Beds Are Resting

Currently at the Garden-  Things were relatively quiet at the Kitchen Garden this week.  After the initial cleanup and soil enrichment day on 4/11 we are letting the beds rest.  The outside fence is nearly complete which means that soon will be able to plan out our herb garden along the fence.      

Next Steps at the Garden-  We are planning to meet at the garden this Saturday April 25 at 10 am for an informational meeting where will go over rules and consent forms for those who want plots or are volunteering.   We can also begin the planning process of what type of vegetables gardeners want to grow.  In the early spring some of the leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, and Swiss chard can be planted.  Other vegetables that can be started soon include peas, leeks, beets, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.   Weather permitting we can also work at adding more compost to the soil, aerating the beds and perhaps expanding one of our vegetable beds.

If you have a kitchen compost we would love to have your scraps.  Things that can be composted include, vegetable and fruit waste (including pulp from juicers), grains (rice, barley, oats, etc.), coffee grounds, tea bags, flour products (crackers, bread) old spices, clean egg shells. Also if anyone can bring or knows where we can get chicken, rabbit, horse or cow manure that would be great addition to our compost.  Any or all of these can be added to our compost bins located at the entrance of the Kitchen Garden. 

Thanks,

Marc Taiano and Solange Viggian

Waking Up the Garden

Kitchen Garden Update-

Currently at the Garden-  We had a good first day at the Kitchen Garden this Saturday.  We welcomed gardeners Anne Spector, Linda McCarthy and Gabriela Munoz who along with Solange Viggiano and myself worked at turning the raised beds and adding compost plus other organic nutrients to the soil.  We also did a general clean up around the garden.  Also stopping by was John Gunther who helped to till the community plots using our large broadfork.  Another new gardener Sam Bercovich stopped by to say hello and to say he will be stopping by soon.  Dave Person came by to fix the outside fence and along with John began to place removal posts which should ease the problem of the snow build up along the fence border during the winter months.

Roots and Wing members Lenore Person and Chris Olsewski worked at clearing the Labyrinth garden of piles of dead leaves in the front area of South Church.

Next Steps at the Garden-  Solange our co-coordinator will be at the Kitchen Garden next Saturday April 18 at approximately 10 am.  All gardeners are encouraged to attend in order to continue with the general clean up.  We will also try to extend one of our ground level beds and finish turning some of the soil to be used for the community garden.   If the fence is complete we will also be able to continue to expand and complete our herb garden which currently has sage, thyme, and chives.  

We currently have 4 families/individuals who have taken an individual plot.  There are still two 8' by 4' plots available plus anyone who wants to participate in just doing community gardening is more than welcome on Saturdays.

We are planning an informational meeting on Saturday April 25 at 10 am for all gardeners and those interested in finding out more about the Kitchen Garden.  We will go over some of the Garden Rules, distribute consent forms and discuss our collective vision for the community garden.  As of right now approximately half of the space will be used for gardeners with individual plots and the other half by those who want to do group gardening where the bulk of the produce will go to the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry.

Light snacks will be served plus we should have an opportunity to visit both our Kitchen Garden and Labyrinth Garden.

Regards,

Marc Taiano and Solange Viggiano