Wagner Farm Community Garden: September 2019

Friday, September 20, 2019

Dear Gardeners,

It seems like just yesterday, I was planting my garden. Now it’s fall and the garden season is slowing down. Please start taking down any brown plants or plants that are no longer producing. Pull them and put them in the compost bin. You can also start taking home any structures or cages that you are not using. As a reminder- STRING and TOMATO TIES MUST go in the GARBAGE. NO STRING IN THE COMPOST BINS! I will keep you posted when I find out the closing date of the Community Garden.

*IRRIGATION- As the weather starts to get cooler and the garden season is coming to a close, you will notice that the irrigation system will not be set as often. This is because the nighttime temperature is low. It is not recommended to water when it is cold.

*RAW MILK FUNGICIDE- We will no longer be providing the raw milk fungicide. Please let me know if you have any concerns about this.

*TOMATO OF THE WEEK- Chef’s Choice Pink-This large tomato is a hybrid with a big heirloom taste. Chef’s Choice Pink produces 12-14 ounce pink beefsteak tomatoes. This variety is a strong producer and has good disease resistance. It has a “potato leaf” too. It is one of my favorites!

*HARVEST FESTIVAL- Come by the farm on Saturday, October 12 from 12-9 p.m. for Harvest Festival. This NEW event that celebrates the season’s harvest will be fun for all ages! Check out the harvest activities, food trucks, tractor-drawn wagon rides, fall crafts, livestock encounters, farm games and more! 12-4 pm $5 per person ages 2 and up, 4-9 pm $10 per person ages 11 and up, $5/ ages 2-10.

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa

Dear Gardeners,

Fall is here but there are still a lot of fun things to do in your garden plot. Check out the list below:

1. Harvest your veggies each time you come.

2. Remove dead plants and yellow and brown leaves. Put them in the compost bin.

3. Pick up rotting fruit and veggies and compost them as well.

4. Plant greens, peas, and radishes. There are FREE seeds in the basket at the front desk compliments of The Chalet.

5. Trim the edge around your plot with a clippers. This will make it look nifty and neat! It will also keep weeds from going to seed and dropping the seeds on your plot. I just trimmed the edge around the Demo Plot and it looks great!

*When to harvest hard squash and pumpkins- When you are ready to pick your squash or pumpkins, look at the color. For example, butternut squash will turn from a light yellow to a golden color when it is ripe. Pumpkins should be a deep orange color. You also need to look at the stem on your squash. The stem just above the squash will turn from green to brown when it is ready to be harvested. Use a sharp knife or clippers to cut the stem where it attaches to the vine. You need to harvest all squash before the first frost, even if they are not ripe. They will ripen off the vine on a sunny porch or deck if they are picked when they are green. Squash should be dried in the sun for about a week if you are storing them for winter use. They can be stored in a cool place for about 4-6 months.

* Bonfire and Barn Dance- Join us this Saturday, September 14, 4-8 p.m. Bring your family to the Farm for live music, dancing and wagon rides! Roast s’mores and listen to stories by the fire. Admission is $5 per person (children under 2 are free). Food is available at an additional cost.

* Fall Sales have begun! Come by the Farm to purchase your mums and gourds. M-F 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Pumpkins will be available for sale beginning Sept. 21.

*PRIZE CARROTS- This picture does not do these prize carrots justice. They are huge! Great job Prashant Mehrotra!

*TOMATO CORNER- The tomato of the week is Matt’s Wild Cherry. These very small tomatoes are deep red and very sweet. They are great to eat plain or to use in salsa. This variety is VERY prolific! My plant never stops producing! I am growing this variety in the Demo Plot. I purchased the plant at The Talking Farm plant sale. This variety is indeterminate and has some resistance to early and late blight.

*CHECK OUT OUR BLOG- The Community Garden blog is up to date! Don't forget to check it out to find past newsletters and see gardening tips!
http://wfcg.blogspot.com

*RAW MILK FUNGICIDE- This week and every Saturday at 10:00 a.m., I will be providing a solution of raw milk (from our very own cows) and water to help prevent powdery mildew on your plants. Raw milk fungicide is available in the garden on the wooden storage boxes. Bring your own spray bottle. Note- this does not deter insect pests.

