Putting Food Scraps to Work

 

I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, and it's finally here -- food scrap composting in the Wagner Farm Community Garden!

I know, it may not be so exciting for everyone else. I'm a nut for composting, though. I've got cold bins, turned bins, and a worm bin at home. I read Biocycle magazine. I've closely followed the changes in Illinois law that now allow us to bring in a limited amount of off-site food scraps. And with the help of camp kids, I've installed my worm bin with 500 red wiggler worms on the demo plot. Let the food scrap composting being!

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So how to compost your scraps here at WFCG:

The food composting bins are located on the south fence and have clear signs on them. (see above)

Please carefully read the lists below of what you can compost and what you can't -- bringing in items on the CAN'T list will attract critters, cause noxious smells, and ruin the batch. If in doubt -- text me.

Items you can compost here:

• Used coffee grounds and coffee filters
• Banana peels, apple cores, ends of celery & carrots & greens, moldy grapes
• Egg shells
• Stale bread, bagels and crackers

Items you CANNOT compost here:

• Anything dairy or with dairy on it (like cheese, butter, yogurt, buttered toast)
• Anything oily or with oil on it (like salad with dressing)
• Fruit pits
• CITRUS*
• ONIONS*
• Meat or bones
• WEEDS

Please note: NO CITRUS OR ONIONS. People differ on whether or not they put citrus and onions in their bins, but I'm opting for not. I compost a little of both at home, but too much in a bin can overbalance it, and since this is the first time we're trying food scrap composting here, I'm erring on the side of caution.

Also keep in mind -- these bins ARE NOT FOR WEEDS. I've noticed people leaving weeds in them (signs notwithstanding), and I've even found trash in them (again, please read the signs on the top).

Trash removed from the food scrap bins one month ago

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Feel free to take a peek in the can-o-worms bin on the demo plot. Only Stephanie and I will be adding food to this bin -- worms are easily overwhelmed!

How the can-o-worms works

I'll post more about food scrap composting and the worm bin later.

Let the composting begin!

Classes at Wagner Farm -- REMINDER

Some cool classes coming up here at Wagner Farm -- register online here or sign up at Park Center.

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409309 - DIY Food Preservation & Photography - July 22, 6-7:30 ($30 for resident, $37 for non-res)

Participants will work with Jill Houk, cookbook author, and a Glenview-based chef in this fun cooking class! Chef Houk will teach easy food preservation techniques for all your seasonal vegetables. Next, take your culinary skills to a whole new level with Chicago-based photographer, Angie Garbot. Angie will teach you all about food photography and how to make beautiful food labels-a great way to impress your friends and make special gifts! Ages 16-Senior




409409 - Jars, Jams & Jellies - August 5, 6-8pm ($30 for residents, $37 for non-residents)

How would you like to enjoy seasonal fruits and vegetables all year long? Chef Toni Salazar Camphouse will teach participants how to make jellies, jams, and other canning delights. Price includes all food and canning supplies. Ages Adult-Senior

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I've signed up for the Food Preservation class for July. I bought Jill's book because I wanted to learn more ways to preserve the food I grow in the garden. It's a really cool book, and I look forward to learning more from Jill in the class.

I've taken the canning class with Chef Toni before -- she's terrific, and I had a blast in this hands-on class. I've done a little canning at home but hope to do more this fall.

MOWING IS ONLY SUNDAYS NOW

We've moved from twice a week mowing to once a week -- Sundays from 9:30-11am. The garden is now open Wednesday mornings during the previous mowing time.

We may have to add a second mowing occasionally -- I'll let you know on the blog.

Thanks!

Warm and Wet June -- and a note about weeds

I can't remember a July 4th that was as mild as yesterday. Isn't Taste of Chicago coming to town soon? Doesn't that mean our temps should be 100+?

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Looking back at June, our state climatologist, Jim Angel, tells us that it was the 8th wettest June on record, and that 4 of the 5 previous Junes have been wetter than average. The exception -- 2012, our drought year.

