STATE OF THE GARDEN

LATE MAY

Plant Starts: There are a few plants left  from plant sale. They are in the wooden box by the bin. Help yourself to what you can use. A small donation would be appreciated. The red donation box is in the shed.

Vacant Plots: There are still plots that have not yet been rented for the season. Pass the word along to anyone you think might be interested. If you are interested in an additional plot or a flower strip, let me know by June 1.

A Proposal for Unrented Plots: If there are plots still open on June 1, rather than just cover cropping them, we would thought it would be fun to plant a whole plot in just one crop--something that takes up a lot of room that might not otherwise get planted, like  squash, melons, corn, etc. Here is how it would work:

• Each plot would have a "lead gardener".  Others who are interested, whether a current gardener or not, could help out on the crew.
•  Shortly after June 1 we will schedule a "planting day" to get these plots up and running.
• Those who do the work on the plots can decide what to do with the produce. A few ideas: keep it all for yourself; trade it with other one-crop-plot gardeners; donate it to the Food Shelf or other charitable organizations; at midnight leave it on your neighbor's porch. Or--at the end of this season, we could have a gathering and eat what has been grown.
• There are some seeds in the shed available to be used, or bring your own.
• Hours spent working on this plot would count as part of your volunteer hours.
• Besides being a fun project, this can be an opportunity to experiment with something  that you might not otherwise grow. 

If you would like to adopt a "one crop plot" either as a lead gardener or on the crew, let me know.
Also, give me an idea about what you are interested in growing.

Mulch: Straw is available again this year, but the price has gone up (And so has gas! We pay gas mileage to pick it up.) It will be $6 a bale. One bale is plenty for a large plot, a half bale for a small plot. If you want straw to mulch your plot (highly encouraged),  please let me know, so I know how many to order.

Wood chips: In past years one of you gardeners knew the landscaper who brought us the chips. Who was it?  Contact me.

Hunger garden: Every year we seem to use the Hunger Garden for a different purpose. This year Lea is planting it with veggies that can be eaten right out of the garden. After you have worked in the garden for a while and are tired and hungry, enjoy a little snack from this plot.

Opening Work Day-Second Try

--Let's try again--

Community Garden Work Day
Saturday, May 18, 

10 a.m.-1 p.m.

--Jobs--
Bury the water line
Straighten the compost bin sides
Turn and distribute the compost
Tighten fence where needed

--Bring--

Work gloves, shovels, spades, forks

--Bring if you have them--
wheelbarrow
wire cutters
loppers, choppers for the compost

There is a 30% chance of rain on Saturday, 

but it should be warm and not too windy.
Fingers crossed for good weather luck

We will also have plant starts to sell

Mark Your Calendars

• Saturday, May 11, 9-12 a.m.

Plant Sale

In the Garden

Tomatoes, leeks, strawberries, and much more

If you have extra starts or divisions, consider donating them to the sale

All proceeds go to support the garden

• Saturday, May 11, 12-3 p.m.

Opening Work Day

In the Garden

Jobs: lay the water line (again, sigh), turn and distribute the compost, general straightening and prep for the season

Bring: work gloves, shovels, wheelbarrows (if you have one)

This will be a good opportunity to put in some volunteer hours 

and to re-connect with other gardeners and the garden

NEW GARDENERS

• If you are new to our garden, I will be available to give a brief orientation all day on May 11. If you want to get started before that, contact me and we can work out another time. 

SITE FOR 2014

• Lea and I met with the mayor this week to discuss a permanent location for the garden on city-owned land. One site we discussed is at the very west end of Lake Park, just east of the high school. Another possibility would be on land under the bridge after the new bridge construction is done. The discussion is still in the very preliminary stages, but he is supportive. If any of you have occasion to talk with the mayor, city council members, or other city officials, please voice your support for the garden being on either of these sites.

PLOTS AVAILABLE

• Both full and half plots are available this year. If you have friends who like to garden, let them know. 

STATE OF THE GARDEN

Registration

• If you plan to return to the garden and have not yet registered, do so immediately. 
• For the first time in the history of our garden we have available plots and no waiting list. If you are feeling ambitious and would like an additional plot, let me know. Both full and half plots are available. 
• I plan to put out a notice to the general public soon saying that we have plots available and I expect them to go quickly. If you have friends who are thinking of joining us in the garden, have them contact me soon.  

Events

• Seed Exchange--April 27, 9a.m.-noon, in the Mall. 
• Our friends at Watkins have arranged another seed exchange, this time in a warmer location. This is in conjunction with the last Farmer's Market of the winter season. You are invited to bring your extra seeds to trade with other gardeners. 
• Plant Sale--May 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the community garden. 
• Buy baby vegetables for a quick start in your garden; 
• If you start your own vegetables, grow a few extras to donate to the plant sale;
• Donate your extra plants to the plant sale. The emphasis will be on vegetables, but all donations will be welcome. 
• 100% of the proceeds go to sustain the garden. 
• We will be scheduling a spring work day soon. (We probably should have done this already, but with all this snow, it's easy to forget that spring is actually going to happen.)

