Mulching 5-29-14

5-29-14

The beans are beginning their climb!

5-29-14

The square-foot garden continues to thrive.

5-29-14

Leaf mulch was added around the tomatoes.

5-29-14

Leaf mulch was also added to the back bed to help keep down the weeds and to conserve water.

We do have action shots but be assured that several EMGV interns were involved in spreading this mulch. 

In case you do not think mulch is great, review this publication by Dr. Mark Schonbeck, Virginia Association for Biological Farming.

Baby Pictures 5-23-14

 

5-23-14 

      Here is the garden receiving some early morning sunshine.

Below, are some of this year's best baby pictures.

5-23-14

Sir Lima Bean

5-23-14 
The Zinnia Family!

                                                             5-23-14
                                                           Mr. Zucchini                                                                
                                                                 

5-23-14 
Ms. Yellow Squash







and finally,

 

                                                                   5-23-14

                                                                                   Mr. and Mrs. Patty Pan Squash 

Workday 5-17-14

5-17-14

Gardens require labor and our excellent EMGV interns are making this garden possible.

5-17-14

Radishes are such an easy crop to grow. Both the roots and the leaves are edible. What can better add more spice to a fresh salad than radishes?

5-17-14

In the foreground, a volunteer potato from last year was pardoned and allowed to stay. We also planted lima beans and okra in this bed. The crops planted on Family Garden Day at the far end of this bed continue to thrive.

5-17-14

Our "Salsa Garden" is fully planted. In the foreground, we planted in some zinnias as a pollinator and to add color to our garden. Also, the zinnias make wonderful cut flowers that can be harvested weekly.

Here is an interesting Manuel for growing cut flowers. Zinnias are mentioned throughout.

Here is an issue with zinnias to look out for if you plant them. 

5-17-14

Here is a close up of our square-foot Salsa Garden. Peppers are in the foreground and the tomatoes are in the back. Notice how one pepper is planted per square. The same is NOT true for tomatoes, which require 4 squares each.

5-17-14

Shortly, the garden will takeoff! 

Stay tuned!

Shots From around the Garden 5-14-14

5-14-14

The cool season garden is still strong. Just look at the kale, lettuce, spinach, and mustard!

5-14-14

               The lettuce in the front has been picked through multiple times, yet it still looks  great.

                                                              5-14-14
Swiss Chard is growing exceptionally well this year. Despite its beauty, we need someone to harvest and eat this gorgeous plant. Here is a great publication to learn more about Swiss Chard and how to put it in your garden.  

5-14-14

We finally planted our tomatoes. The row against the fence is  loaded with various cherry tomato varieties and the front row near the path has our with slicing tomatoes. We hope to keep the cherry tomatoes under control this season! 

We will update with exact varieties at some point.

5-14-14

Our "Salsa Garden" is now planted. The cilantro in the foreground was feeling quite lonely.

5-14-14

The green beans are off to a strong start! 

Pictures from May 6, 2014

Below are some pictures from around the garden on May 6, 2014.  We will soon plant our summer crops.

This is the same square of radishes from shown in
 a previous post. Notice how rapidly they grew. Too
 bad more people do not liked eating them (leaves
and roots are edible)! Once again, they need thinning.  

Here is a view of one of our square foot gardens.
 Many of the squares are doing well and the rest
will be planted soon. Additionally, it is time to put
away our season extending hoops until the fall.

This bed is from was planted during the Family
Gardening Day. Everything survived the
20-degree low temperatures we experienced
 shortly after its planting.

The lettuce in the center square is really coming on strong.
 Also, the kale behind the sign is doing well.

Our beans are thriving. No hole-munching pests,
 specifically bean beetles, have found them yet
like in the nearby community garden.

Our summer planting will soon add much greenery to
this sparsely planted garden. 

Here is an update on the tomato seedlings from before.
They should be ready for a late planting by June.