Newsletter August 2024

In this Issue...

• HARVEST HELP NEEDED ASAP
• Year-to-Date Harvest Numbers
• NEW Postings
• What to do in the August Garden
• How to Volunteer / Donate (We need Admin Support)

PLEASE HELP - 

GROWERS: Do you have a couple extra hours a week? We need help harvesting our growing bounty ASAP. Please send your name/phone/email to FoodBankGrowers@gmail.com. We’ll find the right garden fit for your time and skills. 

GLEANING SEASON HAS STARTED: Do you want to be on the Gleaner Opportunity list and be notified when we start collecting fruit from backyard orchards to redistribute? Please send your name/phone/email to PTgleaning@gmail.com.

2024 Year-to-Date Harvest, Hours, and Starts 

Thank you volunteers for your time and garden knowledge. Your weekly contributions of fresh, nutritionally dense produce are greatly appreciated by food bankers and school kitchens.

5063.20 Pounds of fresh veggies

3,129.25 - Volunteer Hours 

963 - Veggie Plant Starts (to grow your own)

NEW Postings on FoodBankGrowers.org

Worm Casting Tea Time

Inside Brian’s Garden / July 10 / July 17 / July 24

FairWinds brings in their first harvest 

August in the Garden

While the rest of the country swelters we should continue with normal/average weather here on the Quimper peninsula. The average for the month is between 69° F. and 54° F. Looks like we will start out warmer than average in the low 70’s and with possibly some rainfall towards the end of the month. Also getting any last herbs to dry before the fall humidity makes it tough to dry anything.

Harvesting:  August is all about harvesting and preserving our hard work from spring. 

• Also getting any last herbs to dry before the fall humidity makes it tough to dry anything.
• If it becomes too humid for herbs to hang to dry they can be frozen with a little water in ice cube trays.
• This is the best time to harvest and dry or cure our Alliums, garlic, shallots and onions. Lay them out on drying trays or hang them in small bunches with good air circulation. Once dry you can braid both soft and hard neck garlic as well as onion to hang for storage and fall decoration. Trim roots and remove dirt after they are dry. They can also be stored in open baskets in cool dry locations. For food bank delivery just cut off the leaves an inch or more up and send them in.
•  Green beans and summer squash can be harvested every other day. Both need constant attention or they will get away from us. Green beans need to be picked if we want to extend the harvest. Once they set seed, the seeds mature in the pods, they will stop producing more flowers. The same is true of the summer squash. If you let them go to very large size they will stop producing.
• Of course tomatoes and cucumbers are in full production. Remember to keep them picked and remove lower leaves to keep the air circulating, this helps avoid possible diseases.
•  Many potatoes are ready to harvest now. Watch for the when the plants have died back. Stop watering for two weeks before harvesting to allow the skins to toughen up a bit. Rinse to remove most of the dirt and dry them for winter storage in a cool dark location or delivery to the food banks.
• Berries and tree fruit are coming on and should continue through fall. Keep berries picked and removes old or damaged ones on the vine/bushes to reduce the spread of molds to the new fruits. Early apples don’t tend to keep well but make great applesauce. 

Planting: There is still time to plant a fall garden.

• Beets, spinach, swiss chard, carrots, radishes, green bunching onions and lettuce can all be direct seeded for October harvests. Many of these can go in where you have removed garlic, onions, and potatoes.
• If you are not planting a fall/winter garden then consider putting in a cover crop to help build up your soil and keep it in place over our winter rainy season. Soil tends to run off if it is not covered or held in place by living plants.

Garden work:

• This is a good time to add a bit of compost to heavy feeders like squash and celery. Add an inch deep spread around the roots to about 6 - 8 inches from the base of the plant. Don’t amend root veggies as it can make them very hairy.
• Add straw under winter squash to help keep them off the ground and increase air circulation around them.
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Harvest season is a time to celebrate all the glorious variety of tasty veggies and fruits from our gardens. It is time to find out if new varieties worked for us or if we should look for a different one next year. Take notes and make plans for next year. But mostly just enjoy the wonderful flavors of home grown food.

Happy Gardening!

Dianna Wiklund 🌻

FBG Garden Coordinator

Volunteers Always Needed for:

• Admin Support:
• Writers, Photographers, Office duties — Can you string a story together in a few paragraphs? Each week we like to feature a garden or activity on our website to share with the community-at-large while building a living history of tips and accomplishments. 
• Garden Support: Go here for the FULL LIST
• Gleaners - COMING LATER THIS SUMMER - Do you want your fruit tree picked this fall or be a volunteer gleaner? Write to PTgleaning@gmail.com.
• Delivers - Hours differ by which location the produce is serving.
•       VOLUNTEER HERE