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa

Friday, September 13, 2019

Dear Gardeners,

Harvest, harvest, harvest! Come by and harvest your vegetables. There are so many ripe veggies in the Community Garden. Please come and pick them. It is also time to start to clean up any rotting veggies on the ground. Please start to put rotting veggies and dead or brown plants in the compost bin. Keeping your garden plot clean will keep away pest insect.

*FREE Fall Seeds-Now is the time to plant greens, mustards, bok choi, radishes, and peas for a Fall harvest. Keep in mind that kale and spinach are hardy in cooler weather. Red lettuces are hardier than green ones. Come by the front desk for some FREE fall seeds compliments of The Chalet Garden Center (AVAILABLE STARTING SATURDAY AFTERNOON).

https://youtu.be/y3MbdzV8360

*PRUNING BASIL- Click on the link above to see how to prune your basil plants.

*SEED SAVING CLASS CANCELLED!- The Seed Saving Class on 9/10 is cancelled due to lack of enrollment.

*TOMATO CORNER- The tomato of the week is the Green Zebra. This tomato is yellow with lime green stripes when ripe. It is the result of four heirlooms bred together. The Green Zebra is tasty as well as beautiful. It has a delicious, tangy flavor. It also looks beautiful in salads and other recipes. It is another one of my favorites!

*BROCCOLI TIP- When you harvest your broccoli head, cut an x in the stem to grow 4 new baby heads!

*CHECK OUT OUR BLOG- The Community Garden blog is up to date! Don't forget to check it out to find past newsletters and see gardening tips!
http://wfcg.blogspot.com

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Dear Gardeners,

Please note that there is NO PARKING along Wagner Road. Cars that park on Wagner Road are being ticketed. Gardeners may park in the lot across the street from the farm next to the Greek Church.

*DO YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY ON SEEDS?- Join me for this cool class! Seed Saving in Your Garden- Learn how to save seeds from the flowers, herbs, and vegetables in your garden. Seed saving is very rewarding and can save you money too. This class covers the basics of harvesting, cleaning, and storing your seeds for optimum germination and production in your garden the following year. Sign up atwww.glenviewparks.org

Class is 9/10/2019 from 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. $15 residents/$18 nonresidents

*TOMATO CORNER- This is the sweetest and juiciest tomato I am growing this year. It is called Dark Galaxy. The mottled skin of the tomato looks like a galaxy! This variety was created by Brad Gates. He crossbreeds tomatoes of all colors. The Dark Galaxy grows 2-8 inch tomatoes. They start out dark purple and become a deep red. I purchased the seeds from rareseeds.org. The plants were grown in our Wagner Farm greenhouse. I will definitely grow this delicious variety next year!

*GLENVIEW GARDENERS MEETING-If you are interested in learning some tips and tricks for growing African Violets, check out the attached flyer for this month’s Glenview Gardeners Meeting. The meeting will take place on Tues. September 10 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.

*CHECK OUT OUR BLOG- The Community Garden blog is up to date! Don't forget to check it out to find past newsletters and see gardening tips!
http://wfcg.blogspot.com

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa

Dear Gardeners,

Harvest time is here! I am so excited to see all of the vegetables everyone has grown. Don’t forget to come by and harvest your produce.

*PRIZE KOHLRABI- Check out this prize kohlrabi (above) grown by Community Gardener, Laura Dume! Great job! Thank you Laura for giving me a kohlrabi. I made a delicious soup out of it.

Class is 9/10/2019 from 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. $15 residents/$18 nonresidents

*TOMATO CORNER- Look at this unique tomato! It is called the Red Furry Boar. The tomato is not shiny like most tomatoes. It has a matte skin and is coated in a light fur like a peach. It has a delicious, true tomato flavor. This rare variety is a heavy producer and grows 2-4 oz. fruit. I purchased the seeds online from Wild Boar Farms.

*CHECK OUT OUR BLOG- The Community Garden blog is up to date! Don't forget to check it out to find past newsletters and see gardening tips!
http://wfcg.blogspot.com

Happy Gardening!

Alyssa

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.