I'm getting excited for our Fall Pizza Potluck this Saturday! RSVP here if you plan to attend
On the menu: homemade pizza dough, tomato sauce from the garden, caramelized garden onions, pickled garden vegetables, and garden zucchini cake. Looks like the gardens will produce a nice green salad, a cucumber-tomato-and green bean salad, crispy broccoli, and for the pizzas: arugula, zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, and leeks. The volunteer department has contributed 2 logs of mozzarella, but more cheese would be a good thing to bring. I hope to see you there!
Bucket Returns
Also, a reminder that if you borrowed buckets from me to transport compost to your garden plot, please return them! Our next compost giveaway is on Thursday, Oct. 10 and I'm short a lot of buckets. I don't have any others, so please return them by Tuesday the 8th. Thank you!
Plot Checks
Finally, fall plot checks are coming up at the end of the month. Make sure you've removed any plants that are making seeds or flowers and cleaned up dead/ end of season plants. This will help reduce pests as well.
Fall garden pests
Has your garden been decimated by critters this fall? You're not alone, unfortunately. I lost a whole crop of beets to an unknown raider- rat? raccoon? They worked around the radishes and turnips and didn't eat the beet tops, either. Many crops are also being affected by root maggots- different species of fly attack different crops, but almost all crops are susceptible: radish, carrot, Brassicas, turnip, onions... Or maybe your new plantings were all nibbled by meadow voles. All of these can feel so defeating. For me, it makes me so thankful and appreciative of the organic farmers out there who manage to grow all the beautiful vegetables that show up in the weekly farmers market on Clement Street.
What can you do?
- Try planting things pests don't love. Arugula, chard, leeks, and bitter greens are a good start.
- Use floating row cover to keep out the flies that lay eggs that become root maggots.
- Rotate crops in your plot.
- Spray beneficial nematodes that prey on the root maggots.
- Fashion some exclusion cages out of 1/4" hardware cloth to cover smaller plants.
