The Bounty of August

As Maddy keeps saying, the plants are so happy today with some rain! Even without this bit of rain the HES garden looks beautiful and is very bountiful. Thanks to all who have taken such good care this summer so when the students return, there will be plenty to see, smell and taste.
What's growing now: cucumbers. You really have to search for these. there are long asian dark greens, light green, which is an armenian variety and you may also find some lemon cukes which look like a lemon and taste like a cucumber. The dark green are good at any size. The lemons should be harvested on the smaller size with a very white or light yellow skin. Beans are also plentiful. You will find both yellow and green beans. They will always be more tender when picked on the smaller side. The seeds of these beans were saved from last years harvest. Cherry tomatoes, slicing and paste tomatoes and basil are still plentiful along with swiss chard and kale. There are some yellow slicing tomatoes and some green zebra tomatoes mixed in with the paste tomatoes so please pick those as well. Herbs such as parsley, oregano and sorrel are also abundant....and the cutest of all is the fairy tale eggplants which are white with purple stripes. They should be harvested while they are still small, about 3-4" long.
Enjoy! and see you all soon....

Tomatoes anyone?

Yes, it's finally that time of year when the sungold cherry tomatoes are dripping from the vines and the larger slicers and paste tomatoes are ripening up. My favorite summer treat is a tomato sandwich with mayonaise. Pure and simple....Mmmmm. The basil continues to come on strong so if you are in the garden, please take a hardy pinch to keep the flowers at bay and encourage new growth. The cucumbers and melons are taking off thanks to the love and care they received as babes. The bush beens in bed #5 are flowering which means beans are close behind. Keep an eye out in the next two weeks as they will come on strong and they grow inches in a day! They are best small and tender, about 3-4" long.
The newest edition to the garden is the beginnings of a trellis which needs to get completed soon if we want beans for the Fall. It's a simple cedar post construction that will be a permanent fixture.
Watering....I noticed our hoses are pretty leaky. The main reason for this is a small rubber gasket/washer which sits inside the female end of the hose can easily be dislodged and pop out. I put some spares on the red bracket inside the garden that holds the hose. The gasket/washers are green. Be sure the spigot is turned all the way on to get full pressure and watch for kinks in the hose. I splurged on a kink-free hose but so far have not been impressed.
Thanks again to all who have and will be looking after the garden. It continues to be a beautiful haven for pollinators and other insects. A neighboring family reported they were visiting the garden a few weeks ago and spotted a hummingbird! So keep your eyes peeled.

Relief at last!

Finally a tiny bit of relief from the painfully dry weather. Not enough to make a big difference but it felt good anyway! The garden is looking wonderful thanks to 2 families who it turns out were watering morning and evening without the other knowing. That explains the Oasis!

The flower bed along the back gate looks great. The large leafed climbing vines are useful gourds. We planted them with the fourth graders in May. If you look closely at the flowers, you will see the tiny gourds starting to form. And the tendrils on these vines are beautiful and amazing. The tendril is what grabs onto the fence and supports the plant. Be sure and take a close look.
I was at the garden last night and saw an amazing, huge moth on the basil. It was the one night I didn't have my camera. Keep your eyes peeled for all the nature going on!
Tomatoes are starting to ripen up and the cukes and melons are finally making a comback under the TeePee trellis.
I'll be away for the week so if you have any burning questions, please contact Gina Smith or watch the watering video to hopefully answer your questions. Have a great week and I can't wait to see how much the garden grows in a week!

Beautiful Oasis

It's amazing to show up at these school gardens and see a beautiful oasis in the middle of brown grass and wilting shrubs and flowers. It's wonderful the care they are getting!
We stopped by the HES garden this evening and did a bit of weeding and a few tastings. There are still some very tasty kohlrabi left in bed #7, along with kale and fennel and a few other random Spring crops. They will be pulled soon and the bed will be replanted so if you are craving any of these veggies, now is the time to get them.
We also noticed the ground cherries in bed #1 are just starting to ripen up. When ripe, the covering will look dried up and the cherry inside should have a golden orange color. They have a sweet/tart flavor and make a tasty snack while watering. We have also gotten word that the sungolds are coming on and should be harvested when they are completely orange for the best flavor.
Basil is also getting to the point when the tops should be pinched and used. When you start to see a flower, pinch the top 4-6 leaves off each of these plants and use fresh or make pesto.
I've posted a few pictures to give some visuals. Thanks again to all who are helping out!

Hot stuff!

Wow! Hot stuff out there! For those watering, early in the morning or evening is best in this brutally hot weather....please give everything a good soak and don't forget the flowers near the back gate. They need a good long drink as well. One of the families asked how long to water and in this weather, a good long soak is much better than a quick spray. And if possible, don't get the leaves wet, especially if watering during the day. It can really wilt a plant and it will suffer the the rest of the day.

We checked for bunnies yesterday and looks like they have found a new home....good for the garden.

Looks like lots of good lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, swiss chard and the tips of the basil could also be harvested. Just pinch off the top. There are also lots of other herbs! so help yourselves!

checked on our bunny friends today and they are still in the garden. won't let them stay much longer so if you want to see them, you should visit the garden soon. Martin and Maddy are having so much fun checking them out. They seem to get bigger every day. Must be all that salad and fennel!...Thanks first graders!

lots of flowers and really good head lettuce for salad. It is planted around the tomatoes in beds 2, 4 and 6. There is also some swiss chard, lots of kale and some big kohlrabi....so eat up!

Summer watering

Hi everyone! The garden is going gangbusters but definately needs watering. With the limited amount of rain, please try and water at least every other day, giving good long drinks to all beds, including the potatoes planted in the wire rings.
The kids and I were in the garden a few days ago and found some baby rabbits living in bed #2...oh so cute. we'll try and get a photo and post. So if you are watering or visiting, keep your eyes peeled.
Gina has hopefully sent you a link to a watering video to assist anyone who is new to the system. please call or email with any questions. As soon as I figure out how to post it or link it here, I will. This is all really new to me. I'm trying!
Thanks again and please post something here about your experience in the garden, what you harvested, what you did with it and any great recipes to share.