It was another beautiful day in the garden! We have been very fortunate weatherwise for the last two weeks. If only it could last a little longer. . . . Lots of harvesting and weeding got done, and everyone was happy to hang out and enjoy the company of butterflies, bees and other MGs. BUTTERFLY GARDEN REPORT: Peggy Sanford Today was a perfect day in the garden. As predicted the plants have started to bloom, giving the butterflies and bumble bees lots to forgage on....and of course for us to enjoy. The Bloomerang Lilac is in full bloom and the Milkweed's fragrance is delightful. We trimmed, weeded and watered. CHILDREN'S GARDEN REPORT: Sandy Chernin What a delightful day in the garden, not too cold, not too hot, but just right! Mr. MacGregor’s garden was begging for water and before anything else was done, it was watered and refreshed. Another bag of white icicle beets was harvested for Manna. All else growing well here – cotton, peanuts, basil, parsley, onions (still not ready for harvest), and colorful marigolds. The assorted gourds are just starting to make their way up the trellis, with a little Master Gardener assistance. Some volunteer mouse melon vines (Melothria scabra) fortunately popped up in the one trellis area where gourd seedlings had never emerged. Nice of nature (and the ghosts of yesteryear) to fill this vacuum with plants perfect for the Children’s Garden! The “Plants with Animal Names” garden was calling out for attention and thanks to Audrey Hankinson it was cut back, deadheaded and weeded. The spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiania) had finished blooming so was given the most severe trimming; the catmint (Nepeta) was still weakly blooming, was trimmed and deadheaded. We have hopes that both will reward us with just a little more bloom later this summer. Finally we, let out a big sigh of relief to see that the cardinal vine seedlings (Ipomoea x multifida) are ALMOST starting to climb the tower. There are plenty of them, and once we are certain of their upward ascent, they will likely need some thinning. Another major focus today was the creation of a fairy garden. In a pot that had housed a fairy garden in years past, a santolina (Santolina virens) plant had been allowed over time to take over the entire container! It was a beautiful plant, and this year continued to reward us with a gorgeous array of yellow button-like flowers. But the center of the plant (as it happens with santolinas) had become open centered and woody. The plant shape overall was leggy, unattractive, and too far gone for renewal cutting – so out it went! (A few semi-wooden cuttings were taken and attempts will be made to make some new plants by layering them at home). It was not easy to get this santolina out of its pot! And once out, I was attacked by what seemed to be an entire colony of biting ants! After winning this battle by hosing down the pot and replacing half the soil, the new plants were situated around a new fairy house. Plant materials chosen for the fairy garden were mostly sun-loving and drought tolerant: hens and chicks, sedums, lavender, and rosemary. Also planted was a foxtail fern (Asparagus densiflorus), chosen for its wonderful miniature tree-like shape. This plant likes sun but will need some frequent watering initially. (It is supposed to be drought resistant once established, but time will tell!) Please come by and visit this new feature of the garden, a work in progress! Herb and Fragrance Garden: Eventful day with the visit of the brown snake! The garden looks beautiful! Thanks for the crew that keeps this garden looking spectacular! Conservation Garden message: Maria Wortman Wonderful Jesse is continuing to work on the new bamboo fencing, and it’s looking great! The orange flowers of the native Plumleaf Azalea are blooming, though not too prolifically. I’m sure it would appreciate a little more sun, but our garden gets shadier and shadier each year because of the large trees. To brighten things up a bit, another chartreuse heuchera was planted near the front entrance. The hydrangeas continue to lighten the area with their long-lasting white mopheads. We’re not sure what is going on in the pond – either the goldfish are playing or some hanky-panky is going on! Perhaps we’ll see some results of their activities later in the season. THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE REPORT: Bob Loesche and Virginia White-Mahaffey Things continue to thrive in the TH beds. With just one or two exceptions all the plants are prospering nicely and many are ready for cutting. Bed 1: The delphinium has largely punked out, but there are a few stalks that could be used. The zinnia and African blue basil are now fully flowering, and the Artemisia continues to be available. Bed 2: The star of the show (photo attached) is Achillea--gorgeous in shades of white, soft white, pink and red. Please come harvest it!!! Also blooming here are the lavender and Echinacea. The Centaurea cyanus (cornflower) donated last week appears to have been visited by rabbits and is virtually gone. However, providence continues to provide. In that spot we planted two Tithonia donated to us today by Robin--the common name is Mexican sunflower and these should be good companions to the Gaillardia. We also installed a just-about-to-bloom yellow Achillea that I found growing forlornly on the path next to the compost pile, where surely it would have soon been mowed or stepped on. Bed 3: The Gomphrena, Verbena and Agastache are newly blooming this week. The Tanacetum continues to flower but is starting to fade a bit--best to pick it soon. The fennel is literally six feet tall and has pretty