Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Four Beds Were Sown Before The Rain
Today's rain was welcome at our house. Folks showed up last week and helped get several beds dug and planted. We now have our Sugar Ann peas in the ground along with Danvers carrots, mustard, Red Ace beets and spinach. April 3rd, we'll plant potatoes when a crew from Warren Wilson College come out to help. Barring a freak freeze in April, we're off to a great start. Join us Wednesday, March 31st for our first "Official" work night from 6:00 - 8:00.
The Lord's Acre Sets 2010 Volunteer Times
Hi Everyone,
Starting this week, it's official:
Starting this week, it's official:
Wednesday Nights are Back
6:00 - 8:00
We'll slowly move into our full schedule as the need demands. In addition, within a few weeks we intend to have worknights on Mondays and harvest nights onThursdays as well. Because Food For Fairview opens its doors on Fridays, Friday mornings continues to be harvest day.
We think this schedule allows everyone more of an opportunity to find a night (or morning) that works for them. And since Thursday nights will be for pre-harvesting, everyone can now have the chance to experience the joy of seeing and harvesting the fruits of our labors. (Saturdays did not have a good showing last year so we will reserve Saturdays for large groups).
We will soon be announcing several educational opportunities as well. On Monday nights, at 6:00, there'll be a 20-minute mini-workshop pertaining to something happening in the garden that night. On Wednesdays at 6:00, we'll have a "Walk-About" - a quick walk around the garden while we talk outloud about what we see, what needs to be done, and what's going on in our minds as we look at each bed and the garden as a whole. So if you're wanting to beef up your gardening know-how in particular or understand the larger concept of TLA, plan to attend one or both of these volunteer nights. April Peterson, our volunteer coordinator, is also trying to line up 'big name' garden speakers once a month for hour-long workshops. We hope this emphasis on education helps.
One idea we're all behind this year is holding potlucks in the garden. We have a committee working on this and if you want to be part of helping make that happen, please let us know. From talking with other similar gardens, potlucks are a unifying factor and sharing a meal in the garden is a special way we can do this.
We look forward to seeing everyone from last year and all the new faces that have told us they're eager to join the three-fold mission of The Lord's Acre: food, community, education.
Sincerely,
Susan Sides
Monday, March 22, 2010
What A Difference A Day Makes
March 20th, 2010
Official first day of spring
vs
March 22nd, 2010
Even the daffodils get a dusting.
And so does the squill. Peas love a little snow though and
they're overdue for planting. This week? We hope so.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Welcome Home Spring
March 20th. 
Spring -we've missed you! Franklin plowed the potato patch today and readied two beds. April 3rd will be potato planting day if the weather holds. We'll have a Warren Wilson crew helping us that day but all are welcome. As soon as we dry out from tomorrow's predicted rain, we'll hold this year's first workday. Keep an eye on the email list for notification.
Spring -we've missed you! Franklin plowed the potato patch today and readied two beds. April 3rd will be potato planting day if the weather holds. We'll have a Warren Wilson crew helping us that day but all are welcome. As soon as we dry out from tomorrow's predicted rain, we'll hold this year's first workday. Keep an eye on the email list for notification.Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Of Seeds and Squirrels' Ears
(
Like me, you probably began dreaming about this garden season sometime during one of those deep, winter snows when the possibility of weeds and early blight seemed as remote as a healthy economy. Or maybe you were too busy sledding, hiking, shoveling or shivering to notice. Either way, hello Fairview, it really is spring! March 20th was the official date though nature rarely agrees with the calendar. Neither do most gardening centers, which insist on putting out a first wave of broccoli, cabbage and even lettuce starts only weeks after the Super Bowl. Like the chlorophyll junkies we are, the lure of those little green veggie starts is just too great that time of year, even when we know it’s eight weeks too early to plant anything but favas outdoors.
So if neither the spring equinox nor the garden centers are of any help in determining planting dates, what is? You might think a planting dates chart (http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/NC/Asheville) is the answer and that’s a very good place to start. Such charts are based on the official planting zone chart (http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). On the zone chart Fairview is considered zone six but then, so are parts of Texas, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Go figure.
Thankfully there’s a better way to know when to plant out – phenology. Phen who? Phenology is a fancy way of saying the things people have observed for eons. It was the passion of Carl Linnaeus (the father of plant taxonomy) and Aldo Leopold (A Sand County Almanac) and is studied by universities for its usefulness in predicting everything from planting dates to when allergy sufferers can expect a bad spring. Put simply, it is the area of science that looks at recurring biological phenomena and how they relate to weather. Bird migration, the appearance of insects, and the blooming cycles of wildflowers and trees are just some of what plays into the dance of phenology. This type of data has been recorded by laypeople and academics for centuries and has nothing to do with the folklore of Punxsutawney Phil or woolly worm forecasting.
