A Cooperative Learning Project
“With this particular tomato, Ramapo, it is on the acid end of the range — the way most people would perceive that is, it has zing to it or it’s tangier. It also is in the moderate to high moderate range when it comes to sugars. The balance of acidity and sugar gives it an intense flavor.”
More info here and here.
Our first crop of 2012!
Patriot’s Day weekend is a terrific time to plant the bulk of the spring seeds and seedlings (at least, here in Massachusetts). We were fortunate to have fantastic weather, and a 57.5° soil temperature.
We planted seeds of Arugula, Bok Choy, Carrots (a rainbow of varieties), Collards, Kale (green & dinosaur), Leeks, Mizuna, Mustard, Onions (red, white & yellow), Radishes, Scallions, Swiss Chard and Turnips (salad & cross types).
We also planted seedlings of Broccoli, Cabbage (green & red) and Spinach. Cauliflower seedlings would have been planted as well, but they weren’t yet available from our local farm supplier.
The seeds and seedlings from previous weeks are growing fast. The Lettuce seedlings are particularly colorful!
Alas, our water supply remains unavailable, requiring the transport of dozens of gallons of water to the garden to give all the new seeds and seedlings a drink during the recent dry spell.
We knew we were in for a treat when our CSO (or Chief Signage Officer) arrived this morning. Bearing at least a passing resemblance to St. Nick, Dick had all the garden’s new and remade signs in a satchel slung over his shoulder.
These lovely handmade wooden signs are a hallmark of Robbins Farm Garden. Not only are they handy for remembering what’s planted where, they also act as garden ambassadors for each of the different crops — from Amaranth to Zucchini — 24/7.
In this article from The Salt, NPR’s food-focused blog, we learn that community farming often doesn’t work. (One piece of evidence cited: 70 years of hunger and spare harvests in the Soviet Union.)
Among the complaints of cooperative communities farmers such as ourselves is that in the hotter weather, work crews dwindle. “Our experience is, it’s an unequal participation, and an unequal sharing,” says Judy Elliott, who’s the Education and Community Empowerment Coordinator for Denver Urban Gardens.
The way we get around that is to link work and share: If you don’t produce, you don’t get the produce.
Meanwhile, the story does say that if members get beyond that problem, the community that develops is even more valuable than the food.
Last week we puttered around a little, but today was Opening Day for Robbins Farm Garden 2012! A big "thank you" to Arlington’s Parks & Recreation for letting us leave the garden in place over the winter so we didn’t have to waste today putting the fence back up.
Lisa and Elisabeth started the day moving 3 yards of Bob & Guy Lalicata’s excellent "black gold" (compost), distributing it among all the beds. Later we spread it out so that we wouldn’t smother the winter rye, which can keep growing until we’re ready to plant the crops. This could be the happiest winter rye in Arlington.
"Rock Star" Michael tackled a bed that had never been properly dug.
A few hardy spinach plants survived the snowless winter, so we’re giving them a chance to enjoy the cool spring weather. The soil temperature was 50 degrees.
Melanie organized the cilantro volunteers that are sprouting all over the place and Sue got the fava beans (Windsor from Johnny’s) into the ground nice and early this year.
The kale from last fall still looked good, but we had to get the peas in the ground right where last year’s kale bed was. (We ate some for dinner tonight, and it was the sweetest, tenderest kale we’ve ever had.)
Three varieties of peas went in: Alderman heirloom shell peas (Thompson & Morgan), Mammoth Melting Sugar snow peas (Burpee), and Sugar Snaps (Johhny’s). We planted them by the "Crockett" method: dug a wide trench about 4" deep, spread the peas an inch or two apart, and covered with 1" soil so we can slowly fill the trench in as the peas grow, keeping their roots down deep where it’s cool. We’ll be eating the first peas by the end of May.
It was a perfect day at Robbins Farm Garden thanks to this great early spring and having the privilege of getting back to work with our friends. As I’ve said many times before, gardeners are some of the best folks around. Come see us next Saturday at the EcoFest, then come on over to the garden.
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