Rain, Rain, Go Away

Since we don't have a direct line of water, I usually love when it rains. However, the easy way is clearly not always the best. Rain helps our crops to grow, but it also helps the weeds. After about three days of rain, I went outside to find a jungle of weeds intermingling with our plants. Luckily, the ground is moist enough that weeding isn't too terrible of a chore. Still, it takes a while to clear out the intruders. I'm thinking a mulch run may be in order.

Jungle of weeds that pop up after every rain.

There they are!
A lovely row of beets after hours of weeding :)

Signs of Life

So, last Friday I planted a bunch of things (lettuce, radishes, cilantro, cucumbers, etc.)  and the week before that the volunteers had planted pumpkins and watermelon. While the potatoes and onions seemed to spring up overnight, the other seedlings weren't doing so well. Finally, after a long wait: life! The rain did a great job to help along germination and everything we've planted has sprouted. We have rows of healthy radishes and lettuce; mounds of pumpkin, watermelon, and cucumber vines. It looks like we'll be having a nice harvest later this summer and fall.

Radishes

A row of healthy radishes

Onions

Potatoes

Beets

Tomatoes

Peas

Pumpkins

Cucumber

Plans for the Future

So, it's only been a few weeks, but I feel like there are already a few things to note for next year. Just a few suggestions.

1. We should keep track of exact planting dates, varieties of seeds, and try to make a planting chart before digging in the dirt.

2. We should prepare the soil earlier (utilizing on-campus volunteers) so we can get some spring crops.

3. Let's try beds! It would limit/contain the amount of weeding and keep our crops organized.

4. It would be wise to pick up free compost and mulch at the start of the season. That stuff sure does go fast!

What better way to learn than from experience?

Power Planting!

This morning we worked at Matthew 25 (more shoveling and planting). After a hard morning's work, we were presented with a gift: free seeds! I made a mad dash to plant the seeds this afternoon since it's supposed to rain this weekend. It should be the perfect weather for germinating! Professor Chaimov also donated a few lovely strawberry plants. Now we have lettuce, radishes, cilantro, strawberries, and cucumbers. With the garden getting bigger, we'll be needing extra volunteer support.