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!
Have you seen this moth flitting around your squash plants? Look closely. It is has a greenish black top wing and transparent, black-veined bottom wing and is often confused with a wasp. It buzzes when it flies. Unlike most moths, it flies in the daytime. The Squash Vine Borer, Melitta curcurbitae, is a serious pest of vine…
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?…
Some timely advice from our experienced gardeners — Don’t let your winter crops bolt! Seriously! Harvest your crops while it’s cool and the plants are in good condition. Vegetables planted in September and October are ready to harvest now. If you neglect to harvest at the peak time, you may notice Animals start to gnaw…
Just a quick peek at what’s growing in our gardens…
The kale from Whole Foods tastes very much like the kale snipped from its stalk in any Westbury Community Garden bed. And many other garden fresh veggies are comparable in taste, if not in nutrition, to the ones bought in stores. Except tomatoes. There is no comparison between the sun-ripened deliciousness of a fresh, homegrown…
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…