We've gotten close to 8" of rain in our area in June -- 4" above our average. No wonder the weeds are growing gangbusters.

I've gone easy on weeds -- sending out just unofficial weed warnings -- because of the mud. As we -- hopefully -- get drier, and our plants start to produce, I'm going to get tougher about weeds. I'm not concerned with tiny ones, or ones here and there -- I'm concerned when it doesn't look like someone is tending to their plot.

So don't worry about having a spotless plot -- unless that's how you like to garden. Handle the biggest weeds first, especially along the edges. If you're overwhelmed by the number of weeds, look at your weed handout and pick one easily-identified weed and just pick that. Once you've started clearing some space, it will be easier to see what other weeds are around -- and leave your intended veg alone.

When in doubt -- ask me and Stephanie to take a look!

What to plant now?

It's just about July, and people are beginning to ask -- can I still plant... beets, cucumbers, squash?

The quick answer -- yes. If you view gardening as an experiment, and you acknowledge that the only consistency about our weather this season has been its inconsistency, then this answer is the right one.

However, there are guidelines for what to plant when -- and a terrific app.

First, what to plant now. I'm going to hit the basics. Here's what the When to Plant app (from Mother Earth News) told me:

Arugula, lima beans, pole beans, beets, bok choy, borage, cabbage, carrots, celery, chili peppers, Chinese cabbage, chives, cilantro, collards, dill, endive, fennel, kohlrabi, lettuce, mache, okra, parsley, peas, peppers, pumpkins, radicchio, radish, soybeans, spinach, summer squash, Swiss chard, tatsoi, tomatillos and zucchini.

Here's what my experience tells me about this list:

1. Arugula, lettuce, peas, and spinach need partial afternoon shade, to full afternoon shade. Otherwise, these guys will bolt (go to flower and get bitter). I find peas don't handle August temperatures well, so I almost never would grow them now. Lettuce would be a good thing to tuck on the east side of big, bushy tomato plants, or under a squash/cucumber trellis.
2. Swiss chard, collards, tatsoi, and mache are great greens for handling the heat of August. 
3. Spring radishes are slightly sweeter than mid-summer-planted radishes, but I always have radishes growing in my garden because they come up so quickly and act as row markers. 
4. We haven't (knock on wood) had a terrible year with cucumber beetles, so I'm still going to put summer squash, winter squash (not on the list above) and cucumbers (also not on the list) in the soil. Worth a shot, and I already have the seeds. I might even try transplants of these usually not transplantable veg because they're on the sale. Which brings me to #5.
5. Nurseries are putting their veg and herb seedlings on sale. This is a great time to pick up more pepper, eggplant, tomato and herb plants to fill out your garden. Whole Foods usually stops selling seedlings on July 4th, so if that's your choice of vendor, head there quickly. 
6. Not to repeat #5, but really, THIS IS MY FAVORITE WEEK TO BUY PLANTS. I've spent several years growing mostly donated seedlings -- all put in the ground on Independence Day -- and they've always done well. I'm heading out today to see what I can pick up to round out the demo plot -- heading to Lurveys, Pesches, Whole Foods and Chalet.

So this is a screenshot from my phone using the When to Plant app. I purchased this app a year ago, and it's been invaluable. The app figures out my location and gives me options about what info I want to see. I clicked on "Plant Now" and got this list.

In the list, you can see an arrow on the right. When you click on that arrow, you get more info on the individual plant. For example -- 

The following is a screenshot from the in-site guide on motherearthnews.com.

KEEP IN MIND: different guidelines may not agree as to when something should be planted. This is ok -- this is life. Take each recommendation with a grain of salt, and as you continue to garden, you'll develop experience and confidence in working with differing recommendations.

Check out the iphone app here -- it's $1.99 and for Apple products. However, Mother Earth News' interactive guideline (picture just above) is free and available here.

** Quick note: I am not paid to promote Mother Earth News, Apple products, or, gee, anything. I get excited about stuff that makes gardening easier, and I like to share it with you.