A Complete List of Nearby Gardens

For people who are interested in purchasing seeds, young plants or other things from nearby gardens, here is a complete list.

Equipment Theft

Gardeners,

Tao's father is visiting and while working in her plot today, he noticed two women lurking around the shed. He had been in the shed earlier to tidy up and knew of the equipment in the shed. While he was working, the two women helped themselves to some of our equipment, loaded it into their car, and drove away. It appears these women are not gardeners and may not even be residents. Please keep your eyes open for this kind of stuff. Although our equipment may not be the best, replacing what we have would be very costly. Please let Tao or I know if you notice this stuff happening. Remember to lock the shed if you are the last one to leave. Unfortunately, this occurred while people were working in the garden. It is unfortunate people would steal from us, but that's how it is. Be aware of it and try and prevent it from happening again. We will try and replace our newly purchase fencing, but we have already lost nearly $75 worth of equipment and replacing this amount becomes difficult. We will do our best to replace what was lost. Thanks for your understanding.

Our pile is finally sorted!!

Thanks to Becca (in plot 1), the pile of fencing, stakes, and garbage (lets face it) has been cleaned up. It is much appreciated. Thank you.

A Place to Buy Young Plant

I bought some young plants today, including tomato, eggplant, pepper, cucumber and strawberry. They offer a variety of young plants as well as flowers.
The address is:
1980 Rt206 S, Belle Mead, NJ 08502 (908)-359-8002
It is about 7 miles away and very easy to be found!
Good luck!

Come get tips from a farmer

Ronnie Lee, owner of Lee Turkey Farm, will be coming to give us mortals tips about gardening.
He will be at the community room Thursday, April 24, at 7:00 p.m.
Last year I got several tips from him and our yield was much better. He's already given me more tips this year about keeping weeds down.
Hope to see everyone there.

New Equipment in and near the shed!!

I have recently replenished our stake and fencing supply. We were getting pretty low out there. Please use this new material wisely. There is still some old fencing material next to the shed that should be used as well. Please take only the stakes that are absolutely necessary for your plot. They are not cheap and should be used sparingly. Your fence doesn't need too many. Every 5-7' is about right for staking. Keep your fellow gardeners in mind.

(Note: all equipment, tools, events are funded by the plot fees collected each year.)

Ever Heard of Companion Planting?

No, this does not simply mean planting in the garden with a friend!  :-)

Having gained popularity in the 70's with an organic gardening movement, companion planting is the idea of plants helping other plants.  This technique was brought to my attention by a neighboring gardener.   It may be worthwhile to check this concept out if you are unfamiliar.  I definitely plan to give companion planting a shot for my "must-survive and thrive" plants (i.e. I LOVE fresh garden peas).

To start learning, see the link below.  And if you find or have a better site, feel free to add a link to the comment section of this blog! 

Until next time, see you all around the garden!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companion_plants

Don't Let Fear of Frost Keep You Away!

One way to protect your plants from April frost is with milk jugs.  Here is how to make "mini-greenhouses" for early, tender transplants:

1) Take a 1 gallon milk jug (size for spacious reasons)

2) Discard the cap

3) Cut off the bottom (about 1 in. from the bottom)

4) Place over each individual selected plant in your garden

5) Push jug slightly into soil and add dirt around the base to secure (using thin stakes optional)

Plants to Consider Covering:

*Tomatoes

*Peppers

Cabbage

Broccoli

Squash

Cauliflower

Pumpkins

Benefits & Tips

- Allows planting tender plants on the earlier side of suggested planting dates

- Protects plants not only from frost but also winds

- Water through the top of jug

- Remove when danger of frost is over or plant is out-growing the jug, whichever comes first

NOTE: This technique only provides protection down to around 30 F.  Also, it is important the milk caps are off for air circulation.

Seed Exchange Anyone?

I have extra seeds of the usual stuff as well as some new, less common plants. Anyone interested? I would be interested in some more unusual plants if anyone would be willing to exchange.

READY, SET, PLANT!

The garden was plowing this morning by the grounds crew. Tao and I have marked the plot lines and you are can now begin planting. You will notice the flags represent a corner marker for a plot. Half-plots are marked as well so if you have a full plot you can ignore this middle flag. See the map above to locate your plot. There is a 4 ft. path at each gate. If you have questions or need help locating your plot, please let us know.

Oh, the grounds crew was most appreciative of the clean garden we left them. They were awesome to get it plowed so quickly; sounds like leaving them a clean garden is the answer to a quick plow. Not to mention the weather has cooperated with us.

Happy Planting!!!