wispy flower heads on the top. This bed's zinnias and the Rudbeckia should be blooming soon. Bed 4: The Moluccella (OK, I couldn't remember what this is either--Bells of Ireland) have started to flower. You have to look closely because the cup-shaped blossoms are the same shade of green as the plant, but they are quite lovely and ready for picking. The Gaillardia and Achillea (here, all pale white) are flowering very strongly, and the Celosia is just starting to flower. The Monarda and Rudbeckia are still a couple of weeks away from blooming. We're off next week for July 4, so there may be a lot of changes in the next report. Compost Central: Denise Mullins Here is the temps for Tuesday. I moved bin 4 to 3 Bin #1: empty #2 : 76 degrees finished - needs sifting and moved to finished bin. #3 new ingredients along with one fat Rat - that is what the snake was looking for. #4 empty now - was 92 degrees before moved #5 empty #6 finished - nearly empty The Free standing bin was 102 - hosed it down and covered it back up. POND REPORT: Rich Dieckhans and Darlene Nicholson Both ponds are thriving. In the last two weeks there were many, many tiny tadpoles (toads, I believe) in the front pond. Within two weeks, most have grown legs and are out of the pond. Many frogs frequent both ponds and we can hear them throughout the work day. The white lily started blooming this week. Water lettuce has already spread to the point that we are thinning them. Algae in these ponds has not been a major problem so far this season. BUG REPORT: Darlene Nicholson Although we are thus far fortunate not to be experiencing much bug damage in the garden, we are beginning to see some pests. Today we saw some Harlequin bugs on various vegetable plants. Please pick them off and deposit in a soapy water bucket, or just take them to either pond and feed them to the frogs. Pictured below: 2 adult Harlequins, and several instars trying to get through the netting (determined littles buggers). I wonder why they don't call young bugs buggers? We saw a couple of striped cucumber beetles. There are also spotted cucumber beetles that do about the same damage. If you see either, please put them in the soapy water. They can help do real damage to any of your Cucurbits ! A couple of butterfly larvae caterpillars noted today were, the Black Swallowtail, and the Fritillary. Please be able to identify these so they don't accidentally get squished. We also saw a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth, mixing in rather nicely with the zillion bumble bees on the many pollinator flowers this week. 100 Square Foot Garden: Hope Dieckhans Today our garden was ready to be harvested! The brassica enclosure produced an abundance of Kale, Collards and Swiss Chard. The herbs were all given a nice haircut - chives, oregano, and thyme. Basil was pinched and beets and turnips were pulled - more beets will probably be ready next week. One young fennel was harvested ‘cause we just couldn’t wait for it to grow more - there are three more with which we will be more patient! The cucumbers that were growing nicely under the protection of green tulle were “liberated” as their blossoms need to be pollinated; lengths of twine were strung to encourage our cukes to grow tall. Tomatoes too were given more twine to guide their climbing. Our tomatillo has lots of blossoms and is getting bushy; its branches were secured to its stake. The green lettuce around the center garden and one of the forward gardens was removed to make room for bush beans. The garden was given a good drink of water and we said adieu till next week. Small Fruits: Ram Narula and Gail Ifshin We harvested some black currants and goose berries. We did not see too many redcurrants, perhaps the birds had a field day. The grape vine is looking reasonably well. While some fruits had fallen off, the remaining ones are approaching mature size. We did notice some insects on the black currants including squash bug eggs and a couple of beneficials, a ladybug and daddy long legs. The persimmon damage is under control. We had Steve Dubik look at the persimmon and he believed that the black/ brown spots on a few leaves was some seconday virus. He took a picture and will send it to Stanton Gill for his input. We weeded at the base of the persimmon and watered heavily in anticipation of the upcoming dry and hot weather. We removed some of the other weeds in the small fruit area. Our volunteers got to enjoy blackcurrant jam and fresh bread! Black currants from the garden were used for the jam! Thanks Gail and Ram for the work in this garden! Special Projects Report: The Carols What a beautiful day to be in the garden! There was lots to harvest and tend to. The plantings in the bales and pallets were quite dry, whereas the plantings in the keyhole gardens, while ready for watering, seemed less affected. Straw Bales The Adirondack Blue Potato plants caused concern as some of the leaves were yellowing and wilting. Potatoes have formed, but the plants were loose in their planting holes. A meeting of great minds (Carol O, Bill, and Edith) determined that the plants should be pushed down deeper and more soil added around them. Clusters of small tomatoes have developed on the Ketchup and Fries, Ramapo F1, and Sungold tomato plants. The Rainbow tomato plant is flowering and one tomato is evident so far. The Cajun Belle Pepper is happily growing with lots of peppers on the way. As the eggplant is flowering, its row cover was removed so pollination can occur. Pallets The top (nasturtiums, parsley, and basil), lower front planting space (basils), and the backside of the pallets (nasturtiums and parsley) seem to