Inside Brian's Garden
July 24, 2024
Above:
Wednesday 7/17 morning harvest for the Port Townsend Food Bank was supported by Mark, Lys, Amber and her mom, Marcia. They harvested beets, carrots, chard, kale, lettuce heads, snow and snap peas, rhubarb, summer squash, stir fry mix, radicchio and Makah Ozette potatoes for a total of 39.25 pounds.
Dear BG Team -
Tomorrow is forecasted to be sunny with temps in the 60s-70s. We’ll have a rolling start to the work party between 9 and 10 am.
This Week’s Harvests …
Monday 7/15 evening harvest for the Brinnon Food Bank was supported by Kathy C and Bruce, Diane, Beth, Lindsay and Amber. They harvested baby carrots, chard, Wawa Choi (baby napa cabbage), parsley, chives, kale, lettuce heads, salad mix, onions, snow and snap peas, rhubarb and salad mix for a total of 64.5 pounds.
Garlic Fest Recap
Garlic fest happened!!! Hardneck and softneck varieties are starting their drying process.
The "neck" in the names refers to the stalk that grows upward from the garlic bulb.
Hardnecks have a stalk that stems from the center of the bulb and turns rigid at maturity. Hardneck garlic is closest to wild garlic and thrives in cooler temperatures. They have a bolder, spicier flavor, larger, easy-to-peel cloves and the advantage of producing scapes (flower stalks).
Softnecks have leaves rather than a central stalk and these leaves remain soft and flexible at maturity. They have a milder flavor, smaller cloves and a longer storage time. You’ll most likely find this type in grocery stores.
We are going to be setting aside some of our best to use as seed for next season’s planting.
Thanks to July 18th Work Party Volunteers!
Thanks to an overcast morning, we were able to accomplish a lot before the heat set in for the day.
Karl weeded the chicken run and behind the coop, paying extra attention to the thistle. Lys weeded bindweed, tackled some leaf miner and worked on the irrigation tapes. Kathy S planted leeks and kale. Mike planted chard. Amber planted basil and peppers. Magaly fertilized all crops in Beds 1-6 with worm castings. Amber and Denny planted Brussel sprouts and covered the bed with insect cloth.
Thanks to Karl and Denny for building us fantastic supports for our climbing cucurbits!
Tasks for July 25th Work Party
Irrigation:
- finish making sure all irrigation lines are in direct contact with the soil underneath any straw mulch, pin in place; add straw to any bare soil
- check lines for any leaks or excessive drips and repair where necessary
Groundskeeping:
- (HIGH PRIORITY) cover/mulch all visible soil in beds with straw
- (HIGH PRIORITY) weed the inside north fence line and sheet mulch with more hog fuel where necessary
- continue attaching rabbit-proof fencing (chicken-wire) to outer perimeter and sheet mulch with hog fuel
- weed aisles and add additional hog fuel to sparse aisles
- dig horseradish out of aisle between Beds 3 & 4
Plant maintenance: (HIGH PRIORITY)
- finish fertilizing crops with worm castings (Beds 7-9 and tomatillo grow bags)
- stake sprawling flowers and secure with twine to prevent them from creeping
- add bamboo stakes to tomatoes and tie up for support
- tie-back peas
- prune grapes
Planting:
- mesclun - Bed 6N
- chard - Bed 1S
We hope to see you for some FUN in the garden!
- Amber, Lys and Denny
Co-managers at Brian's Food Bank Garden
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