seed potatoes

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I have a lot of potatoes that I’ve been saving. They are very anxious to get into the ground. All are sending out sprouts. All are supermarket spuds. I thought the mail order seed potatoes were too expensive. Last year supermarket my potatoes grew great. My collection includes a nice Idaho baker, a Yukon Gold, a whole bag of mixed fingerlings (a mix of La Ratte, Russian Banana, French and Rose Finn), and a white sweet potato. My plan is that Friday is potato planting day. This will be my…
 
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bird house and bluebird update

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My dad helped me with putting up a bird house at my plot. Well, he actually transported it, dug the hole, and put it up for me. I can’t say I did more than take the photos. Thanks Dad! Its an old chickadee house that was in my backyard with no residents for many years. I’m hoping it may find an occupant at the gardens. Here’s an update on the bluebirds nesting in Rock Meadow. My parents and I went for a walk and checked the houses where I previously…
 
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more sowing

 
 
I am doing some more indoor seed sowing today. Its time to start the squashes, watermelon and cukes. I’ll also sow some beets, basil and zinnias. And some more onions, lettuce and marigolds. Probably about one 6-pack of each – not very many. I have a nice pane of glass I found, so I will try to construct a cold frame and leave these new trays out in my side yard. The weather is getting quite mild and my sprinklers make watering easy. The squashes, beets, onions and flowers are…
 
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birds in the meadow

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Can I get any help in identifying this wing flasher I saw in Rock Meadow yesterday? Mockingbird? Shrike? The meadow and woods adjacent to my community garden has great wildlife. This weekend I flushed a pair of wood ducks in the woods by the stream. I still haven’t seen the noisy ring necked pheasant, but I keep looking. I’d like to check for the nesting bluebirds again today. garden birds (Hortus Aves) Belmont Victory GardenRock Meadow Conservation Land, Belmont
 
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fence day 2

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The fence is pretty much done. I need to add chicken wire at the bottom to the last two sides, fill in the dirt along the outside bottom, then move the rocks up against the fence to make more room for plants.garden structures
 
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new fence – day 1

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My new community garden fence is looking good. I had super helpers. We bought posts, fencing and door materials, moved rocks from the perimeter, pounded in posts and attached the fencing all around using tie wraps. Its a green vinyl coated fence with 2 by 3 inch openings. 5 feet high. I’ll dig in chicken wire about 4 inches deep and 1.5 feet tall all around the bottom later. (This is because of the very aggressive woodchucks all the gardeners tell stories about.) The door posts are 4 by 4…
 
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garden plan

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Here’s a drawing of my current plan for my community garden plot. (It’s almost legible – my writing is not the best.) I’ve changed from rows to beds. I’m going to experiment with companion planting this year, so I hope to mix in herbs or flowers with many of my crops. Sally Cunningham the author of Great Garden Companions recommends tansy with beets. I have some nice tansy sprouts from winter sowing. What do you think about putting this aggressive (and pretty) plant in my plot? Tansy may repel potato…
 
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welcome home gift

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My parents have returned from the South to their Massachusetts home. (Another sign of Spring!) Skippy and I are visiting today. I have a little package for them – to help start their garden. A few seed packets (nasturtiums, beans, spinach and a summer crisp lettuce). Also plant labels and marker pen. I have a lot of seedlings for them too, but they’re not ready yet.garden giftssure signs of spring
 
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Kathy Martin
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy


weeks and counting until my last spring frost

What I planted recently

Jan 21
thyme, lettuce, escarole

Feb 21
celery, celeriac, parsley, leeks

March 11
cabbage, kale, arugula



What I'm planting soon

April 1
peppers, eggplants, marigolds, beets

April 12
tomatoes, basil, sunflowers

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My garden this week

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17 years of archives!

Check out the food pantry farm I helped to start up:

Aurelia's Garden

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Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!

“I envision a day when every city and town has front and back yards, community gardens and growing spaces, nurtured into life by neighbors who are no longer strangers, but friends who delight in the edible rewards offered from a garden they discovered together.” – Greg Peterson

"What can happen to a seed is a miracle."

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