The Grow More Good Garden

If you commit to the full growing season - 4 hours per week, attending both work days until the smokey months, when we will reduce our time in the garden to 1 day per week until conditions improve.

If you miss more than 2 weeks without following up with Mary K or another gardener by phone or text your row becomes a shared space row.

If you have an assigned row and joined the garden before March 2025 to participate in the garden planning you absolutely can grow what you want - but read on about squash in the next item. Some crops need to be grown with a certain amount of distance between them, such as sunflowers.

Try as we might, we get them every season. We have a population and they do overwinter. If you want to grow squash you are committing to squash-bug detail - which includes the following processes:

Growing in a designated area - we will let you know which rows are the best candidates.

Interplanting plants with deterrent qualities including SUPER hot peppers, and white icicle radishes.

Covering the row with insect barrier early in the season - we will help!

Carefully inspecting the whole squash plant (every plant) every time you are at the garden, for squash bug eggs and squash bugs. This is best done in the morning hours when they are moving slowly.

NOT squishing them, they emit a pheromone that attracts more. Pluck them and drop them in soapy water in a container with a tight fitting lid.

Eggs are removed with duct tape and thrown in this same container usually. This method also works to collect the nymphs.

This process applies to all summer and winter squash.

The only varieties we’ve had luck with are a hybrid Kabocha from Edwards and African Squash Mary K’s been saving from seed since 2021.

Same process as all squash. Students and educators love to grow pumpkins. Though the enthusiasm for them by the time they’re ready to harvest has been interesting… So if you choose to grow them, you’re choosing to gift an experience.

This is a foreshadowed garden story, just ask.

We have a “Master Class'“ level perennial weeds challenge. With enough hands and access to the right gear we may be able to manage them more easily this season. Please read on for the equipment and processes to consider

Early season:

Looking at a propane torch to get them in their early phase. Options: $27 unit from Harbor Freight. $50 unit from Home Depot. Both would need propane and a means to carry it. Only for early season so we can move the drip line. Only for rows that don’t have overwintered plants we want including garlic and perennial herbs. Most useful for perimeter areas, being mindful of straw. Need to clear it with St. Stephens.

Thickly plant cover crops along row edges and through the rows and beds. Last season we found that where we did so we had more luck. This involves cutting back the plants once established, but leaving the roots in the ground. Crop selection will need to include plants that play well with the chosen cover crops. We can get cover crops in bulk by type from NEON or Edwards.

We could consider applying a commercial grade vinegar and castile soap mix to the walkways. To do this well, we might consider raking the wood chips that are there, and all the cardboard, running a torch over the whole situation, raking that up, applying vinegar, covering with a fresh round of cardboard 2-3 layers thick paying close attention to the seams (no seams), then fresh wood chips on top. We will have to watch out for the irrigation system. Then continue vinegar-spot-treating any little bindweed and thistle sprouts that pop up through the season in the walkways only.

The Line Up:

White Top - if we stay on top of it as we have the past 3 seasons we won’t have to deal with it after May.

Bindweed - Sorry All. This one grows prolifically and it’s very difficult to eradicate. With enough hands we can get it at the white thread stage.

Thistle - If we get them early they won’t be a problem, but we have a pretty well established population.

Cheet Grass and Crab Grass - Mary K has an identification graphic for the Crab Grass and Rye (a cover crop). If we get them early they aren’t a problem.

None of the above weeds should be composted.

Chicory & Dandelion - debatable as weeds. It has medicinal value. We have been cutting it at the top and leaving the roots in the ground, selectively taking out roots where we want plants. They’re both actually pretty easy to manage and both can be used in compost.

All Season Management:

If we keep our weeds population down we have been able to take them home for residential composting. This hasn’t been the case, so we also take them by the pickup truck load to Diamond Street Recycling for $8 per load.

Thick mulch greatly reduces the number of weeds, and those that do survive through the mulch are weakened and easy to pull. We mulch to maintain soil moisture and increase soil health with organic matter each season. No spot treating the rows!

That depends on the number of gardeners we have to start the season and how many folks want to start a lot of plants. But this year would be a good year for it. An ideal time is around Mother’s Day. Any plants we don’t sell can be gifted out.

We can also consider growing additional plants for sharing with community members at events. It’s a hard year, and some easy-to-grow plants for small spaces would be best.

BEST Question Ever!

• Gardener follow up calls/texts when they don’t make it.

• Gardener and volunteer support when they start. Applies mostly for any mid season gardeners that may join if we need more folx.

• Weeds take home

• Help designing and constructing a trellising system.

• Record keeping (optional but a durned good idea - often a grant requirement or funder requirement):

  Crop list

  Weighing food

  Donated food (boxed, weighed, valued)