Feb 13-19: Seed Viability

Started seed viability tests to see if old seed packets were still good, before deciding to order new seeds.  Put seeds on wet paper towels in little Tupperware boxes.  Most seeds that will sprout do so in a week, but a few types (most notably parsley, celery, eggplant) have to be kept 2 weeks before deciding if they are still viable.

February 18: Sixty degree joy in the February garden!

Bill Hopkins did a great job pruning the dwarf apple trees and cherry tree.  Thanks Bill!

 A view of the garden..still looks a bit bleak, but with a string of 60+ degree F. February days, it was a joy to be back out in the garden!

 New gloves for a new season!  Won't look like this for long!

 Ana Hlavatovich back volunteering with the mint bed!  thanks Ana!

A Plan for the 2017 Garden

All beds moved north 3 spaces from 2016 garden, in order to diminish insect pest damage. 

November 2016

Nov. 1: Lemon verbena and rosemary dug for indoor winter survival, but much of herb garden still looking good....a very mild autumn

Nov. 4  Peppers abundant now that they can get more light as tomato vines wither.

 and most beds cleared for next spring.

 Greenhouse in position over cold frame over autumn spinach and lettuce.

 Lettuce growing under greenhouse

Spinach in cold frame, under greenhouse.

  Nov. 16: Greenhouse covered in plastic for winter.

Nov. 17:  Finished Master Gardener Classes today....10 weeks this fall, every Thursday, 9 am - 3:30 pm.  Lots of information.  Lots of work.  Lots of amazingly knowledgeable instructors. 

Nov. 23:  Used the last of the garden's pumpkins for Thanksgiving pies today. 

October 2016

October 2: 16" long Sugarsnax Carrot!  Tastes great!

 October 4: 
Potatoes harvested for Sage Dinner: scrubbed and drying in the Anderson Center kitchen

 Oct. 11
Gorgeous sunflowers--a late summer planting by the campers

 Oct 16:
 Swallowtail caterpillar in my kitchen....came home with the dill!

Oct 18: Garlic planted in bed 9

 Oct. 18:  Thanks to Bill Hopkins, new strawberries planted and top mulched in top fruit bed.

September 2016

September 1, 2016  
Mint, chard, beans, potatoes, and raspberry jelly

Ana Hlavatovich volunteers tending the overgrown mint garden, as the pumpkin and squash vines grow into it.

The chard is beautiful

The yellow beans have produced for weeks.

Late planted potatoes growing in foreground.  In the background are the potatoes planted in spring and not harvested yet.

So many raspberries....Mashing them for jelly.

Straining the crushed raspberries through the jelly bag.

7 jars of raspberry jelly right out of the canner.

September 2, 2016: Apples, bindweed*#!, and nasturtiums

 The apples are few but delicious!

 We thought we had the bindweed all out of the upper fruit bed, ready for strawberry planting.  But I just weeded half the bed again.   The photo shows all the weeds in the other half of the bed.

Nasturtiums are having a very happy fall!

September 7 and 10: Pole Beans!

September 18 and 23:  Good Bugs and Bad!

 Cabbage moths attack the cabbage!

A praying mantis hangs out on the pineapple sage!

August 11, 2016 Campers' Harvest

Campers harvest beans, turnips, tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini