Books I've Been Reading, Small Spaces

“Sugar Snaps and Strawberries” by Andrea Bellamy ISBN 9781604691245

Majority of the book functions as an introduction to gardening in a general sense. Some space devoted to “Finding Space” and overall the book shows a respect for space. The book has a lot of empty page space. Pages with large blank areas and large photos showing repetitive information. Overall not a great complement for an experienced gardener’s library.

“Vertical Vegetables and Fruit” by Rhonda Massingham Hart ISBN 9781603429986

A book truly dedicated to vertical gardening techniques. Lots of great tips for vertical growing. It doesn't always translate well into small spaces but the ideas can be adapted. The book assumes  the reader has a reasonable experience with gardening and skips the usual very basic how to instructions.

Gateway Greening Application Process

I've received the application from Gateway Greening to become a garden with them. Orientation meetings are scheduled for
September 26th - 11:00 am - 12:00 pm - Gateway Greening's Office: 2211 Washington Ave
September 27th - 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Office: 2211 Washington Ave
October 6th -  9:00 am - 10:00 am - Gateway Greening's Carriage House: 3815 Bell Ave.
These are held by Gateway Greening. Any garden member is welcome to attend - and we need at least one member to definitely attend. Anyone interested?

UPDATE: It was decided that at this time the benefit of joining Gateway Greening was outweighed by the overall cost of doing so. While still a possibility in the future, joining Gateway Greening is no longer an active pursuit by the members of the garden.

Fall and Winter Gardening

There is far more information out there on Fall and Winter gardening than I can sift through and present coherently in this format. But I thought I'd try to hit some highlights as we start considering the end of summer.

We are zoned 6a to 7a on the revised USDA zone hardiness map. We're literally right on the edge. The dent into the river channel creates a climate more like 7a, but we're surrounded to the north and west by 6b. We all know how unpredictable the weather can be, so it's probably best to assume we'll have a 6b winter. What does that mean? It's an indicator of how cold the weather is, and what our average frost dates are. Many gardeners are familiar with frost dates - we know when the soil is warm enough to start planting. But end frost dates are important, as well, to the cold weather gardener. It gives us a time table for when we should start planting our cool weather crops.

For your ease of finding:

Zone 6
Average date the last frost - 30 March to 30 April
Average date the first frost - 30 September to 30 October
Zone 7
Average date the last frost - 30 March to 30 April
Average date the first frost - 30 September to 30 October

For our zone, it's the time to plant certain cool weather crops that cannot survive the heat of summer, that need cool weather to mature, or simply have enough hardiness to give us a second crop for the year. We still have time to plant:
Arugula
Asian Greens
Endive
Garlic
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Turnips

It's really close, but you might be able to get a crop of beets and onions in as well. With this crazy weather, who knows how Fall will work out?

To Our People

I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for all their hard work. One end of the lot has been fenced, the trash has been cleaned out, and the planter beds are all developing individual personalities. Without the time, effort, and support of all of you this wouldn't be happening. Please know that you are appreciated!
Beth

Book Review: "The Beginner's Guide to Edible Herbs"

Subtitle: 26 Herbs Everyone Should Grow and Enjoy by Charles Smith (ISBN: 9781603425285)

Another book picked from the library shelf based on its title and availability - and a great find! For anyone looking to learn about herbs this is a well put together book. Most of the book focuses on the 26 herbs, though the concise introduction written by Edward Smith (author of "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible) covers basic growing information. This really is a focused guide for beginners. Mixed in with the individual herb listings are many recipes to incorporate these herbs into your kitchen. Each herb listing has a description, photo, guides to growing and harvesting, uses and preservation. The author even includes commonly accepted companion planting information (when available)and culinary connections.

The herbs features are not specific to the Midwest, the USA, or even N. America. They were chosen because of the frequent occurrence of the herb in our kitchens or plant nurseries. A possible negative of this book is that it may not contain the herb you're interested in growing. But with so many books suffering from too many listings and not enough individual information, this book is a refreshing change.

