Suzanne Balet, from Balet’s Flowers and Design Nursery at 5041 Nelson Avenue Extension, has given the community garden the vines for the pergola and a gift for the gardeners, too.
Print out this coupon and bring it to the nursery or to the farmers’ market where Suzanne has a booth. And please, let her know you are a Saratoga Springs Community Garden at Wesley gardener.
Thanks, Suzanne.
Visit her nursery website at: http://www.baletflowers.com/about.htm
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on May 6, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/suzanne-balet-gives-garden-gifts/
Holly and Susan spent hours redoing the compost boxes.
The photo shows all the large chunky plant debris that was stuffed into the bins and had to be removed. It would take a long time for such big pieces to decompose.
“Please only put soft material and food scraps (nothing from animals except egg shells). If we all
add this material to out side boxes we will have great new soil next spring,” Susan wrote in an email.
The way our 3 compost bins work is that we add plant debris and scraps to the two outer bins. These get turned throughout the season and the finished compost will then be turned into the center bin.
Let’s keep the compost bins working.
Thank you to Susan and Holly.
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on May 4, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/compost-cleaned-up/
I stopped by the garden today.
I noted the compost pile near the parking lot is just about down to the ground, several plots have started plantings of spinach and lettuces, and some other plots have started seeds. There are signs of new life everywhere.
That made me smile. This is a great garden.
I also noted that the compost in the bins near the pergola needs turning. If you can do even one bin, that would help. Right now all three bins have been filled and some of the plant material is quite large. These pieces will take longer to decompose.
It would help the compost along if:
1- It was turned to bring what is on the bottom of the pile up to the top.
2- Gardeners broke up garden waste before adding it to the compost pile. For example, large stems should be cut into sections no bigger than your hand. This would speed up decomposition.
3- I see people are adding garbage waste. Just a reminder, never add meats, fish, or dairy products, diseased plants or leaves.
Thank you.
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on April 30, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/garden-gladness/
Susan sent out an email today asking for help moving compost to the area behind the pergola where Hewitt’s Garden Center will be planting shrubs.
“The soil is so bad it needs to be higher so they have a good place to grow,” she wrote.
Add the compost to the line of compost already behind the pergola and not to the sides, which has enough.
If you can give a hand, call Susan at 584-8142.
Thanks.
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on April 28, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/help-needed/
Photo by Susan Bokan
Many thanks to Michael Belanger for creating a new and easier to use cover for our compost bin.
You’ll notice there are three lids/three bins. The two end bins should be used for active compost. The bin in the center should be where we shovel the finished compost from the two end bins.
Any gardener who is able can hurry the process of decomposition by turning the compost in the end bins bringing the material on the bottom up to the top. This would be a help. Thank you.
If we all do a little something, our garden will thrive.
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on April 23, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/04/23/new-compost-cover/
So how are you planning to celebrate Earth Day?
It would be great if some gardeners could get over to the community garden and give a hand moving soil into the beds. Don’t just fill yours. Help out by filling another, please.
The beds should be filled to the brim as the soil will settle.
Thank you, all.
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on April 22, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/celebrating-earth-day/
Hello Gardeners — As you know, when we signed on to be part of the community garden we agreed to grow organically.
The following products are acceptable.
If you find an organic garden product not on this list, let me know and I will add it.
Espoma Organic Products – Carried by Hewitt’s Garden Centers. Purchase only the organic product line.
Pro-Gro – A North County Organics general purpose fertilizer. Visit their website http://www.norganics.com
Fish Emulsion – Hewitt’s Garden Centers carry Neptune’s Harvest.
Serenade Garden – http://serenadegarden.com/ – Non-toxic to bees yet provides protection against common fungal and bacterial garden diseases. From their website: “SERENADE Garden is made from a unique, patented strain (QST 713) of Bacillus subtilis. Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713 penetrates and destroys the disease pathogen, but does not harm beneficial insects or wildlife.
“SERENADE Garden suppresses the following plant diseases: Anthracnose, Botrytis blight, Botrytis leaf blight, Botrytis lesion, Downy mildew, Gray mold, Head and leaf drop, Leaf spot, Pink rot, Powdery mildew and Sclerotinia stem rot.”
Sluggo – Helps control slugs and snails. Contains iron phosphate which when consumed by slugs causes death. Best if used sparingly on moist soil.
Acceptable Products to use on Pests and Diseases:
It is always wise to know what is wrong with your plants before you set out to purchase an insecticide, even an organic one. If you have the insect identified, you will be able to select the most effective product as the labels will list the insects it kills.
Always use the most harmless method first. For example, remove the insect by hand, flick them into a container of soapy water or spray with a soap and water mix. If necessary use the following.
Insecticidal soaps – check the label to be certain it is organic. The OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) seal is consider the gold standard for choosing a product.
NEEM Oil – Read the label. This product has some anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic properties.
Bacillus thuringiensis better known as Bt – Look for this as an ingredient in organic insecticides if your garden is bothered by tomato hornworms, cabbage worms or other leaf- and needle-feeding caterpillars.
And always follow label instructions.
If you are looking for an online source for organic pest and disease controls, go to: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-222-pest-and-disease-controls.aspx
The Following May NOT be used:
Fertilizers that aren’t organic.
Any Chemical herbicide or pesticide including: Sevin, Rotenone, Methoxychlor, Diazonin and slug baits that aren’t Sluggo.
Our Soil
The foundation of our garden is Booth’s Blend Compost. When we built the garden, this was what was used to fill the raised beds. And there is a mound of compost at the garden entrance for gardeners to use to top off their plots this year. For those who have asked about purchasing this compost for their home gardens, the number for Booth’s Blend Compost is (518) 695-6784.
To make this guide easy to access during the growing season, I’ve added a page in the menu bar titled “Acceptable Garden Products.”
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on April 20, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/04/20/garden-products-you-can-use-in-the-garden/
Ron Finley, a Los Angeles artist, plants vegetable gardens in areas such as along the strip between the sidewalk and the curb. For him, it is an act of rebellion and a way to show his neighbors they can take charge of their healthy eating.
“Growing your own food is like printing your own money,” he said in the following TED video. And it’s a way to create beauty, health, and foster well-being in a society where “the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys.”
Check out how one gardener is changing the way his neighbors eat.
TED: Ron Finley – http://itunes.com/apps/tedconferences/ted
Thank you to Barbara Glaser for passing this link along to Susan Bokan who passed it along to me.
- Natalie
Posted by whatsnataliedoing on April 11, 2013
http://saratogaspringscommunitygarden.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/another-gardener-making-a-difference/