be doing the best. By far, the nasturtiums are thriving the most with their colorful blooms and variegated leaves. Salad greens, some red lettuce, and cilantro had bolted or dried out beyond rescue, and so were pulled. Five to six planting rows are now ready for new additions. Perhaps some heat loving herbs will do best. We certainly would welcome suggestions! Keyholes The four dwarf/bush tomato plants are beginning to flower and are looking strong and healthy. The kale and last of the tat soi were harvested and a hill of Patio Star Summer Squash seeds was planted in their space. Beets and carrots were thinned and a denser row covering was placed over the eggplant after its leaves were wiped with soapy water. Gutter Garden Well! This garden was looking quite perky with its Blackeyed Susans, and turnip greens. Today’s harvest from all our garden areas included: basil, kale, tat soi, Swiss chard, parlsey, beets and their greens, lettuces and salad greens. Thanks to Edith, Nikki, Eva, and Ellina for their help today. Vegetable Beds: Erica Smith, Robin Ritterhoff and Mary Anne Normile The spring crops are winding down, and several beds were harvested and cleared for planting of more summer crops. A rabbit has discovered the garden, and made quick work of the lettuces in one of the new raised beds. Apparently, a 10" raised bed is not enough to discourage a hungry rabbit. Planting: - Tokyo Bekana greens and Cherokee lettuce in the salad table (deeper one) - Four kinds of summer squash and one kind of bush cucumber in bed M - Beets under cucurbit trellis (bed L) (thanks to Linda D.) - Bush beans--Blue Lake and Jade II--and Swiss chard Bright Lights (seed) in raised bed H (thanks to Edith and Bill). Harvesting: - Lotsa greens (cleared out annex bed and bed M) including collards, kale, broccoli and kohlrabi - Onions, regular bulbing from under the cucurbit trellis plus potato onions from garlic bed - Lettuce from salad table and raised bed (what the rabbit didn't polish off) - Swiss chard, beets, red cabbage, parsley, and one very small zucchini from raised beds - Basil from annex garden and raised beds. Tending: - Checked garlic and estimated it will be ready to harvest in two weeks - Checked last week's seeded beans in bed B which have not come up yet (soil quite dry) - Checked Three Sisters garden where everything is going well, squash and watermelons have sprouted - Did some weeding, not enough! - Pulled out spent peas - Helped LeeAnne finalize the latest version of the garden map - Barbara found a few potato beetles and evidence of borer damage on potato stems - Smaller sweet potato plant not doing too well; plan to get a replacement - With Lily's help, readied Annex bed for planting Tromboncino and Costata Romanesco squash. Both of these resist squash borers and have grown well at Derwood in past years. - Weeded around Annex beds - Removed row cover from eggplants in deep raised bed to allow for pollination., will keep an eye out for possible flea beetle damage. Watering: Thanks to everyone who has helped with watering in between workdays and signed up to water over the next few weeks. If you can spare an hour to water especially this coming week, when more hot weather is predicted and there is no official workday, please sign up online at www.volunteersignup.org/D4QDR . If the dry weather continues, all areas in the vegetable garden will need to be watered, things were very dry today. Please give extra attention to newly seeded areas: Bed M seeded to summer squash, bed L trellis planted with beet seedlings, small black plastic raised bed in Bed H (raised beds) seeded to bush beans, front of low raised bed nearest faucet seeded to Swiss chard, salad tables, and bed B, recently sown with bean seeds. Tomato Bed - Dan Ward and Joslyn Read This week was spent propping up drooping plants and general maintenance with the help of Maria and Ellina. Thanks to Robin, Maria and Darlene for helping last week. So far all of the plants are looking great, especially in the new area. However, those in the original tomato bed are lagging. There are a few possible explanations for this. First, the soil in the new area has been essentially unused for quite some time. Even though it hasn't been used leaf mulch and other materials had been added frequently making for a lush soil. And, second, the original tomato bed is in shade for the latter part of the afternoon (from the tall maple tree). It's going to be interesting to track the growth progress throughout the season. MANNA: Robin Ritterhoff We delivered 86 pounds of beautiful cabbage, other greens, onions, kohlrabi, lettuce, beets and their greens, a fresh head of garlic, basil, and other herbs. This brings our total deliveries to 454 pounds for 2017. Many thanks for everyone's help in labeling the produce, and Susan, Erica & Ellina for helping to load it into tubtrugs and get it to my car. Closing Comments: Lily, Susan and Bill
We'd like to thank Joe Ginther for all the work in the irrigation system. He came in just as I was leaving to fix the irrigation on the salad tables and finish up the raised beds. What a huge amount of work! All those little things that get done without us even noticing! Thanks Joe! Thank to Steve Dubik for coming to our 10 @ 10 and giving us a quick update on the expansion plans as well as the history of the garden! Much appreciated! Don't forget that 4th of July is a holiday. Garden will be closed except for a skeleton crew that will open at 8 am and close at 10 am.
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AuthorOur weekly reports are a joint effort of all garden leads
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