What's new in the garden for April 23, 2016

Completed Garden work day task list for April 23, 2016

Number of Gardeners: 15

Tasks

·         Block 100 lettuce plants

o   Block 80 parsnips

o   Block 50 Napa cabbage

o   Block 100 Red beets (Red Ace)

o   Block 100 Yellow beets (Bolder)

o   Block 100 spinach (Reflect)

o   Place pea fence on east half of row 10 and 11

o   Direct seed snow peas (Back half of row 10 and 11)

o   Cover 40 degree beds.

o   Complete grid system

o   Prep 40 degree beds

o   Arugula (11A) by compost

o   Broccoli (Row 18)

o   Kale row 15 A and B (by kitchen compost)

o   Snow Peas-east half of row 10 and 11

o   Spinach row 13

o   Place Pergola shade cloth

o   New solenoid and pressure switch in prep greenhouse

o   Mix new batch of soil blocking mix

o   Turn Cover Crop

o   Weed

o   Weed grass along fence next to kids garden

o   Flower bed by garden entrance

o   Rows 10,11,19 and 20 (west side of garden by kitchen compost)

o   Along outside of north tunnel greenhouse

 

 

 

Pictures of soil Blocking Basil

 

Here are some pictures of soil blocking Basil

Soil Blocking Basil

 

Here we are making soil blocks for transplanting. We use a planting mix adapted from Eliot Colman’s “New Organic Grower”. The recipe we use is listed under the “Guides” tab.

We then drop seeds into the blocks. We are blocking 200 Basil plants. These plants will go into the tunnel greenhouse. Extra’s will be given away to friends.

 

Garden tasks completed for April 10, 2016

·         Direct seeded radishes in north tunnel greenhouse

·         Basil- 200 soil blocks

·         Turn under cover crop

·         Weed Asparagus and strawberry beds

·         Black Plastic. We cover unused beds with black plastic to keep down weeds and heat the soil before planting

Potato curing, planting

This year we ordered a lot of potatoes, 25 lbs, to help with prior year ground rot losses and we will also try the following new steps from the Cornell method (see new blog guide).  Normally we've needed 7-10 lbs of potatoes in each 80 ft long bed.

- Sort potatoes into small and large

- Small are no slice for direct plant to 1st row after pre-warming by Cornell method 

- Large are sliced with 2-3 eyes each and 2-3 oz minimum weight to 2nd row after cured.

- Cure slices in large grocery bag using Cornell method and toss with our fir bark dust, waiting a week in cool temp to heal

- Plant all potatoes using Cornell method (4" trench or less, eyes up, 12-15" apart, 1 row per bed, cover level with well draining soil or compost mix)

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