Pros: Great introduction in growing and using these 26 herbs.

Cons: Only covers 26 herbs.

Bottom Line: If you're looking for a quick guide to what herbs to focus your energy on, pick up this book. It's exactly right.

Would I buy this for my library? Yes. The information is concise, well presented, and detailed. It's now on my list.

Which 26 herbs are in this book? These: anise hyssop, basil, bay laurel, bee balm, borage, calendula, caraway, catnip, chives, cilantro, dill, fennel, garlic, hyssop, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme.

Book Review "Herb Gardening for the Midwest" by Debra Knapke

Another run to the library, another selection of books I've formed opinions about! Today's selection is "Herb Gardening for the Midwest" by Debra Knapke and Laura Peters.

I selected this book because it was compact and titled to indicate being specific to our region. I must say, I love the binding and cover, a water and tear resistant material. The paper is a high gloss, making the photos really stand out. The majority of the book is devoted to an alphabetical listing/description of individual herbs (with a little cross over from hard to define plants like Arugula). Each entry is fairly detailed, with each herb getting their own introduction, features, growing, tips, recommended varieties, harvest/processing, and uses. Some entries even include recipes for things like soap, oils, and lotions. The information is a concise overview for the herb.

I'm not rushing out to acquire my own copy, however. Once again, this is a good introduction book but isn't going to last long as a useful reference guide. There isn't enough information about specific growing conditions. The book is titled "...for the Midwest" but nothing in the book gives reason for that distinction. The only hint is found in the introduction which includes a zone hardiness map but the selection printed is now out of date (due to some very recent changes by the USDA) and, more importantly, doesn't include 5 states commonly accepted as "midwest." One of the missing happens to be Missouri.

The biggest reason for not recommending this book is the fact that unless you're willing to read through 200 pages of herb listings, there's no way to intelligently decide which herbs you want to focus on. The information in the book is readily available in many locations (including online).

Pros: Detailed, well organized entry for each herb listed in the book.

Cons: Not enough specific growing information, nothing specific to midwest

Bottom Line: If you know what herbs you cook with but no idea how to grow them, this book would be a good place to start - but borrow it if possible. If you can't borrow it, just check the 'net.

Would I buy this book for my library? No.

LaSalle Park Community Garden Meeting

LaSalle Park Community Garden Meeting
Tuesday 20 March 2012
7:30 pm at Beth M Household
Present: Elizabeth M, Danielle S, Chris V, Lindsay M, Tony B, Heather M
Absent: Toni H
Beth M opened the meeting. She had compiled a list of topics that had been brought to her attention and as a group we discussed them, attempted to find the best solution and voted accordingly. These minutes also include any updates that have occurred since the meeting and are noted accordingly.
Garden Plan
Issue: There has been a much larger demand for the 2’ x10’ & 2’x11’ planter beds than the 4’x4’ beds.
Solution/Response:
New Plan: Beth had drafted a revised garden plan and presented it to the group. The planter beds still run east/west but the new plan has less 4’x4’ planter beds, more 2’x10’ beds and 2’x12’ beds have been added. The planter beds were moved 6’ from the North boundary to allow 3’ for the north perimeter bed and a 3’ walking space between the perimeter bed and the 1st raised planter bed. The planter beds are 3’ off of the West fence to allow ~1’ of space for climbing plants to be planted there.
Planter Beds: A couple of planter beds have been built and are at the site to be viewed and used as a template.
Action:
Finish staking garden including the corners for the planter beds and the perimeter beds along the north & south.
Toni H to distribute perimeter plan. Everyone present was excited about the prospect of rose bushes and butterfly plants in the perimeter.
Note: Toni-Please let us know if you need help with the perimeter, either planting, cleanup or upkeep.

