Watering/ in the news/ Thursday compost+seedlings/ pests/ places to learn more

Hi everyone,

Are the community gardens providing you with a chance to get outside, enjoy the flowers, and harvest something for dinner? I hope you are finding a small piece of calm when much of the world around us feels unstable. I have heard from many folks visiting and working in the gardens about how much they appreciate being able to enjoy the spaces we all work to maintain. So thank you for being part of this community. If you are unable to tend your garden, please get in touch with me so I can help out: jkoch@presidiotrust.gov

 


As the regular rains have ended, make sure to add once or twice a week watering to your routine. Seeds and seedlings are vulnerable to drying out.

ABC7 came to the garden and produced a small story about how we're adapting and supporting essential workers in the park. Check it out here

This Thursday from 2-5pm I will again be at the Ft Scott Community Garden giving out compost and any seedlings that are ready. For sure there is lettuce, chicory, radicchio, and kale. If you have more food in your garden than you and your neighbors can eat, feel free to bring it to share.

What's happening in the gardens?
Chard, kale, lettuce, beets, mustard greens and other crops are starting to bolt- that means they are getting taller (and in the case of lettuce, very bitter) so that their flowers are closer to the bees. If your plants are doing this, it's time to harvest and pull them out.

The new growth on kale attracts aphids by the hundreds. Read here to learn what that looks like and what to do.

You may also see necrotic tissue on spinach, chard, and beet greens. That is the result of leaf miner larvae eating the tissue inside the leaves. Read here to learn more about that.

Places to learn more

*Master Gardeners are now offering in-person Helpline hours every Wednesday from 10:30am-2pm at the San Francisco Botanical Garden library. This is a wonderful resource for getting free gardening advice and pest and plant identification from trained volunteers. No appointment needed.

http://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/

*Due to the pandemic, we at Alemany Farm are taking our spring workshop series online. On May 2 we're hosting a video and then Zoom Q&A titled Organic Gardening 101. 

Details here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/get-your-garden-growing-introduction-to-spring-vegetable-gardening-with-alemany-farm-tickets-102325297720 

Spring planting cut-off waived/ Good hygiene at the gardens/ Compost and seedlings/ Applesauce Muffins

Hi everyone,

I've added a few notes to the previous post about spots to find supplies for the gardens. I'll continue to update that as I have new information.

Spring Planting Cut-off: scheduled for 4/14, but following SF Rec and Park lead, I'll be suspending plot use requirements for the spring. However, if your plot is overgrown with weeds, full of flowering vegetables, or infested with pests, I'll be contacting you about clearing it out-it's still important to prevent problems by staying on top of plot maintenance. If you are unable to care for your plot, please let me know and we can find a solution. I do expect to have summer plot checks in July.

Iris at the Portola Garden

hummingbird in the Ft Scott garden

Shared garden spaces: a reminder that if you are tending your plot, you will likely be touching shared surfaces. Please be mindful of gate latches, water faucets, hoses, community tools etc. as surfaces that could be of increased risk of exposure. Please use good hygiene around shared surfaces. The best advice is to wear gloves and wash them in hot water between uses, bring your own tools, and avoid touching your face while in the garden. You can also bring disinfecting wipes or spray to the garden to clean surfaces prior to touching them. There is no cleaning being done by the Trust at the community gardens. As always, and as covered by the membership agreement, use of the community garden spaces is at your own risk. Please maintain recommended physical distancing while in the garden.

Compost and seedlings: I will continue to have compost available for pick up at the Ft Scott Community garden on Thursday afternoons from 2-5pm. If there are seedlings ready, they will be available then as well. This week there is lettuce. Please plan to return borrowed buckets and plant pots for reuse. Thanks!

Recipe: using pantry staples- quick, easy, and good!
Applesauce Muffins
inspired by chocolatecoveredkatie.com

1 c applesauce
3 T oil
2-3 T milk
2 t vanilla
2 t white/cider vinegar
--> whisk together

1 c flour
2 T flax seed/powder
2 T chia seeds
2 T oats
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t b. soda
1/2 t b. powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t allspice
--> mix together, add wet to dry

Bake 350F, about 20 mins. This recipe made 10 muffins in my tins and are around 115 calories each. I found it to be very flexible- almond milk, regular milk, add raisins, use white, white whole wheat, whole wheat, oat flour... I added the flax, chia, and oats which they aren't in the original recipe. She also suggests coconut or walnuts. Great with an afternoon cup of tea! Enjoy-

Presidio Community Gardens update: compost/ seedlings/ maintenance/ pests/ Chard Pie

Hi everyone,

After being asked not to go to work on 3/16, some of us have been asked to come back to work if possible. So I'd like to continue to support all of you as much as possible during this challenging time. I hope that one bright side to being sequestered at home is more time to be outside tending your garden plots and practicing your gardening skills! And I hope you are all healthy and well.

