March 2024

Barbara's Garden Notes

We have 18 new smiling faces at the Garden this year. Please welcome the newbies and offer your assistance whenever you can. We hope they will enjoy our Community and be successful in their plantings.

Note: New Gardeners, remember that we are an organic garden. So all fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, and fungicides MUST be organic. Luckily, this is not too hard now with all the wonderful products on the market. Plus, you will find on these pages, information about what pests we are dealing with each month and how best to combat them organically. You are welcome to check back in past issues of the newsletter to see what you can expect.

One tip that we received from an organic farmer who spoke to our group many years ago: the secret to getting your soil prepared for the season is to add compost, which we have, Plant-tone or other organic fertilizer, and nitrogen, easily found in alfalfa pellets in the horse feed section at Tractor Supply. Another tip from the Editors - don’t let the weeds or, especially, the wire grass, get away from you! And whatever you do, don’t let the weeds go to seed!

Oh, another tip: The Organic Gardeners favorite weapons - soapy water in a cup, insecticidal soap (especially if it contains permethrin), neem oil, and bT for worms.

Check-in with Chip (Save the Date)

Hello Everyone!

As a follow up, I want to remind you of several important events that will occur over the next few weeks:

1- Saturday, 02 March - 9:00 to 11:00, the first WCG work party. Great time to start getting those 10 volunteer hours.

2- Saturday, 09 March, 9:00 to 11:00 (or until all the plants are gone), Cold crop sale: broccoli, collards, lettuce, kale, cabbage, etc. A shout out to Amanda Beringer, who stepped up to help with the WCG bedding plants this year.

3- Saturday, 06 April, 9:00 to 11:00, the second WCG work party. A good chance to meet your garden neighbors.

4- Saturday, 20 April, 9:00 to 11:00, Tender crop sale: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, zucchini, etc. Lots of great bedding plants to choose from. Mark your calendar.

Thanks all,

Chip

New Farm Manager

Welcome Joe Carlin

Joseph grew up in Maryland just outside Washington DC and has lived in Virginia for almost 10 years. He graduated from Virginia Tech, having majored in Environmental Horticulture. He has worked on several organic farms and garden centers but in more recent years he has been a greenhouse grower, plant pathology research assistant, and public garden horticulturist. But he has always been a self-professed plant nerd. His horticultural interests are very broad, but his biggest passion is for empowering and educating others to grow their own food and plants. He is also a “guerilla gardener” who plants native fruit and nut trees in public greenspaces from local seed he collects. He does this for food security, ecological restoration, and his own amusement. Besides plants, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, attending concerts, and spending time with his girlfriend and dog.

A Note from the WCG Board of Directors

We have been asked by our landowners James City County to NOT park along the gravel road. We have been asked by Virginia Natural Gas to NOT park over their gas lines that are monitored remotely.

Our full time Farm Manager will be operating the tractor and mower and working in that area at least 5 days a week. We have designated the area around the compost, carport, and sheds as our Utility Corridor. This is the highly functional area where we keep our messy, dangerous, and necessary farm supplies. He should not have to work around your personal vehicle. If you park in that Utility Corridor, you do so at your own risk.

WCG will not be responsible if your vehicle is bumped by the tractor or when mowing debris hits your vehicle. Should you need to unload, please do so and then move your vehicle to the Stadium parking lot.

Thank you from the Williamsburg Community Growers Board of Directors

What to Plant Now

It seems so cold out, but it is time to start planting your cold weather crops. Below is a publication from Virginia Tech that tells you what crops should be planted when. This information is especially helpful now that we have officially changed our USDA Hardiness zone to Zone 8a. https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-331/426-331.html

Between now and the first week in March you can plant, by seed or by transplants: Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Chard, Collards, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuce, Mustard, Onions, Peas, Potatoes, Radish, Spinach, and Turnips.

Luckily, you will be able to purchase many of these plants at our Cold-Crop Plant Sale at the Garden on Saturday, March 9 from 9 - 11. Be advised that last season some plants sold out early.

How Much Do I Plant?

Virginia’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant | VCE Publications | Virginia Tech (vt.edu) also describes specific amounts of seeds/vegetables to plant. Planting is determined by many factors, including your vegetable preferences, the size of your garden, and the time and energy you can devote to maintaining it. The age, lifestyle, and cooking habits of your family influence how much of each vegetable you should grow. You may want to grow more of a certain crop if you plan on canning or freezing.”

For example, the chart tells you that for Bush Beans:

Distance between plants in rows 1-3”

Distance between rows 24-36”

Seed/transplants needed for 10’ row 1 Oz. seed

Approx yield for 10’ row 3-5 lbs.

# of plants/person/planting 10

# of plantings spring/summer 4

# of plantings fall 0

So, from this you know that you should plant a 10’ row with 1 ounce of seed, then thin to 1-3” per plant and that you can expect to produce 3-5 pounds of beans from this row. Also that you can replant beans 4 times throughout the season, but not in the fall. Good stuff for new and experienced growers alike!

Tomatoes 101

Every gardener is ALWAYS trying to understand how to grow the BEST, JUICIEST, TASTIEST tomatoes in the world. Some of us here in Virginia have been vexed by nature - too hot, too cold, too rainy, too dry, too much disease, rotten insect pests. If you would like to have a better understanding of the glorious tomato plant, take a look at this publication, Basic Tomato Physiology and Morphology:

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/SPES/spes-508/spes-508.html

Among other facts, this article states that if it is too cold or too hot, we won’t get many tomatoes (DUH). But why? Because the pollen in tomato flowers, which are self-pollinating, loses viability in hot weather! So don’t be surprised if you have a gap in your tomato production during 90+ degree weather.

Here are the details:

Air temperature significantly influences flowering and fruit set in tomato plants. The ideal temperature range for successful flower development and fruit set is typically between 21°C and 24°C (70°F-75°F). Higher temperatures can inhibit pollen viability, resulting in reduced fruit sets and increased flower drops. Conversely, temperatures below 15°C (59°F) or above 32°C (90°F) can also lead to poor fruit set and decreased yield. Warmer temperatures accelerate fruit ripening, while cooler temperatures slow it down. Once the fruits have set, a temperature range of 18°C to 27°C (64°F-81°F) is generally favorable for optimal fruit development and ripening. Extreme heat or cold stress can result in uneven ripening, reduced flavor, and texture quality of the tomatoes.

Exposure to prolonged periods of extreme heat above 32°C (90°F) or extended cold spells below 10°C (50°F) can negatively impact tomato plants. High temperatures can lead to flower drop, reduced fruit quality, and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases. Cold temperatures can cause chilling injury, resulting in stunted growth, leaf damage, and reduced fruit production.

Seed Starting-Summer Veggies and Annuals

Sorry to say, but if you haven’t started your cool-weather crops indoors yet, you’re too late! No worries, just plant them in the ground instead. But don’t miss starting those seeds for you tomatoes and peppers now.

Why start seeds at home?

There are several reasons that people start seeds at home for setting out in the garden rather than buying plants that someone else has started!

● Greater Variety - The variety of vegetables that are available for purchase from seed catalogs is much broader than what is usually available at the Big Box store or even at plant nurseries.

● Cost effective - a package of seeds with 10-100 seeds will sell often for less than one transplant.

● It’s fun! Makes you feel like when you planted a bean seed in a paper cup in grade school. IT’S ALIVE!!

● It’s easy and inexpensive.

How do I get started?

There are numerous YouTube videos about seed starting.

Here are few to take a look at:

Joe Gardener TV

Indoor Seed Starting 101

Seed Starting Annuals

Bald Eagles Sighting at WCG

Pruning the Blackberries!

We all enjoyed the pick-your-own blackberries last summer. The berries were incredible - big, sweet, and juicy. Well, there is some work that goes in to making this miracle happen. Over the winter, the blackberry plants got long and the canes that bore fruit last summer (floricanes) died. These canes had to be removed and this year's berries will be borne on last year's new sprouts (primacanes). These new canes needed to be shortened to less than 6 feet, tied as close to vertically as possible, and their side shoots pruned to less than a foot. Whew. But with the great help of a bunch of Community Garden Volunteers, the work was accomplished in record speed.

Many thanks to (l to r) Penny McMurtry, Tom Clark, Jeanne Lawrence, Dee Zarnowski, Don Butts and (not pictured) Karen May and Keith Jamerson

Piper was a big help too!

Williamsburg Community Growers Merch!

What's Growin' On!

The garden is slowly waking up. Looking forward to seeing the progress throughout the 2024 season!

In April we will bring back our Monthly Smiles, Kids Corner, Social Media Channels, and preview some very interesting studies taking place at the WCG!

Gardening Symposium Coming to CNU

Christopher Newport University has announced its 25th Anniversary Garden Symposium, “Gardening: Stewardship of Nature” to be held on Saturday, April 6. With the aim of providing education to gardeners in our community, the symposium includes speakers, workshops, plant sales, and more. You can even purchase lunch!

The site for registration is Gardening Symposium - Gardening Symposium - Christopher Newport University (cnu.edu)

There is a discount if registering before March 11.

A listing of the seminars is below, and details are available where you register!

Homegrown National Park; Building Networks for Life! – Dr. Doug Tallamy
Environmentally Friendly Gardening – Dr. Linda Johnson

Foodscaping with Native Plants – Brie Arthur

Native Plants Suitable for Tidewater Virginia – Dr. Janet Steven

From Fear to Hope and the Stewardship of Nature – Dr. Rob Atkinson and Dr Janet Steven

Our Community Gardener, Jim Thompson, says he is going and that the lecture by Dr. Doug Tallamy, a nationally acclaimed lecturer and professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, is worth the price of admission alone.

Round up your friends and sign up for this very informative symposium!

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