What to Plant?

Bill Burgin posted on the gazebo a planting guide that he downloaded from the Cooperative Extension Service.  It tells what to plant and when to plant it in Arkansas.  Thanks, Bill! 

Fall Garden

Now's the time to plant your seeds for a fall garden.  Though the fall is not warm enough to give us sun-ripened tomatoes, many seasoned farmers tell me fall in Arkansas is a great time to reap a harvest.

Below are mustard greens I planted from seed a couple weeks ago.  They need to be thinned.  In the upper right of that same picture is kale that I transplanted from my house to the community garden.  The grasshoppers seem to really like the baby kale.  I have been advised to clip off the leaves that are yellow because the plant sends energy first to the dying leaf in an effort to save it.

This morning I talked with an organic farmer, Tara Stainton of Rattle's Garden in Vilonia, and she said she waited until this week to plant kale, hoping to miss the grasshoppers.

I have lettuce and collard green seeds waiting to find themselves in my soil...I just need the time to sneak down to the garden.  Anyone relate?  :)

As you clean out spent plants from the summer's garden, it's a good idea to add some compost or other organic material into the raised bed.  This will not only help aerate the soil but also add a fresh serving of nutrients.

Happy gardening!

To Carry Home the Bounty

I want to say Jim Ault should receive credit for this idea and its implementation (correct me if I'm wrong.)

If you look on one of the posts in the gazebo, there's a container with plastic bags to carry home your bounty.  Multiple times last summer I went to water my plot and went home juggling produce because I forgot to bring something to carry everything home.  Thanks to Jim, I've been able to carry everything safely home.  This week I made gazpacho and tomato soup from the garden bounty.

Some people haven't carried home produce in a while...and I am really tempted to relieve you of tomatoes that are rotting on the vine!  It's killing me to watch them go to waste.

Friday, my box received some general maintenance - pulled weeds and old tomato plants.  Some say, "let the tomato plants live" that the blooms will set again in cooler weather for "late tomatoes."  But I was anxious to start mustard greens (seeds) and kale (transplants from my house.)  Real estate is a premium with only 48 square feet.

This morning I went to the farmers market in Argenta (NLR), and my farmer friends say that fall gardening is really the best for raised beds.  The cooler weather and gentle rains make for healthy plants.  Be sure to add some compost or other nutrient enhancer occasionally because the raised beds leach minerals and nutrients quicker than a traditional "in ground" garden.

Amending the Soil: Winter Wheat

Two informative articles from Mother Earth News:

Cover Crops: Tips and Advantages
Restoring Soil Nutrients: Organic Gardening

I plan on getting to the garden soon to clean out my bed and plant some winter wheat.  From bread making, I had some soft winter wheat (that grows well in a warm winter climate like ours).  I'm sure you could buy some at Whole Foods in the bulk bins.  Or just ask me, I'll give you a cup - our beds are so small you don't need much.

Below are pictures from LAST December of the raised bed near my house...and my cute garden helpers.

 She thought the soft soil was chocolate.  And soon learned it wasn't.

At the farmers' market, I scored some rice hulls to act as compost as well as camouflage for the wheat kernels (so the birds wouldn't peck the wheat before they germinated.)

We also added wheat to flower pots that didn't have annuals.  Actually, I think I planted tulips in this pot (below the wheat) and it looked pretty for a day or so until it was too hot and my tulips wilted.

 Springtime...just before I turned the soil.

Neighborhood Improvements

Cary Cox, our POA president, applied for and received a grant for $1,000 from the city to make some improvements to our neighborhood.  Below you will see that most of the efforts were in the park.  Of course pictures don't do justice so please go take a look for yourself!!  Several volunteer crews have been busy (thank you!).  If you've missed out, there will be more work days. :)

The handrails on Old Forge near Clapboard Hill were given a fresh coat of paint.

Receiving landscaping attention was the traffic island also near Old Forge and Clapboard Hill.

In the picnic area of the park, a much needed giant load of mulch was dumped and spread.

Earlier in the summer these Knock Out Roses were planted and amazingly survived the dreaded drought. 

A path was built with railroad ties then filled in with mulch from the park's parking lot to the garden area.

The gazebo is getting a facelift! The old (rotting) cedar shake shingles are being replaced with new ones.

Jim and Margaret Ault were in their garden today, cleaning up and planting seeds because "the almanac says today is the day to plant."

 Someone has had success already with radishes.

 The Garden of Weedin' is now the Garden of Eatin'!  The green beans look yum!

Debbie Poirot has been working hard in her garden and it shows!  There were so many butterflies on the zinnias in the garden today when I was there.  It was beautiful to watch them.

 Debbie added pine straw around the bottom of her box.  It looks very neat and pretty.

Hey!  If anyone has hay left over after Halloween, please bring it to the garden.  We can use it as mulch or compost it.  The same goes with your bags of leaves.

 Thanks again to all the volunteer workers.

If anyone is interested in obtaining a garden box for the spring, please contact Julie:: luvmyhub AT gmail DOT com

Sweet Potatoes from the Garden

On her way to Kroger Friday night, Charlotte caught me in the yard.  She stopped and said with excitement, "You won't believe what I just got from my garden!"

She said as she was watering she noticed something orange in the dirt.  Upon further examination she realized the sweet potatoes were ready for harvest!  (There are more to be harvested.)

So that you will know how large they are, I stuck my hand next to the box.  One of them was as long as my hand!

 Congratulations, Charlotte!

Fall Garden

Lots of people have been talking about the possibility of a fall garden.  Here is a chart that I have posted on the inside of my pantry (it was created by an Arkansan extension agent).

The inside of the wheel is the first of the month, the outer would be the end of the month.

Because it is a bit difficult to read, I've listed below what you can plant.

August
basil  (first of the month)
lettuce
mustard greens
kale
carrots
parsnips
chinese cabbage
beets
broccoli
cauliflower
collards
cucumber
cabbage
southern peas
snap beans
spinach (at the end of the month)

September
bok choi (first of the month)
pak choi
parsnips
swiss chard
carrots
spinach
beets
cauliflower
kohlrabi
collards
broccoli
cabbage
turnips
mustard
kale
lettuce
radish (end of the month)

October
cover crops (I planted wheat last year)
winter peas
lettuce
shallots
garlic
leeks
collards
kohlrabi
mustard
spinach
turnips

November
garlic, shallots
lime the soil
(protected because frost is near!)
salad greens
lettuce in cold frame
turnips
collards
turn the soil
cover crops