Kate's first blog

I am so excited to welcome you to Kate's Garden's first blog!  I am not the most computer literate person on the block, so forgive me if  my attempts are less than perfect.  I have come to realize that being a perfectionist definitely has it's drawbacks.  Life is to be enjoyed, one minute at a time and gardens have always kept me centered and at peace.  Now, if only sitting in front of the computer could do the same thing!

This is the second season for my CSA and I have doubled my subscription shares.  I have hired two wonderful wise garden goddesses to help me, Barbara and Sandy, and we have been working our tails off getting everything seeded and transplanted.  Krysta Brayko, who is a member of the CSA has been coming by too as we need all the help we can get. It is so much fun being together in the garden.  It doesn't seem like as much work, when you are in the company of friends.  I welcome you to come by for a visit, or some work time.  It can be a very rewarding spending time with the "plant people".

My new greenhouse allowed me to start more seedlings earlier this year.  I jumped the gun a little to early with the tomatoes, however!  They were ready to go in the ground over a month ago.  I was so glad that I listened to the nature spirits when they told me to "hold off" transplanting them into the garden until after the first of June, as I had frost here on May 29th.

Because we had such a mild winter, I knew we were going to have challenges with more bugs and weeds.  I have already seen grasshoppers chewing on the brassicas, the coddling moths have been hovering ready to lay eggs, and the flea beetles are jumping around the greens and radishes.  So I have had to cover all of  those crops with agribon, which is a spun polyester fabric.  It makes it a little more work to fertilize, water and check the growth, as I have to uncover them and cover them back up again, but I would rather do that than have plants with holes and little worms.

We are still on track for the first harvest/pickup on June 21st.  This last cold spell slowed down the growing a little, but I am hoping there will be greens, scallions, radish, lettuce, herbs, kale, chard and rhubarb in your basket.  There may even be some cabbage and broccoli.  I will keep my fingers crossed.  Pick up time is from 2 to 6 PM.  If you are unable to pick up your produce, please give me a heads up, or find a friend or neighbor to pick it up for you. We are really trying to form a strong community here, so once you have the opportunity to meet your fellow members, it would be wonderful to maybe car pool or pick up each others baskets when needed. We can share each other's contact information if you let me know that it is okay with you to do so.  We begin harvesting in the wee hours of  the morning, so it is a really long day for us.  By 6 o'clock we are ready to put our feet up and relax.  I do not have extra refrigerator space to store your produce for an extended period of time.  

I have wooden crates and garden tubs that can be used for your shares for a refundable $10 deposit.  However, if you would prefer, you can bring your own box, cooler or shopping bags to carry your share home.  I would prefer to not use plastic for packaging, so if you have fruit and lettuce clam shells, or larger plastic tubs from your purchases at the grocery store, be sure and save them.  We can fill them here, and that way they won't go to the dump!

The recipe corner will provide food for thought and experimentation with crops from the current harvests.  I would love it if you would share your recipes, too. I am sure you have favorites, maybe even passed down from your family, that would be a welcome addition to our selection.


That's it for now!  I hope  you  enjoyed the update.  I welcome your suggestions and critique.  As a said, it is all about forming a strong community.  Let's start the process.

I will send you a link for next weeks blog as soon as it is posted.  


Have a great week!