Issue: The current spacing between the beds is 3’ which Danielle did not feel was enough space to get a cart or wheelbarrow in and out and would like the space increased to 4’.
Solution/Response:
The group voted to keep the space at 3’.
Action:
None
Issue: Tony & Danielle proposed that there be a community area with a park bench/sitting area so the community, even those who don’t garden, can come and enjoy the garden.
Solution/Response:
The group voted to include a Community Area with seating.
An area on the Western half of the lot will be left open for this purpose in the future.
Action:
Exact size, location and layout of community area to be determined.
Tony will seek businesses to sponsor and cover the cost of creating this space.

Issue: Drainage/Grading: For clarity, the issues will be labeled A, B, C etc.
A. The site appears to have a high spot that runs north south and is located about midway east/west.
B. There is a significant low spot along the east, about midway north/south,
C. There is a low spot in the northeast corner of the lot.
D. There appears to be a sink hole along the north, near the southeast corner of Toni H deck.
Solution/Response:
Danielle suggested that the site should be professionally surveyed and graded properly before moving forward with planter bed installation etc.
Beth suggested that we only build on the Western half of the lot this season while we are still trying to judge the extent of the problem. She obtained a verbal rough estimate that the grading would cost ~$400. This estimate did not include fill material.
The group voted to:
1. Wait and see if the sinkholes are still sinking
2. Move forward with developing ONLY the western half of the lot this season.
Action:
Get a professional estimate for the survey and grading of the site.
Raise funds to cover this expense.

Funding
Issue: We still need to raise funds to complete the construction of the garden and for the upkeep/ maintenance of the garden. Those items are:
Ground cover for walkways
Remainder of Fence
Survey & Grading of Lot
Gravel for Loading Zone**See below for update
Water Lateral
Water Storage [Rain Barrels]
General Landscape Maintenance Equipment
Equipment Storage Building
Solution/Response
Obtained estimates for these items
Tony B will make a list of area businesses that may be interested in donating to our project.
Tony will publish the list to the group & we will determine who will contact which businesses with Tony B being the lead.
Loading Zone
Issue: Besides needing funding to create the loading zone, Beth discovered while talking to our Neighborhood Stabilization Officer (NSO) about our loading zone that the City of St. Louis Ordinance and Garden Lease Guidelines contradict each other.
City Ordinance: Restricts the use of gravel & requires concrete for parking areas. It also does not allow parking on grass.
Garden Lease: Restricts the use of concrete.
Solution/Response:
We cannot install a Loading Zone on the garden lot.
The NSO said that the City Ordinance allows cars to stop in the alley for up to 15 minutes for loading/unloading.
Post Sign stating something to the effect of ‘Maximum of 15 minute Loading/Unloading in Alley’.
As members of the LaSalle Park Community Garden, we must be diligent in loading and unloading quickly and efficiently and then parking our cars on Rutger.

Soil
Issue: None
Solution/Response: We are moving forward with a bulk order of soil mix components.
Action: Beth will order the soil components and keep us posted
UPDATE: Per Beth: “ I spoke with STLCompost and due to very high delivery fees they're not reasonable. Also, it seems I made some errors. I put a number on the wrong side of the equation and the end result is a higher cost. I'm sorry. The increase is going to vary from $10 to $30 depending on how much soil you need, I'll email each of you individually. I'm really sorry. I put our order in at Valley Park Feed and delivery is scheduled for Friday, 3/31.”
Lot & Compost Maintenance
Issues: 1. The compost needs to be turned every two weeks. 2. The lot needs to be mowed & weedeated {is that even a word?!?} every 1-2 weeks, depending on rainfall.
Solution/Response: Garden members will take turns ‘turning’ the compost. Beth has a reel to reel push mower and Tony B has a motored lawnmower. Danielle has an electric weed eater. Heather will put together a schedule for a. turning the compost b. lot weeding, mowing etc.

We currently do not have another meeting scheduled.