Finding a New Site

• We have made initial contact with some of our city officials and with Redeemer Lutheran Church, but there is nothing substantial to report yet. But do not lose hope. There will be a garden next year. Optimism is hardwired into the genes (jeans?) of all gardeners!

Registration 2013

Only 45 more days until gardening season!

Those of you who had a plot in 2012 have received an email with the 2013 registration form and a copy of the rules. 

Print out and return the registration form, along with your fees. My address is on the form. Save a copy of the guidelines for your own reference. There are no changes in the rules this year, but it doesn't hurt to review them occasionally.

If you want the same plot, registration deadline is February 15. 

As you know, Winona Health will not guarantee us a full season, but our best guess is that it will be fall or later before they are ready to begin work. To hedge your bets, focus on short season crops and don't plant any brussel sprouts or perennials.

We hope to have a seed exchange in February. More details later.

Jan

Another kale recipe

Sheila sent this one:

Holiday Harvest Kale Salad 
1/6th of recipe (about 1 1/4 cups): 102 calories, 2g fat, 126mg sodium, 20g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 9.5g sugars, 3g protein -- PointsPlus® value 3* 

Ingredients:
8 cups chopped kale leaves 
One 10.5-oz. can mandarin orange segments packed in juice, drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup light raspberry (or other fruity) vinaigrette
Optional seasoning: salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, and toss to mix.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Winterizing the Garden

The garden is settling down for the winter and most of the plots are cleared. Thank you all for your cooperation. And a special thanks to everyone who planted oats and/or mulched the plot.

Sadly, there are a few stragglers. In order to be "winter-ready" you must:

• Remove anything that is not a plant. This includes fencing, stakes, cages, garden art, tools, gloves, plastic bags, etc. (the 4 corner stakes of your plot should be the only thing remaining)
• If you have a flower strip with vines on the fence, please remove them.
• Dig up all perennials. (This is the hardest this for me to require. If you have something really special and need a place to overwinter it, talk to me. I have a little space in my greenhouse.)
• Kale and other cold weather veggies need to be removed. Below are some suggestions for your excess.

Next Sunday, November 11, a list of plots that are not winter-ready will be posted on the shed bulletin board. These plots or flower strips will not be eligible for a deposit refund. 

Final Cleanup

Next Sunday, November 11, starting about noon, we will do our final clean up (weather permitting). If you need to complete your volunteer hours, this is a good opportunity. If you are not able to come on Sunday, stop by any time you have a few minutes to work. 

Here is a list of jobs that need doing. You may think of others. (I will post this on the shed bulletin board Friday morning)

• Winterize any plots or flower strips that are not yet done
• Pick up and carry off any trash 
• If you have cages, stakes or fencing that you want to save, remove them from the garden. Any that are left on Sunday will be up for grabs or pitched. 
• Wooden stakes in reusable condition can be stored in the slots in the compost bin. Throw out rotting ones.
• Put all hand tools, buckets, hose hardware and other savable stuff in the shed.
• Reclaim anything you have left in the shed (reminder, the combination is 5-1-5)
• If you have a vehicle capable of transporting the larger trash, let me know. We have a place to dispose of it. 
• Dig out all perennials.
• Pull out  the buried hoses. Coil them and tie them. I can store them over winter.
• Look around the garden with this in mind: "would I rather be doing this now or next February in freezing, snowy weather?" We still don't know our plans for 2013, which makes it really hard to plan, but the less moving we have to do, the easier it will be. 
• A few plots have dead plant material stacked on them. I think this might be meant for mulch. If they are taller than normal, stomp them down.
• Be sure to log your hours

Lea's last class

• This Thursday, 5:30, in the garden. The subject is soil testing, soil building and winterization. Bring a flashlight and dress warmly. 

Kale

• Wash leaves and remove center vein. Dry it on a cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven until it is crisp. It will keep forever and is great in soups and stews. 
• Steam it slightly and freeze it in one-meal sized packages. It can be used any way you would prepare fresh cooked kale.
• Wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in a plastic bag, it will keep in the fridge for over a week.
• Kale chips: Cut kale into bite size pieces. Toss with olive oil and any of your favorite seasonings (seasoned salt, soy sauce, sesame oil, cajun spice, any of the Aisian seasonings,etc.) and dehydrate in a 200 degree oven until crisp. Check to see if it needs stirring  or turning during baking. 
• Give it to your friends or take it to the Food Shelf.
• Brussel sprouts freeze well. Lettuce, you just have to eat a lot of salads.

2013

The Board has begun discussing strategies for procuring a new and permanent garden site. If you are interested in helping out or finding out more information on this subject, talk to me or any of the garden board members: Lea Karlssen, Joyce Altobelli, Rosemary Lyons, Mary Kaye Perrin,Sheila Rusk,Trina Sugart,