Voice of the Garden
by Will Lewis
In the past few weeks we have planted basil, tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatillas, peppers, summer squash, winter squash, okra, green beans, lettuce, chard, and beets up at the garden of seven gates. Also, the asparagus we planted is growing well and we have been filling in the ditch with compost.
Down at the teaching garden we have been planted lettuce, amaranth, zucchini, more mustard greens and cilantro, okra, burdock, parsley, peppers, and tomatillas. We have
also planted zinnias in front of the garden and marigolds around the beds because they are a natural insect repellant.
From both gardens we have been harvesting kale, beet leaves, mustard greens, chard, radishes, lettuce, peas, basil, spinach, all of which have been going to the temple kitchen or for our feast at the farm circle.
The farm circles will be happening every Wednesday at 6:30 in the teaching garden or in the greenhouse beside the teaching garden. The farm circles include workshops and demonstrations, interesting discussions, and good fresh food.
We have also been doing a lot of weeding, mulching, watering, and trying to deal with the groundhogs. Up at the garden of seven gates, half of our tomatoes and all of our tomatillas have been eaten by the groundhogs. Today, we covered the tomatoes with row cover so that the groundhogs cannot eat them. We are now finding their holes and we will put a stick in these holes with a cloth covered with paint thinner to push them out of their holes. We will see what happens.
We have been drying lemonbalm, mint, and comphrey. We have produce for sale as well which consists of: peas, mustard greens, lettuce, beet greens, parsley, dandelion, sorrel, lovage, spinach, kale, radish, basil, and oregano.
