land! Please see the following weekly reminders below:

•Help!-Our entire group e-mail list was recently lost due to a technical difficulty. Yikes! I needed to retype all of your e-mails! We currently have 159 gardeners on the list. Please let me know if you want me to add (or delete) any of your friends or family members to the list. I apologize if you already requested this. I lost many of those e-mails.

•Milk as Fungicide- Bring your empty (and clean) spray bottle! I will be putting out a raw milk/water solution to be used as a fungicide for your plants. It will be located on the storage boxes by the Southeast gate of the garden. Spray this liberally on the leaves of your plants, especially your squash and cucumbers.

•Rain Barrels- There are 2 rain barrels that collect rainwater from the roof of the heritage center. They are located at the back side of the heritage center, just across from the garden. They are painted like a sky and clouds. Please feel free to use this water to fill your watering cans.

•Garden Ornaments- The girl scouts will be selling garden ornaments again this week. The ornaments are $15 each. Help support the girl scouts!

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa Tadelman

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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.