Thanks to our dedicated core team of volunteers we’ve been able to make progress on developing the new garden site and continue some planting.
What they’ve done so far: Planted spring crops of lettuce, peas, kale, and a few radishes, all successfully harvested for the Food Pantry. Lettuce has been replanted a couple of times, so we should continue to have some for the Food Pantry. We have one bed of tomatoes planted, and some tomatillo plants in the large pots.
We’ve built two new beds this spring (tomatoes in one). With the soil saved and protected with cover crops over last winter, we have had enough soil for the four beds now built, and possibly one more. Bed #4 was just completed and filled with soil, we should be able to plant it in early July, possibly with bush beans and peppers. We also gave away about 40 tomato seedlings to Food Pantry clients. Our efforts will continue through ththe challenging times of reopening business and social opportunities.
Last week we harvested kale, lettuce, and the last of the peas. In bed #2 we planted peppers on the west, and three butterbush squash on the east, replacing lettuce and radishes that have been harvested.
More soil and compost was added to bed #4, then peppers planted down the center, cilantro seeds on east and west ends, and bush green bean seeds on the south side.
In spite of mid-day heat this last week of July, work on the Learning Garden has continued. The garden is looking so good now! Thanks to our core volunteers for your hard labor!
Yesterday early morning I went to the garden to water before the heat of the day. I was a bit worried about how the squash, cucumber, and lettuce transplants, and bean seedlings, would look after not being watered since last Wednesday. They all looked great!
Always, there is much learning in a garden. Many of the lessons are painfully learned the hard way. This year at the Fall City Learning Garden however, I'm happy to report that one lesson was one that came pleasurably!
Most of the Spring and early Summer Learning Garden harvest, over 60 pounds, plus 22 pounds of garlic, has so far come from only one bed, the containers, and the edges of bed #3. This area is only about 72 square feet. The Spring and early summer crops were peas, lettuce, more lettuce, kale, and radishes.
The soil was moved from our old site in the fall (we had spent so many seasons working on improving it) and then planted with cover crops. We added a small amount of compost, about a half inch, to the surface when planting, and used the cut cover crops as mulch. A teaspoon or so of organic soybean meal or composted chicken manure pellets, was added in the hole when seedlings were transplanted.
This 82 pounds of produce grown on 72 square feet, in just the early season, surprised us with its abundance. The happy lesson learned is how much can be grown in a small area! After those early crops are harvested we added a bit more compost and replanted with summer crops. So an even higher yield is expected for the whole season.
Of course, the native soil is very good, being river valley soil, and we have worked for years at stewarding the soil to maintain, and improve, its health. The garden site also has very good sun. These first few planting beds are on the south side of the Masonic Hall, which provides the them with warmth and protection. We aim to plant the right crop at the right time too, which helps with it to succeed.
A more difficult lesson was that planting so intensively (too close) made harvesting some things difficult, and some crops got shaded out by that kale as it shot up to five feet. So we did pay a small price for such an abundant harvest.
Darien
As it has been for all of us, 2020 has been challenging for the volunteers of the Fall City Learning Garden.
Last year we had to move, as the house next door to the Masonic Hall was sold. We spent much of the summer & fall of 2019 moving soil and our bed edging closer to the Hall, where the Masonic Lodge invited us to continue gardening. A year ago we had only two 50 sq foot beds ready to plant, and one of them we filled with garlic! We also applied at that time for a King County Local Service Area community grant, to help us purchase new bed building supplies, soil, and tools.
This year, in February and early March, we started off hopeful that we would receive a grant award, and with new & long time volunteers that helped us set up a new composting area and start early seeds. We had plans for big public workshops to help us build our raised beds in a bed-building blitz!
Well, you know what happened in March. We had to cancel a workshop, and change plans. We were fortunate to receive a grant from King County, but for various reasons the funds were not released to us until October. Our wonderful steady volunteer team shifted gears, and we kept on, little by little. As agriculture is an essential business, even on a small scale, we were able to keep gardening. We adapted to mask wearing and social distancing, making sure we had clean gloves and tools for harvesting. Beds were built, one at a time, rainwater barrels and a new water system installed (thank you to the Fall City Masonic Lodge!), and seeds & transplants planted. As we had no planting space for the earliest peas and lettuce, a call went out for donations of large planters, and our community answered! Well, we ARE a “Learning” garden, as well as a “giving” garden. Here are a few of the lessons we learned this year:
Of course there are also the more painful lessons too:
My most favorite lesson learned in the garden this year, is that gardening together with the other friendly volunteers, contributing in a very small way to a need in our community, is an absolute joy.
I invite any of you who would like to learn and help come join us next season! Look for us on the calendar page of the "Fall City Neighbors," or at our Facebook page: our Facebook page.
-Darien