Do you know someone who always plants their beans on Good Friday or their peas either on St. Patty’s day or when daffodils begin to bloom? Perhaps you’ve heard, “Plant corn when oak leaves are the size of squirrel’s ears,” or, “when the apple blossoms begin to fall.” While oak leaves, apple blossoms and squirrel’s ears have nothing to do with each other, the rule works. Farmers learned that by the time conditions were warm enough for oak leaves to reach the size of a squirrel’s ear, or for apple blossoms to fall, the soil was warm enough for corn seed to germinate without rotting in the soil. Until you get have a few years of observations under your belt, here’s a planting chart to get you started. http://www.veggieharvest.com/Vegetable-Planting-Calendar/zone-6-vegetable-planting-calendar/
Like me, you probably began dreaming about this garden season sometime during one of those deep, winter snows when the possibility of weeds and early blight seemed as remote as a healthy economy. Or maybe you were too busy sledding, hiking, shoveling or shivering to notice. Either way, hello Fairview, it really is spring! March 20th was the official date though nature rarely agrees with the calendar. Neither do most gardening centers, which insist on putting out a first wave of broccoli, cabbage and even lettuce starts only weeks after the Super Bowl. Like the chlorophyll junkies we are, the lure of those little green veggie starts is just too great that time of year, even when we know it’s eight weeks too early to plant anything but favas outdoors.
So if neither the spring equinox nor the garden centers are of any help in determining planting dates, what is? You might think a planting dates chart (http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/NC/Asheville) is the answer and that’s a very good place to start. Such charts are based on the official planting zone chart (http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html). On the zone chart Fairview is considered zone six but then, so are parts of Texas, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Go figure.
Thankfully there’s a better way to know when to plant out – phenology. Phen who? Phenology is a fancy way of saying the things people have observed for eons. It was the passion of Carl Linnaeus (the father of plant taxonomy) and Aldo Leopold (A Sand County Almanac) and is studied by universities for its usefulness in predicting everything from planting dates to when allergy sufferers can expect a bad spring. Put simply, it is the area of science that looks at recurring biological phenomena and how they relate to weather. Bird migration, the appearance of insects, and the blooming cycles of wildflowers and trees are just some of what plays into the dance of phenology. This type of data has been recorded by laypeople and academics for centuries and has nothing to do with the folklore of Punxsutawney Phil or woolly worm forecasting.
Do you know someone who always plants their beans on Good Friday or their peas either on St. Patty’s day or when daffodils begin to bloom? Perhaps you’ve heard, “Plant corn when oak leaves are the size of squirrel’s ears,” or, “when the apple blossoms begin to fall.” While oak leaves, apple blossoms and squirrel’s ears have nothing to do with each other, the rule works. Farmers learned that by the time conditions were warm enough for oak leaves to reach the size of a squirrel’s ear, or for apple blossoms to fall, the soil was warm enough for corn seed to germinate without rotting in the soil. Until you get have a few years of observations under your belt, here’s a planting chart to get you started. http://www.veggieharvest.com/Vegetable-Planting-Calendar/zone-6-vegetable-planting-calendar/
Friday's Here But Sunday's Comin'
This old saying pertains to the hope of Easter and I borrow it here for the hope of spring. Three 50lb bags of potatoes are sitting in our basement, ready to be cut up and planted. We'll need a big crew for that. The potato area soil is still too wet to plow and plant but with the few days of sunshine predicted, who knows.
Last week Reem's Creek Nursery donated some 2009 seed to add to our order. Lots of greens and pole beans in this tray just waiting for the soil to warm a bit. I had always waited till warm weather to plant beans until I learned that some folks swear by Good Friday as a planting date. It took a few years for me to get up my nerve but only once in the last fifteen years have I been disappointed. You might give it a try. An early planting like that seems to beat the bean beetles to the punch.
Last week Reem's Creek Nursery donated some 2009 seed to add to our order. Lots of greens and pole beans in this tray just waiting for the soil to warm a bit. I had always waited till warm weather to plant beans until I learned that some folks swear by Good Friday as a planting date. It took a few years for me to get up my nerve but only once in the last fifteen years have I been disappointed. You might give it a try. An early planting like that seems to beat the bean beetles to the punch.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The First Tease of Spring
We bought some new tools at this weekend's local Organic Grower's school. Volunteers will soon get to try out our new 7" and 5" stirrup hoes, potato hoes, compost fork, trowels and hand clippers.
March 9th is eleven days away from official spring but the ground was just right Tuesday so Franklin chisel plowed the new potato area which will allow the rain that's in the forecast, to drain. For all those who LOVED digging potatoes last year you'll be happy to know we're doubling the amount we're planting in 2010. And if your kids loved picking potato beetles, we'll have twice as many of those, as well. We're betting that several days after the rains, we can have our first worknight of the season so stay tuned.
March 9th is eleven days away from official spring but the ground was just right Tuesday so Franklin chisel plowed the new potato area which will allow the rain that's in the forecast, to drain. For all those who LOVED digging potatoes last year you'll be happy to know we're doubling the amount we're planting in 2010. And if your kids loved picking potato beetles, we'll have twice as many of those, as well. We're betting that several days after the rains, we can have our first worknight of the season so stay tuned.
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