Tax Day update! April 15 garden notes

April has been a great month so far- there are flowers blooming everywhere, there's still been some rain, and most of the garden plots are looking fantastic! We've had some really lovely open garden sessions around the Presidio- neighbors coming out and meeting each other, garden members sharing extra seedlings and produce, and lots of information exchanged about pests, how to plant, and when to harvest. 

We also had a fun volunteer event yesterday afternoon- we screened enough worm castings to fill 14 five gallon buckets and chatted about how we make compost in the Presidio. Coffee and pastries rounded out a sunny two hours. Thanks to those of you who came out and helped! Our next event will be May 26 at the Native Plant Nursery! RSVP here

Here's the upcoming schedule. We hope to continue to bring out a few seedlings when we visit the gardens. 

4/15  1-3pm Portola Plot Checks and Open Garden

4/18  4:30-6pm  BBA#2 Open Garden

          6-7pm  BBA#1 Open Garden

4/20  10-12pm West Washington Plot Checks and Open Garden

4/25  2-4pm SBB Plot Checks and Open Garden

         5-7pm West Washington Open Garden

5/1    2-4pm Ft. Scott Plot Checks and Open Garden

         5-6pm BBA#4 Open Garden

         6-7pm BBA #3 Open garden

5/5    Baker Beach Plot Checks and Open Garden

             9am at #1

           10am at #2

           11 am at #3

           12pm at #4

5/9     5-7pm SBB Open Garden (Mackenzie)

5/10   2-4pm MacArthur Plot Checks and Open Garden (Mackenzie)

5/17   1-3pm Portola Plot Checks and Open Garden (Mackenzie)

5/19* 5-7pm MacArthur Open Garden *note this is a Thursday

5/20   2-4pm West Washington Plot Checks and Open Garden

5/23   5-7pm Portola Open Garden

5/25   10-12pm SBB Plot Checks and Open Garden

5/26   4-6pm May's Special Event: Presidio Native Plant Nursery tour and potwashing volunteering

          RSVP on Eventbrite here

Save the date for a Summer Solstice Pizza Happy Hour on Thursday June 23 from 3-7pm!

What to do in your garden plot this spring:

• As the rain tapers off, water when the soil dries out. Check it every 2-3 days by sticking your finger in the soil down about 2". If it's dry, water.
• IPM- use integrated pest management techniques to head off pest problems. That means spending some time looking at your plant leaves- top and bottom- and removing eggs and aphids. Do this every few days when you visit your garden and your plants will have a much better chance of thriving. Aren't sure what to look for? Come out during an Open Garden session and we'll show you. Active pests: aphids, leaf miners, and Cabbage White butterfly larvae.
• Enjoy the greens you planted earlier! You don't need to wait until you have an entire lettuce head- start harvesting a few leaves off of each plant as it grows. You'll extend your harvest season.
• Consider applying an organic fertilizer or top dress with more compost. Feed the soil to feed your plants.

Great Blue Heron doing some IPM for us- we saw it eat one huge gopher and an unidentified smaller rodent! At the Ft. Scott Community Garden: