Risky food

You can look on any number of websites for these lists,  I've tried to limit them to things that grow well on Nantucket.  I encourage you to look at these other sites for information on fruits and other foods so you can make sound decisions when shopping. 

 These are also the foods you might most want to plant in your own garden  - at least you will know what you are eating.

These are foods that are grown with sizable quantities of pesticides, herbicides, they are often "GM" foods (genetically modified).  The soils are usually laden with non organic fertilizers - I also have issues with the labor practices and health of laborers working with so many chemicals.

Apples

Bell Peppers

Celery

Spinach

Strawberries

Potatoes

Red Raspberries

Lettuce

Cabbage

Carrots

Apples can be a difficult crop on Nantucket - "Cedar-Apple Rust"  is a fungus transmitted from Cedar trees to Apple trees,  an  Apple tree should not be planted within 500 yards of a Cedar tree - good luck on Nantucket!  

You might consider "Espalier" trees - flat trees grown against a wall, fence, small so you can easily apply an organic fungicide

Pears do well here.

The Little Stuff

You shouldn't walk on the soil in your garden once it is prepared.  You can track in new diseases, you compact the soil.  Create workable beds that you can reach from all sides, lay some sort of pathway between them.  Lumber, Stone, Gravel, Landscape cloth, Mulch.

When you plant, don't press the soil around the plant/seedling - it can create air pockets, wait until you are finished planting, then "water" in so all the soil particles settle around the roots of your plant.

Critical when transplanting plants : that they go in no deeper than the level that they are now living.  If they are too deep, soil will cover stem, trunk, and rot the stem.  too high and they could dry out.  The only plant capable of adjusting itself in soil so it is at the proper depth is a true Lily - and I think that is truly awe some.

Some basic gardening terms

Soil - is what the good earth has given us to grow in.  Sandy, Clay, Loam, combinations of the same.

Soil amendments - are not necessarily fertilizers, but organic substances we incorporate into soil to adjust it to our crops needs, and to make a better soil. Compost, leaf mold, peat moss are the usual amendments - organic products that will continue to break down, add air to soil, act as sponges to hold water and nutrients.

Fertilizers - plant need basic nutrients to thrive.  The "major" nutrients are NPK - Nitrogen, Phosphors, Potassium - minor nutrients are also necessary. A plant will not survive with out sufficient quantities and proportions of Major nutrients.

Organic fertilizers -  are fertilizers derived from plants and animals.  Chemical fertilizers are derived through chemical processes.

Certified Organic - is a means of producing food, plants and animals that follow strict codes established by our governments.  We now have a national organic code that one must qualify to be certified.  Previously we had various states codes eg: Oregon Tilth, California Organic.  Most home gardeners ought not tie themselves up with certification. Practice organic methods, use organic products for healthy soils and healthy food, but certification is complicated, expensive and requires a lot of time.

Cover crops -  a crop one can plant to hold nutrients in the soil when a crop is not growing, or to hold soils over winter to protect from erosion and nutrient loss.  Good to turn the cover crop into the soil early in season so it becomes compost.

Frost dates - last date to expect frost in spring,  first date to expect frost in Fall.  Frost will freeze your plants, and kill them.  You can protect crops from frost by placing blankets and various crop covers when you suspect a frost is due.

Heavy Freeze - this is a crop killer.

Hardening off - plants raised indoors or in a green house are "tender"  they have not yet formed the tough cells to prevent sunburn, wind damage, light frost damage.  Plants need a protected period when the are placed outdoors, but under some sort of cover.  an unheated cold frame, a plastic hoop, under a table - especially at night.  A week or two will have them ready to move into permanent positions.

Crop covers - usually spun polyester floating blankets "Remay" is a brand name, holds in heat, protects from insects, prey, rain can pass through.  Winter blankets are heavy white fiberfill like blankets and protect plants over winter.  

Shade blankets - fabric woven to lightly shade crops like lettuce durning hot sunny days.

Bolt-  when a cool season crop , like Lettuce, Spinach get to hot, too much sun, they get very tall and start to set seed - "bolt" upwards  unless you want the seed, it is time to put this plant in the compost pile.

Cool season crops -  some plants grow well in the "cool season"  spring and fall, shorter day lenght, cool nights, cooler days  -Lettuce, Spinach, Peas are some of these.  You can manipulate growing conditions to a certain degree to prolong these crops - plant where they will receive more shade, use shade cloths.

Warm season crops - some plants grow best in hotter weather, will not grow in cool weather, they like longer day lengths and warmer nights Tomatoes, Eggplants, Corn, Squash, Sweet Potatoes are some of these.  You can manipulate growing  conditions to encourage some of these - crop covers, dark mulches, clear "cloches", grow in controlled green houses.

What is Organic?  Should I be certified? - Laura Simon

 Sometimes would be organic gardeners are daunted by the  word "certified" that so often precedes "organic" on food labels and in the press. It conjures up visions of endless forms, applications, and government intrusion, but this is true only if you are planning to sell your produce to Whole Foods. There is no certification process for home gardeners. Organic gardening is not about doing paperwork. It's about feeding the soil naturally, so the soil can feed the vegetables and flowers. It's about  banishing chemical fertilizers and poisonous insect sprays from your tool shed and your food. Organic gardening is about taking lessons from Nature. You pass the first time you bite into a sun-ripened, juicy tomato or a just-picked crunchy salad and know that you are eating pure, delicious food with no toxic seasonings. Good health. That's all the  certification you need.

Soils:  for now please go to my other blog - thegardens-nantucket - ( click at top of page) look in March for the soils blog - always being added to.

When to start seed on Nantucket

Sat down with Laura Simon a while back, Laura has the most beautiful organic vegetable garden I have ever seen.  She has such happy combinations of flowers, vines, fruit, vegetables, happy dogs who like to retrieve squash, chickens mulling about - it's idyllic.  

I asked her for help in determining seeding times, as she is the most dedicated vegetable gardener that I know here

I don't know how to post links yet, but go to the "farmers almanac" on google and look at their schedules.

in general , later than you think -but preparing the soil early is not a bad thing, especially as we get so busy here starting at least 2 weeks before memorial day.

Laura starts most of her seed indoors, she has set up a great space in what is normallly her guest room.  it's upstairs, war, south and west facing windows.  She  has an oil cloth on the floor, a table set up with more oil cloth to  set her trays on, and an upper frame so she can use grow lights if needed.  Nice to have it all indoors as these days are still so cold.

many of her seedlings she is able to set out into great cold frames when they have established roots, so there is room for the next round, and so those seedlings begin the" hardening off" process.. acclimating themselves to temperature fluctuations and building stronger systems (see garden terms blog).

I started mine yesterday 3/31  in the walk-in cold frame.  I have heat mats attached to a thermostat, placed on insulated material, and at first i use covers on the trays to keep heat and moisture in - the weather is very up and down. Bottom heat is consistent, but air temp fluctuates and could harm new sprouts.  On the other hand, leaving he clear lids on the flats too long and various fungal  diseases can set in in that nice warm moist place.

These are special mats developed for horticultural use - they are sealed, water cannot enter, do not use a heating pad!

This year I'm also covering the flats at night with some winter blanket I have on hand - I really loathe paying for the electric, so it's a conservation effort on my part.

A neighbor has a shelf by a window over his heating.  He adds a regular light bulb to increase light and add some warmth.

Read those packages, go on line, different seed germinates at different temperatures, and with different day lengths.  Also note the time of maturity - say 52 days for a squash,  what will you be doing in 52 days?  Maybe you should wait 2 weeds before you start your seeds.

A note on lettuce - easy to start, bolts when it gets hot, unless you have a customer who wants to buy lettuce from you, grow just as much as you can use in a given time, and plan to replace on a regular basis.  Lettuce is very pretty, so think of innovative ways to use it in containers, window boxes & perennial beds.

Organic Vegetable Gardening Fete and Teach-In May 2009

The First Annual (?) Nantucket Community Organic Garden Festival and Teach-in is on the road!

May 9, 2009  The Gardens will host an organic vege garden teach in, community exchange, resource sharing - "how to" for those who haven't and updates for those who do.

Bring the kids, tools, questions, clothing you want to get dirty.

To date we have some wonderful Nantucket gardeners joining us as workshop leaders: