Post #8 - August 28th Preparation for Winter Starts

It Seems A Little Early, But...

We started tackling the stuff to be done to let the garden have a nice winter's rest.  Unfortunately, I did not think to take photos until after everyone had left.  The photos below are without the great gardeners doing the tasks, but they will give you an idea of what is going on.

Our group consisted of Martha Alexander, Pam Warner, Sally McMahan, Jennifer Clement, Ann Munro, Jerald Smith and me (Betsi).  We have renamed Jerald the Human Green-waste Compactor (HGC).  He has taken over from Becky Endzell as the best jump-in-the-can-and-smash-the-green-down person.  Our team filled the cans to their brims several times, so Jerald did a lot of jumping.

He also attacked the job of consolidating the items in the large storage shed area where we store the Children's Program's wheelbarrows, watering cans, and hose paraphernalia.  The outcome was that more than half of the space has been freed up to use for storing items in the small shed!

Martha did a wicked job of pruning back the Cape Fuchsia bush that was groping people at the garden entrance sign.  She just didn't have the heart to take all of the blossoms away from the hummingbirds.  At the next work party, on September 11th, she has promised to cut back what is left.  I hope the hummingbirds are taking advantage of their extra nectar time.

Anne and Jerald freed Herb Robert from the invading Lemon Balm.  We know it will reappear next year, but for now he sits comfortably in a less crowded garden.

The pumpkins, gourds and winter squash have turned into sprinkler eating plants.
 The "tunnel" vines actually took over the sprinkler we set up to water multiple planting beds, hogging all of the water to itself and one other bed of squash.  It has overgrown the planter bed that held radishes.  Unfortunately that meant that the summer squash that were small or in bloom did not receive any water during the past week or so.  The fruit that had already set was huge, but the new fruit was spongy.  So we picked all of the
available summer squash (yellow, crook-neck and zucchini) and then pulled out the vines.  This allowed me to cover the bed for winter.  Two beds down - only 18 to go.  Jennifer helped to wrestle the sprinkler from the pumpkin tunnel and we hope that it stands on its own for then next 2 weeks of sprinkling.

Pam operated on the smoke-tree and the rose bush next to the hops trellis.  The branches of the smoke tree were blocking the path through the trellis and laying on the ground in the path of the aggressive Nootka Rosa.  Both are beautiful separately, but together were very overgrown.  Now they have been separated and will grow next to each other in peace, though I think that the Nootka could be trimmed back even further if someone would like to continue pruning it on September 11th.

Seeding sunflower heads were cut off and hung for the birds, while their jack-in-the-bean-stalk-like trunks were cut up for the green waste.  I wonder if birds can become obese?!

All the while we pulled and picked and twisted enough produce to give Poulsbo's Fishline 100 pounds of rhubarb, summer squash, beans, peas, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  It was amazing.

The next and last regular WORK PARTY is September 11th from 9 - 12. 

Come on over and help harvest!  Jennifer Clement is bringing her husband on a garden tractor to help move some of the massive mound of wood chips to the back of the garden and into the area of the semi-circular bench.  Judy Morgan will be the Work Party Leader.

SEPTEMBER 15th is CLEAN OUT THE SHEDS DAY FROM 9AM - 3PM!! 

Normally that Monday would be a leadership team meeting day, but the team decided we needed to use our time on clean up and not discussion.  We need you to help us organize and prepare for our NEW SHED!  The Poulsbo Garden Club has contributed a $500 grant and the Poulsbo Rotary has contributed a $1,200 grant.  Bob Nordnes is donating the cement for our 8' by 8' pad.  AND the Poulsbo Rotary is donating their members to help construct or shed on site.  The old slouching little shed will be demolished and replaced by a taller shed with the same footprint.  The details of the new shed kit are hanging in the big shed on one of the cork boards. 

We need as many hand and minds available as possible to accomplish the following on September 15th:

• Assess and organize the Children's Program's kits
• Clean out and make as much space as possible in the big shed.
• Empty the little shed, moving the items inside into other storage areas.
• Take out the mini-garden next to the little shed.
• Take down the irrigation "system" in the garden.
• Take down the hoop house.

Come when you can and stay as long as possible.  Bring a lunch.  Beverages and something sweet to munch will be provided. 

On October 15th from 8:30 - 12:00 we will be working with the 6th and 7th grade students from West Sound Academy to complete the final harvests and cover the last planting beds. 

Their teacher, Jennifer Silvernail, will join us with about 25 young people.  Any of you that need your final few hours in a garden or just enjoy working along side the next generation, please join us.

Happy Labor Day to All,
Betsi

Post #7 - The Children's Parties Are Over :-(

OMG!  I am so far behind!

There are so many wonderful photos to share thanks to Cheryl, Jill, Darlette and Sharon. 

We'll start with Sharon's.  Do any of you remember this weird stuff growing underneath the apple espalier?

Seems it is a fungus called "Stinkhorn."  According to Wikipedia, "The spore mass typically smells of carrion or dung, and attracts flies and other insects to help disperse the spores."

 

The Stinkhorn patch is now long gone as is most of the Swiss Chard and all of the radishes and peas.  The naked posts setup for the Scarlet Runner Bean arbor are covered with blossoms.  Many of you have asked about them.  They take about 80 days to grow to maturity. Used by native Americans, their large, beautiful, vigorous vines grow over 10’.  The flowers are very ornamental, in clusters of the brightest scarlet and associated hues. Good for snap (when very young), shell or dry beans. The huge seeds are very colorful, violet-purple mottled in black. These beans like fairly cool weather.   We will leave the beans to grow to maximum size and save the seeds for planting next year.

