Hello fellow gardeners,
First off, thanks to all who made it out to our first ever garden Meet & Greet event. Let's hope it's not our last.
WATER
The water is flowing through the hoses and there for you to make use of. During hot stretches of 3-4 days, your young plants and seedlings will want a nice dousing. It's often best to water your garden during the 'shoulder' times of the day (early morning/evening) when the sun's heat is less extreme. Water on your veg leaves during midday heat can cause scalding.
A couple pointers about the water:
1. The main ON/OFF control is located at the garden shed.
2. If the valve is ON and the water's still not coming out, check the hose for a kink.
3. There is no need to coil the hose back up when you're done with it; simply hook the nozzle over the edge of your garden bed and leave it for the next person to use.
4. Make sure the valve has been turned OFF when you leave.
And be sure to get in touch if the system's either leaking or not working properly. Hoses and nozzles are the number one thing that breaks/malfunctions during a gardening season.
JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP
If you're one of those internet-savvy types, why not join the Oak & 41st Community Garden Facebook group? Great place for updates, photos, advice-sharing, watering help requests and more.
Here's the link. Make a request to join and I'll get you in right away.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1587101498002774/
GREEN WASTE BIN
As a reminder, any and all green waste can be placed in the cedar Green Waste Box, located in the southwest corner.
Please don't put your plastics and other trash in here; garbage should be packed out of the garden.
GARDEN TIPS: PEST RESISTANCE + TOMATOES
It can be easy to forget all about aphids when the nights are still cool and our tender green shoots grow undisturbed in their little soil beds. But come hot season, you'll want to have some measures in place to deal with the threat that is most absolutely for sure without a doubt on its way.
I'm talking about pests. Little green flies that suck the nectar from your kale. Thick grubby caterpillars that chew right through your broccoli leaves. Slimy slugs, feasting on your future salads.
Here are 3 simple approaches to dealing with them:
1. Helpful plants: flowers like marigold and petunia have pest-repelling qualities, where a plant like nasturtium will attract aphids (away from your veggies). Garlic and onion, as well as strong-smelling herbs like chive, basil, oregano and sage do wonders when planted in close proximity to your vegetables, and they're also quite flavourful and delicious.
2. Organic Sprays: such as insecticidal soap, store-bought sprays or homemade versions work well in drier conditions, when the rain doesn't wash away the coating. One drawback is that these solutions can also ward off beneficial insects, such as ladybugs.
3. Manually: perhaps the most basic and most effective method, once an infestation is underway, is to kill the buggers with your bare hands. This is easier with large pests like slugs and cabbage moth caterpillars. Firm spray from a hose works well to get rid of smaller pests like aphids.
And for tomato enthusiasts looking for some basic advice on how to plant and cage tomatoes, here's a nice starting place from Rogers Gardens. Note that you probably don't need to go to the same lengths that David does with his mix of different additives (not that a little fertilizer booster will hurt!).
