Hi all,
Garden notes:
I hope your gardens are growing well! Many of our crops are flourishing, but there are always plants here and there that just don't make it. There is so much to learn, and much that happens underground where it's harder to see the problem. Suddenly your broccoli is stunted and flops over. Root maggots? Cutworms? Some kind of root rot? Oftentimes we just don't know, and hope for the best from the next crop we rotate in.
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| the lettuce is doing exceptionally well this spring |
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| volunteer Laura taking a much deserved break |
I'm about to head to Portugal from May 23-June 15. It's a long time to be away from the gardens, and I miss them so much when I travel. But I'm always on the lookout for gardens to visit and searching for good ideas to share at home. I know Taylor and Emily and our volunteers will keep things happy and growing here.
We had a terrific group from Salesforce come out on May 7- the same team that donated the greenhouse. They helped us weed, mulch, lay landscape fabric, prep tables for waterproofing, work at the Portola garden, and clear out the second large garden bed that we are going to reclaim this summer for new raised flower beds at Ft. Scott. We couldn't get all our work done without volunteers!
Upcoming dates:
June 9, 10am-1pm Garden Resource Day at
Ft. Scott Community Garden-compost, seedlings, mulch, tools
June 21, 4-7pm Summer Solstice Pizza Potluck
RSVP here by June 17
Intern posts:
Hi Presidio Gardeners! I would like to start off this post
by introducing myself. My name is Emily and I’m a recent addition to the
community gardening team here at the Presidio. I’m very excited to be
interning for this program and have loved working with Jean, Taylor, and all of
you so far. With that being said, let’s talk about gardening!
For my first very blog post I would like to share some
information about one of my favorite gardening subjects: heirloom crops! In
this post I’m going to give a basic introduction to heirloom seeds and crop
varieties, then talk about why they’re important and, lastly, give you some
resources on where you can learn more about them.
There are three categories of seeds in circulation:
heirloom, hybrids, and genetically-modified. Heirloom plants are cultivars that
have existed through open pollination and seed-saving for over fifty years
(give or take a few years). The word “heirloom” describes a family treasure
that has been passed down through the generations so, essentially, heirloom
crops are vintage plants. These crop varieties own unique qualities and often
unusual names such as Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce, Rouge Vif d’Etamps squash,
and Radiator Charlie’s Mortgage Lifter tomatoes.
So why are
heirlooms so important?
1. Resiliency.
Preserving genetic diversity increases resiliency and food security. More
genetic diversity in crops decreases the threat of crop failure, famine, and
disease. Preserving genetic diversity in different variety cultivars is so important
that “seed banks” have been established to store and preserve seeds. The most
famous of these is called the
Svalbard
Global Seed Vault. Located in Norway, this seed vault hold of 930,000 seed
samples! If you’re interested in seed banks or locally sourced seeds there’s
the
Petaluma Seed Bank
in downtown Petaluma that has 1,500 different types of heirloom seeds for sale!
2. Health.
Diversity in your diet is good for your health. Heirloom crops come in so
many different varieties. Tomatoes, for example, come in about 7,500 different
varieties! More variety in your diet helps to supply you with a broader
spectrum of nutrients. Plus, heirloom crop varieties tend to be higher in
nutrients overall. Remember, variety is the spice of life!
3. History and Culture.
Heirlooms are pieces of living history that help maintain a connection to
times past and cultural heritage. Heirloom crop varieties are vitally important
to preserving and maintaining traditional practices and are still essential to
modern ways of life in some cultures.
4. Flavor and Aesthetics.
Heirloom
crops are definitely more flavorful and come in so many different shapes, sizes,
and colors! Check out a picture of all these different types of
tomatoes!
Heirloom crops are often not sold in grocery stores so growing them in your own
garden is a great way to experience the all unique flavors and stunning beauty
heirlooms have to offer.
If you’re interested in learning more about heirloom seeds
or purchasing some for your garden check out the links below. It’s fascinating
to browse the seed catalogs and see all the different types of crops and read
the unique cultivar names!