The green bush beans and red dragon tongue beans are still growing!  The dragon tongues are yummy to chew on as you harvest.  Here is more info on them:

 

Dragon Tongue beans, AKA Dragon Langerie, are a Dutch wax type bush bean.  The Dragon Tongue bean is a dual purpose bean, qualifying as a fresh pod bean as well as a dried legume. When harvested fresh, the entire bean, shell and "seeds" are edible.  The pods are crisp and succulent and bear four to six plump bone white seeds with pink to purple stripes that turn tan with age. The fresh seeds are firm, slightly starchy, nutty and sweet. The entire bean can be eaten raw or cooked. When cooked, the bean looses its variegated colors.

The tender pod of this bean is entirely edible. No shelling required. Best raw, Dragon Tongue beans are also excellent steamed, but the color fades during cooking. Perfect for pickling with spices, adds its naturally good flavor to bean salads and stir-fries. Serve simply as a delicious side dish. Its unique color makes this bean an attractive edible garnish and an interesting conversation piece when served to curious guests. To store, wrap in plastic; refrigerate. Use beans within one week for optimum flavor and texture.

Dragon Tongue beans are an open pollinated heirloom variety originally cultivated in the 18th Century in the Netherlands. The original cultivar has never been manipulated and maintains its heirloom status a plant whose original seed has been passed down for generations. Dragon Tongue beans are a great bean variety for home gardeners, known for their productive high yields and incredible flavor versus other fresh bean varieties.
- See more at: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Dragon_Tongue_Beans_604.php#sthash.zoheUsBN.dpuf

The squash arbor is overflowing with  various pumpkin flowers.  The deer continue to eat any new strawberries on the top of the strawberry towers, but the dahlias are huge and the tomatoes are ripening quickly.  As of Monday, 8/11/2014, we had donated 197 pounds of fresh produce to Fishline. 

 

The 11th was the last children's program for 2014.  Though I helped out, all of them were organized by Cheryl and Jill.  None of the gatherings could have taken place without the support of our volunteers.  We know that each new group of Master Gardener "rookies" will bring those of you who need the volunteer hours to complete your certificate, but Raab Youth Garden is lucky to have many Master Gardeners who attend the children's programs year after year because they like to be there.  A huge THANK YOU to both groups.

 

Photos and descriptions of the last 5 Children's Programs follow:

 

July 14th was Unbelievable Planter day.  Choosing planters and putting plants in them is very serious business.  So is counting the snails and slugs found in the garden!

 

 

July 21st involved Plants and How We Use Them. This included hammering flowers on muslin to make flower prints, using raspberries to make dye and printing with it, making mini-batiks with raspberry dye (Thank you Nancy for all of the wax imprints!), creating lavender sachets and bundles, and tasting mint tea and rosemary shortbread (Super Yummy recipe is below!). 

Cheryl Bosley's Rosemary Shortbread

Ingredients

1⅓	cups butter
½	cup powdered sugar
2	T sugar
¼	salt
2⅓	cups flour
⅔	cup cornstarch
2	T finely chopped rosemary or culinary lavender optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 With electric mixer beat the first four ingredients until light and fluffy gradually add the flour then turn out and lightly knead press the dough into a pan or roll out to desired thickness about 1/8- 1/4 and bake on a parchment lined baking dish bake for 45- 50 min depends on how thick they are...watch for browning makes about 100 1inch squares, cut while warm.

 

Garden Wildlife was the subject of the July 28th program.  Children received a wildlife detective badge and looked for signs that described the wildlife in the garden.  Then they created birdfeeders from pine cones and sunflowers from hand prints.  The warm summer weather helped the harvesting for Poulsbo's Fishline to begin this week.  It also encouraged some huge blooms!  Or maybe it was because of all the extra watering that the kids did.



August 3rd brought more sun and fun with Pacific Northwest Native Plants.  Julia Bennett-Gladstone and her assistants from the Suquamish Tribe told the stories and facts about native roses and helped the children make rosehip jelly.  Jill organized the raspberry juice banners and Cheryl and Pam helped the children make "nature necklaces."  We harvested more veggies and generally had a wonderful time!

 

The last children's program was the Amazing Messy Art Day!  August 11th found us harvesting again, but also creating works of art including garden wands, garden hats, garden banners, and garden critters. 

 

Work Parties continued amidst the children's programs.

Our garden Work Parties have occurred about every other Thursday and 3 Saturdays this summer.  The Saturday gatherings were poorly attended, so we will probably return to just Thursdays next year.

Our last weed, trim and harvest meeting was on August 14th.  Gerald, a sophomore at North Kitsap High, clipped and pulled out a lot of the dried perennials.  MJ, gingerbread muffin baker extraordinaire, was the lead doing a lot of weeding.  Sally harvested beans and more beans and I covered the first bed with black plastic for winter.  The radishes are done for the year.
 
The next Work Party is scheduled for August 28th (Betsi is lead) and the last one on the Doodle Calendar is September 11th (Judy is lead).

Leadership Team Meetings will deal with Fall Planning, etc.

Monday, August 22nd is our Leadership Team meeting for this month.  Join us at the garden from 1pm until about 2:30!

September 15th will be our next leadership planning day.

If you've read this far you deserve something REALLY COOL!

Click on the link below and choose to open the site.  It was filmed by John Aitchesen's flying robotic camera.  Though definitely taken before the last rain, since the unplanted ground is so dry, it is a pretty amazing overhead view of our Youth Garden and the P-Patch.  You may have already received this from Colleen.

http://www.kitsap.biz/aerial/raab_park/p-patch/8112014/raab_park_p-patch_8-11-14.mp4


Thanks again for all of your time and energy.  It's finding other crazies like me through programs like this that makes life fun and fulfilling.

Betsi