Lookie, Lookie! Check out the fall and winter bounty at Westbury Community Garden.
Kat Elder harvested turnips, onions, Mizuna mustard, Cressida cress, bok choy, lettuces, Tuscan and Red Russian kales, Bright Lights chard, cilantro, eggplant, radishes, snap peas, black beans, thyme and dill with beautiful Zinnias and Rudbeckia for the table.
There are a few garden plots available now. Check the Join page for more details. You, too, can grow your own organic veggies!
It’s July and fig trees are bearing lots of delicious figs. The yellow figs are Banana fig, and are ripe when they slightly change color to a deeper yellow, and when you touch the fig and it is tender, it is ready to pick. If you don’t pick it right away, it will ferment and be…
What is it? Black rot is a bacterial infection that affects the vascular system of members of the Brassica (broccoli) family. It is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Which plants are affected? All cruciferous crops are susceptible including arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage (including Chinese cabbage), cauliflower, collards, garden cress, kale, kohlrabi, mustard (including mizuna), radish, rutabaga, and turnip. NOT AFFECTED seems to be nasturtium (it must be far enough away on the family tree). Where did it come from? We don’t know the origin of our current outbreak. The bacterium infects all parts of host plants, including seeds, so it could have come in on a seed or on a commercial transplant. There are also some Brassica family weeds that can harbor it in the wild. Why is it such a problem now? We have had the perfect warm, humid weather for it to spread and multiply these past few months – temperature has been between 50-75, it has been breezy and wet. It wasn’t until Wayne saw the same pattern on several of his plants that he brought it to Ray’s attention. We’ve probably been living with it for months without realizing it, which allowed it to spread widely. How is it spread?…
Thinking about your spring garden? Here is a check list. Winter plants removed. Weeds removed. Soil loosened to aerate it. Don’t plant into hard compacted soil. Microlife fertilizer worked in. Maybe a bag of composted manure will help. Soil raked smooth and well watered. Garden plan drawn on paper. Markers for seed rows and plants….
A new committee has been added to the maintenance working groups of Westbury Community Garden – Herbs! Westbury Community Garden has long had two garden plots (C2 and D2) dedicated to growing and learning about medicinal and culinary herbs. In a recent reorganization, the garden is making work on the Herb beds an eligible maintenance…
Garden beds need to be mulched with leaves, alfalfa hay or pine needles by mid-March, or as quickly after that to keep weeds down and more importantly to retain moisture in the soil after watering. In early June, there are usually a few fall/winter crops that are hanging on for dear life, fighting disease…
When we all signed our gardeners agreement, we agreed to plant in each of three seasons with the option of having a fallow season (with WCG approval). Are you prepared for the summer season? It is here! Preparing For the Hot Summer Season Remove all plants that are not producing, including diseased and sick or dead plants. When…