I've looked around to see what supplies might be available. If you have any to add, please email me.
I saw some tomato plants and herbs for sale at the Marina Safeway.
Rainbow Grocery usually has seedlings and seeds.
Large stores such as Home Depot are open, with shorter hours.
Baker Creek Seeds: shipping seeds, with delays: https://www.rareseeds.com/
Territorial Seeds: doesn't have any notices about changes https://territorialseed.com/pages/vegetables
Johnny's Seeds: only shipping to commercial customers
Sloat: from their Facebook page "We have a wide selection of vegetables, herbs, and flowers in our stores -- plus seeds! Call our stores directly to inquire about curbside pickup and delivery."
Garden for the Environment has also posted some sources for garden supplies: https://www.gardenfortheenvironment.org/growing-gardeners

*added 4/6/20
OAEC “open” according to schedule for online pre-orders. For the safety of our staff, residents, and customers, we are not accepting drop-in visitors at any time. Please do not show up to the nursery without pre-ordering and getting a confirmation with a designated pick up time from us first. https://oaec.org/plant-nursery/

*as of 4/11/20 the Grand Lake Ace Hardware in Piedmont (Oakland) had some vegetable starts, but pretty much no seeds. It was a really nice nursery with a lot of other useful supplies- trellises, Safer insecticidal soap, etc.

COMPOST
I will set out compost in buckets for you to come pick up at the Ft Scott Community Garden during the following times. If you come and someone else is there, please wait in your vehicle for them to load up and leave. 
Tuesday 4/7        2-5pm
Wednesday 4/8  10am-1pm
Thursday 4/9      2-5pm
Please plan to return the empty buckets on the same day- I'll need them to refill for the next round. 

SEEDLINGS
I don't have many seedlings to give away right now, but seeing how short gardening supplies are (victory gardening is taking off around the country), I'll work on getting more starts to give away. That will take about 6-8 weeks.

GARDEN MAINTENANCE
I've been visiting most of the gardens to install plot numbers on the outside of the beds. While there I have done a lot of pathway weeding, which I'd like to remind you is each individual gardeners responsibility. I have no volunteers helping take care of our common spaces, so please, please find some weeds (in this case a weed is any plant) in the pathways of your neighborhood garden and pull them. 

Additionally, I've been looking over the beds and sending out messages to folks whose plots are weedy or overgrown. I'm offering assistance to those who need it- please contact me if you are away, sick, or feeling overwhelmed with life! I'm willing to help out to prevent weeds or vegetables from going to seed and creating more and bigger problems in the future. We're all in this together.

PESTS
Warm weather, new growth and changing seasons mean that lots of critters are feasting on your plants. Pests can just be a gross annoyance, or they can debilitate your plant and mean you won't get to harvest anything. Don't be the source of pests that will spread around your garden- find them and treat or remove them.

Leaf miners: spinach, chard, beet leaves- remove eggs
Grey aphids: kales, broccoli family plants- use Safer insecticidal soap or similar
Black aphids: onions, garlic, leeks, chives, fava beans- ditto
UCIPM Aphids

Need a bug or plant identified? Take a photo and email or text it to me! 

RECIPE
Last year's chard plants are starting to bolt- they are getting tall and ready to flower. That means it's time to harvest all the leaves and pull out the plant. What to do with lots of chard? 
My favorite way to use up a whole brown bag of Swiss Chard (about 3 bunches) is Chard Pie!

Martha Stewart's olive oil crust:
2 1/2 c flour (I used white and white whole wheat. we liked whole wheat better)
3/4 tsp coarse salt
1/3 c olive oil (I've also used avocado oil)
1/2 c cold water
*combine ingredients in bowl, stir with fork, turn out and knead 1 minute
*cover with plastic wrap (I use a ziplock bag so I can wash and reuse it) and rest at room temperature 30 minutes
*Roll 2/3 of dough to 12 1/2" round, Fit into 8" round cake pan at least 2" deep. 

Filling:
oil to saute 
1 medium red onion
4 garlic cloves
3 pounds of chard- small dice on stems, leaves cut into ribbons
1-2 oz feta
1/3 c chopped black olives
lemon zest and 1 Tbsp juice
1-2 eggs
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

I saute the onions, then add the garlic and the chopped stems. Since it's a lot of greens, I add them in batches and empty into a colander in the sink as the pan gets full. You want to get out a lot of the moisture (squeeze cooled greens). Then put in large bowl and add everything else. 
*Add filling to crust.
*Roll rest of dough to 9 1/2" round- place on top. Pinch and seal edges. Cut vents. Brush top with milk or egg. 
*You can freeze the whole thing at this point. Or bake 375F about 1 hour. I freeze leftover baked, cut slices.