Lexington Interfaith Garden

From: Marilyn Lund

Today the jobs were all outside in the garden.  Some of us prepared the soil for a half a row of broccoli and a half a row of cabbage.  These seedlings will be transplanted when they are about 3 inches high.

Three of us worked on laying more wet newspaper on the path that borders the  chard/broccoli/cabbage patch.   We continued this path on down the length of the garden.  Then we laid it across the back of the garden and down along the fence on the church side of the garden.  Another of the group came along with bales of straw and spread it on the wet paper.  The paths are now clearly marked EXCEPT between the rows of chard and broccoli/cabbage.  So be careful to notice the row markers in that area.

Several people worked to put the netting up on poles so that the peas can find it when they literally pop out of the ground and begin their very fast growth.  Those peas are not in the soil yet, but they will be soon.  Several varieties are being planted.

And then there were the people who weeded along the fence, inside and out, to cut down on invasive weeds during the growing season.

Altogether a very productive and satisfying day.  Thanks, Carla.  It is fun to work together.  We’ll be back on Saturday.

From: Marilyn Lund

Today was the first day that volunteers worked in the Garden in the rain.  A heavy rain fell all of Tuesday morning but by  2:00 P.M. this had settled down to a gentle light rain and drizzle and Carla was ready to go.  Ten of us arrived and Carla doled out the tasks for the day.

1.      Plant one more short row of swiss chard

2.      Do a little weeding

3.       And, most important, measure the garden and then measure sections that will be planted with specific crops.  We had to decide how much space will be given to peas, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, corn,  potatoes, etc. AND, when one crop goes by, what goes into its place for the next part of the growing season.

Carla asked us to come into her home and sit down to help her plan.  BUT FIRST she introduced all of us to her chickens and their coop in the “basement” of the barn.  They are handsome birds—and very lucky to have such a home.  After FOOD, INC. we all knew that.

The planning went well.  Jenny and Geoff Ramseyer were with us and Jenny took the notes for planning.  Jenny and Geoff are students at the High School.  About 6:00 we left Carla to put the plan on graph paper.   A couple of onions are already peeking through the soil, so the Interfaith Garden, 2010, is well under way.

From: Amy Swanson

Preparing the beds

We had another beautiful day at the Garden.  Here’s what we did:

-Planted a few rows of different kinds of peas
-Lost and then found a packet of peas
-Planted parsley
-Started clearing and prepping walking paths thru the garden.

The idea is to have a walking area which doesn’t have weeds and is better defined amid the seedlings and plants.  So the process entailed hoeing out weeds and then spreading wet newspaper (6 layers thick)  topped by a layer of straw. Wetting the newspaper means they stay put and don’t blow away. This layer of newspaper/straw will inhibit weeds.  And if you do this in your own garden, try to avoid the newspaper with colored print, such as the comics.
– Clearing more of the edge of the garden.

Here’s one of the things I learned yesterday:
There’s a difference between straw and hay. You definitely want to use only straw in your garden for mulching purposes.  Hay has seeds so will leave behind weeds!  Straw doesn’t have seeds.

From: Amy Swanson

After working the first day in the garden, I just have to report that we are gardening in an awesome spot and Carla, our head gardener, is a true teacher!  After 3 days of rain I expected mud and had bought  rain boots for that eventuality.  Instead we worked in rich, organic soil that left boots dirty, but not muddy…and the sun shone!  It was glorious.

So what did we do?
-Spread and raked composted manure (all done!)
-Raked up and removed leftover stalks and old plants to the compost bin
-Planted zinnia and onion seeds in pots which will later be transplanted to the garden

Carla has a chalk board outside the garden where she has written what will be done that afternoon so we knew what to expect.  And then she put us to various tasks, always being the patient teacher. So did you know that you want to put 4″ of manure on the asparagus plot but don’t need as much on the rest of the garden?

On Thursday we will be working to clear more of the edges of the garden bordering the fence.  Rumor has it that the zinnias will go in that area.

Just thought I’d let you know.  And for those working on Thursday, don’t forget your garden gloves.  And your shoes will get dirty, but looks like mud is not in the forecast.

The blessed work begins!  We’ve been reassured that despite the monsoon over the past few days, work will start tomorrow.

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