Give Peas a Chance! March 17

Franklin Community Garden

Spring Celebration 

&

 Pea Planting Demonstration

Saturday, March 17th

@ 10 a.m.

Cost: Free

Location:

King Street Memorial Community Garden

located at King Street Memorial Park in Franklin

Sponsored by:

The Friends of Franklin Community Gardens, Inc

All are welcome to attend!

The Friends of Franklin Community Gardens will celebrate the beginning of the 2012 spring season by hosting a Pea Planting demonstration at King Street Memorial Community Garden on Saturday, March 17th beginning at 10 AM (weather permitting). 

 

March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, is the traditional day in New England to plant spring peas.  Free seeds will be available while supplies last. 

 

Garden Coordinator Chris Clay will lead this educational event. Learn about pea types, planting requirements, trellising options, and more.

Get your garden off to an early start by planting a spring crop of fresh sugar snap, snow, or shell peas this year

 Give Peas a Chance!

Rain date: Sunday, March 18

 www.franklincommunitygardens.org

 

Contact: Chris Clay @ hakai2@gmail.com  

Got Seeds? Plant some this weekend! Really! Winter Sowing 101

I know, I know, it's February, just barely into the first week.

And you have your packets of seeds ready to go because:

A) you are super-organized and ordered them early, 

or, like me,

B)  have plenty left over from last year that did not get planted (spinach!),

or perhaps

C) you planted heirlooms and saved your own seed (A+ for sustainability!)

or

D) all of the above (seed junkie!)

You see them at the store, taunting you: "Buy Me." 

(and me and me and me.....)

But you have only so much space to start seeds inside. 

Not enough for everything you want to start.

And maybe no grow light, or only one, or no sunny windows, or bad luck starting seeds.

And anyway, it's too early.

Nope. Wrong.

Start some anyway.  Now. 

Not Inside, 

Outside.

Vegetables, Herbs, and Flowers

Annuals and Perennials.

Yes, you can.

It is called winter sowing, and right now, this weekend, you can get started.

But there is a hitch:  You need to do this in containers that have a lid. 

Find some.

Examples:

Gallon water or milk jugs,

Plastic take-out containers,

Plastic shoe boxes

You get it.

I am not going to write a winter sowing primer here on this blog, instead, I'm going to point you toward those who have already written about it and let you have fun learning more.  

http://wintersown.org/  

the place you want to start.

http://www.wintersown.org/wseo1/Seed_Lists.html

the seed lists

Franklin, Ma is in zone 6A

(yes, it changed, USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map)

The Winter Sowing Discussion Forum on Dave's Garden

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/coldsow/all/#b

be prepared to get hooked.

Kevin Lee Jacobs in Connecticut has done an excellent job listing which vegetables can be winter-sown in February, March, and April on his site

  A Garden for the House 

He is in the same zone as Franklin, 5B-6A

Here's the post:

http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2012/01/what-to-winter-sow-and-when/

According to Jacobs, these vegetables and herbs can be winter-sown in January and February:

Spinach

Kale

Brussels sprouts

Peas

Broccoli

Thymus serpyllum (Creeping Thyme)

Salvia (common sage)

Oregano

Cilantro

 

You can even winter sow tomatoes next month and they will be hardier for it.

Are you inspired? Good.  

Now go forth and sow.  

have fun,  

-Amy

Groundhog Math

You say Groundhog.

I say Woodchuck.

photo credit

 groundhog (Marmota monax)


Some say Marmot, Whistle-pig, or Land Beaver.

A groundhog is a rodent.

Rodents = Trouble.

(sorry, Mickey M.)

***

Here's some garden math for you:

Rodent + Garden = Damage.

If 
Groundhog = Rodent


Then
Rodent = Groundhog.

***

Groundhog + Garden = Damage.

And If
Groundhog + Groundhog =

 Groundhogs to the Nth power, 

Well, I'm not a math wiz (science is more my thing)

 but I think it is safe to conclude :

Then 

Groundhogs to the Nth power = Nightmare on Garden Street.

***

Here's hoping those fur beasts sleep all through the rest of winter

 and forget to wake up come summer as well!

happy groundhog day, friends!  -Amy.

Renewals & Wait List Info is Here!

