Happy New Year- Garden resource day/ plot checks/ volunteering

Welcome to 2020!

 

Our first garden resource day of the new year is this Saturday from 11am-2pm at the Ft Scott Community Garden. Come by to borrow a shovel and turn your soil, then add some compost to your plot. You'll be ready to plant!

Garden resource days will happen monthly, generally on the second Saturday if my schedule permits (May will be on the 16th, not the 9th). 

Check the Google calendar on this blog for updates (scroll down to find it).

Winter plot checks are just around the corner- starting next Tuesday the 14th I'll be visiting the gardens to make sure things are looking tidy and weeded. Warnings will go out if you haven't cleaned up the remains of summer crops like tomatoes, or if your plot has too many weeds, vegetables overgrown and flowering, or generally looks like you haven't touched it since November. The weeds grow fast, so if you haven't been out in the past month, I'd recommend a visit soon. Don't forget to spend time weeding the pathways while the plants are tiny- we all need to work together to have well-tended and inviting neighborhood spaces!

the narcissus are in full bloom
at Ft Scott Garden right now

• 1/13 - Ft Scott 
• 1/14 - MacArthur, Portola 
• 1/20 - Baker Beach, South Baker Beach 
• 1/21 - Lendrum Ct, West Washington

What to plant in January (Golden Gate Gardening)

Collard greens, kohlrabi, leeks, mustard greens, onion seeds and sets, turnip seeds

What to plant in February

Fava beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrot seeds, chard, collard greens, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsnip seeds, peas, potatoes, radish seeds, spinach, turnips

Garden updates

Thanks to all the garden members who joined in the fun of winter wreath making in December! 

 

Once or twice a month there are Trust sponsored Garden Stewards days when we host volunteer programs at the neighborhood community garden sites. This month we'll be at MacArthur on 1/9 and Ft. Scott on 1/23- come out and lend a hand! Plus there are snacks :)

Drop in volunteer hours at the Ft Scott Community Garden- many thanks to the small, but dedicated group of volunteers who help make the Ft. Scott Community Garden such a lovely place. In the first 3 months of this fiscal year they contributed 120 hours! I'm also looking for a few people who would like to help harvest for the restaurant program- one or two hours of low-impact activity and a chance to learn more about gardening- sounds great, doesn't it? If you are interested in helping out, get in touch! 

Bill rescuing the CA Buckeye from vines

Wreath making/ updates/ Plot checks and Compost dates for winter 2020

Winter wreath making - December 14 we'll have our last special event of the year. RSVP here and join us at the Presidio Native Plant Nursery!

Garden updates:

• Weeds: I've already started seeing Oxalis pes-caprae in the gardens and it hasn't even rained yet! This pesky and persistent weed is one to start pulling now. As we enter the winter and the (hopefully) rainy season, make plans to visit your plot every few weeks to stay on top of the weeds in the plots AND in the pathways. We worked hard this year to weed and mulch the garden paths- please do your required part to keep them weeded. Other weeds to look for: Common Chickweed, Cheeseweed, popweed, and Miner's lettuce. Some of these you can eat, but please don't let them become established in your garden- they aren't on the approved plant list.  
• Greenhouse clean-out: for the first time since we built it, the greenhouse is empty and undergoing a thorough cleaning to get ready for new seedlings and 2020 planting! 
• In the plots: lettuce, chard, kale, peas, broccoli, carrots, radish, cauliflower and cabbages are all doing beautifully. I have seen a lot of aphids though, so still keep an eye out for them. The colder weather discourages a lot of pests- early winter is a great time for leaf-miner free chard, and Brassicas not being devoured by cabbage white butterfly larvae. 
• Rain, or no rain? Don't forget to keep watering your gardens until the rains start. 

September in the Ft Scott Garden

Calendar updates:

• Saturday Garden Resource Days start on January 11, 11am-2pm and continue through the spring on second Saturdays with compost, seedlings when available (probably not until February), and the opportunity to borrow shovels and other large tools.You can take compost home in one of my buckets, but you need to return them that week- they are a hot commodity in the gardens!

• The next round of plot checks will happen in mid-January
• 1/13 - Ft Scott 
• 1/14 - MacArthur, Portola 
• 1/17 - Baker Beach, South Baker Beach 
• 1/21 - Lendrum Ct, West Washington 

• Spring Planting Cut-off (Use it or Lose it) all garden plots must be weeded and planted for spring by April 14, 2020. Don't wait until the deadline or you will miss the BEST planting season in San Francisco. Seriously- early winter/late spring is your garden's best friend. Take advantage of it. And don't just take my word for it: Get your garden going in January through March; Why winter is a great time to plant edibles

• There will be evening garden visits again this year beginning after March 8 (daylight savings time). I'll announce those once I know more about my spring schedule.

Enjoy the holiday season with friends and family! 

October: pizza/ compost bucket returns/ fall pests

Hi all,

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.

Root maggots