Hello Friends!
Here's the news you have been waiting for:


The Franklin Community Garden Committee

Opens 2012 Garden Bed Renewals and Waiting List

For King Street Memorial Community Garden

Renewals:

• Beginning Wednesday, February 1^st, gardeners who maintained a raised bed at the King Street Memorial Community Garden may begin to renew for the 2012 season.
• Gardeners have until Friday, March 2^nd to complete the renewal application and submit payment. 
• Gardeners in good standing have already been contacted by the committee.
• The season fee is $40 and is payable to The Town of Franklin. The application will be processed through the Franklin Recreation Department, 150 Emmons Street (Old Town Hall)
• There is no online registration for renewals.  Gardeners must call Franklin Recreation at 508-520-4909 or visit during office hours.
• Garden beds not renewed by Friday, March 2nd will be assigned to the next person on the wait list.  
• Gardeners may not reassign their plot to anyone else.

Wait List:

• The Community Garden Committee will also open a rolling waiting list for the garden beginning February 1^st. 
• Available gardens will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and assignments will begin Monday, March 5^th pending available space at the garden.
• Sign up for the waiting list ONLINE at http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_Recreation/online by following the links to "Online Registration", then "Register for Activities" then select "Community Garden"
• There is no fee to join the wait list; the $40 fee will only be charged when a garden is assigned.

If you have any questions, please contact the Franklin Community Garden Committee at franklincommunitygardens@gmail.com

Quick! Grab your calendar (or open your calendar app!) and write this down:

Save the Date:
Saturday, March 17

(peas and thank you)

Spring Celebration and Pea Planting Demonstration
 at 

the King Street Garden! 

Weather permitting; more info to follow.  

The public is invited!

oh, yes, FREE SEEDS!!! (while supplies last)




~In Spring We Trust~

Heralding in the New Gardening Year

A visit to the King Street Garden today in short sleeves, 55 degrees and sunny!

***

Happy New Year, Gardeners!

***

Are you getting your seed catalogs yet?

Making resolutions?

To-do lists?

Sketching out garden plot plans?

The real spring will be here before we know it.

***

If to-do lists are your thing, Listen Up:

The Franklin Community Garden Committee is seeking additional members.

Prove your Passion. 

Get Involved!

(Once a month, sometimes twice, usually a Monday evening, 6:30, at the Town Hall.)

Next meeting slated for Monday, Jan 9th at 6:30 

Resolve to be there!

Dig In!

It's going to be another great year.

(Just like last year, only better.)

***

Thanks in advance for your help!

***

Gardening.... A Gateway Drug!

In the words of Roger Doiron, founding director of Kitchen Gardeners International:

"...It's not long after you plant a garden that you start to say...

'Hey, I need to start to learn how to cook!' "




Thank you, Twitter Feed!

(Yup, Growing in Franklin is on the Twitter, check us out! See who we follow, too!)

We get the Best Mail.

We're all aglow.

Yes, veggies were grown. And eaten. And Shared. But....

When you turn green beans into Friends, well, a whole new world opens.

This is what it is all about.

Growing veggies = great,

Growing Gardeners = Outstanding!

Thank you for allowing us to share your note, Mary Cotillo!

*****

"I've been meaning to write (but never seem to find time) to share some of the stories about our garden.  We grew tomatoes, beans, sugar snap peas, radishes, broccoli,carrots, green peppers, basil, and rosemary.  My four year old son was a huge fan of the garden.  Any time we were in the car and turned as we would to get to King Street, he would ask if we could check on our "beanie friends."  (I worried that identifying the beans as friends would make him reluctant to eat them.  Not so!  He loved to pick and eat them straight from the plant.)  While my daughter would practice soccer, my son and I would visit our "beanie friends."  He loved returning to the soccer field munching on a carrot with the greens still attached - "like a bunny."  Both kids loved seeing the sprouts grow, and they really loved eating the final product.  At dinner the other night, my daughter (9) picked at her pork chop, my son wouldn't touch his mashed potato, but they both ate two servings of green beans!  

Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity. " 

Sincerely,

Mary Cotillo

8th Grade Language Arts

Horace Mann Middle School

You are so very, very Welcome!

(ssshhh..........I hear beets make great friends, too.........see you all next spring!)