Rhode Island Feeds

Layanee DeMerchant

Over 30 Community Gardens in Providence are providing space for people to grow their own food. Now is the time to rent your plot for the season. Here’s how:

First: Take a look at our map and see if there’s a garden close to your home.

Second: Contact Erika Rumbley, SCLT Gardens Network Coordinator, and she’ll put you in touch with your chosen garden’s leader. Her contact is: gardennetwork@southsideclt.org

If you’re as excited as we are about the growing season ahead, make haste in contacting Erika and securing your garden space: plots are filling up fast, and many already have wait lists. Community and home-grown equates to reductions in grocery spending – save money this spring, summer and fall by acting now!

And remember:

+ Commit to tending your garden for the whole season. We’ll sometimes see people enthusiastic about the first rush of spring, only to abandon their work in the middle of the summer.

+ The financial impact is small, but the time commitment is significant. Every garden has different requirements. Many gardens have mandatory work days, and you’ll want to keep weeds under control through daily maintenance. This is the main reason why living close to your garden plot will save you more time and more money.

Sally forth! Let your urban growing commence!

Help transform your community garden from this...

... into this! Act now to be part of nature's perennial rebirth!

Hi Everybody!

Right now I’m updating the plot lists. A few of you have asked me where to send payment. Bring payment with you to the first workday, which will be announced shortly. I will update the site as soon as I have the dates.

Also, the wait list can be used for keeping your plot, too. It’s just one list. If you leave a note in the form that tells me your plot number, I will mark it on my physical list. I’m just trying to solidify all the lists into one megalist.

Right now is a sort of preliminary count so I can assign plots to those who are waiting on the wait list. I’m so happy to see so much enthusiasm! It’s going to be a great season!!

If you have questions about where your plot is, check the map on the website.

If you are on facebook, sign up to be a fan and get updates that way.

You can also follow the twitter .

k!

I’ve done a lot of grousing about March lately. And it’s almost as if she heard me and said “Oh yeah? You think I’m a drag? I’ll show you how awesome I can be!” Over the last couple of days, the weather has been beyond gorgeous. Quite a few visitors have taken advantage of bright [...]

HerbDoc has some interesting thoughts on spring planting:

Farmers and gardeners have been tuned into the phases of the moon for centuries.  Controlling pests, fertilization, harvesting, irrigation, planting and even animal breeding were often dictated by the moon phases, sometimes in conjunction with astrological signs.

For gardeners, the important rule is to plant above ground vegetables such as lettuce and other leafy plants “by the light of the moon.”  This is the period after the New Moon when the light gradually increases to the Full Moon.  Crops that produce below the ground such as onions and potatoes are planted “by the dark of the moon”, that is the period after the Full Moon when the light decreases.  It is said that by following these practices, crops will grow larger and more quickly with bigger yields.  On the other hand, if one does the opposite, negative results will occur.

My grandmother always followed three “moon” rules:

1) Plant seeds within 2 days (48 hours) before a full moon;

2) Plant potatoes only by the dark of the moon; and

3) Never plant anything on the day of a Full Moon, a New Moon, or

in the last quarter (to the New Moon).

My grandmother’s gardens were always amazing, producing huge amounts of vegetables for “putting by” and gorgeous annuals and perennials.  Not one to question her wisdom, I follow her lead, but not always with such spectacular results.  (I attribute that to not having the three dozen or so chickens which provided composted manure for her gardens on a yearly basis).

To find specific dates for planting and other gardening chores in 2010, log onto www.farmersalmanac.com for a free guide.

The first day of Spring is coming & we’re throwing an incredible Kick-Off. The popcorn machine will be cranking! Come trade your extra seeds for seeds you need! Enjoy a whole afternoon of local music & quick, hands-on gardening workshops! Plus, pick up your 2010 Plant Providence Calendar with a whole year’s worth of free workshops.

URBAN AGRICULTURE SPRING KICK-OFF!

• WHEN: Saturday, March 20th, 1-4 pm
• WHERE: Highlander Charter School, 42 Lexington Ave
• $$: FREE! Open to the public!
• WORKSHOPS: Seed starting, Hmong cooking, Garden planning, Compost & Soil testing!

Want to help set-up, greet gardeners, share your compost know-how or run the popcorn machine? Email Erika, gardennetwork@southsideclt.org if you want to help out.

Bring your extra seeds to swap! & Please spread the word!!

So the past few days have really given me Spring Fever. What about you?

There are a lot of new things happening for the garden this year, and I can’t wait to tell you about them. One thing I can tell you for sure, is that there will be a restructuring party of plots who have fattened up over the years. For now, if you plan on doing any early planting, do not plant things near the border of your plot to ensure the safety of your seedlings. More information will be given about this as it gets closer to mid-April.

At the last board meeting we went over the schedule for the garden this year. As soon as I get the minutes I will post them here and also I will update the calendar.

If you would like to renew your plot from last year, please fill out the Wait List form and add your plot number in the “other information” field.

If you are unsure of your plot number, see if you can find it on the Plot Map or at least get as close as you can, as I haven’t done a physical verification of this drawing yet.

Remember: There is now an upload section for garden photos in the sidebar to the left. If you can’t see it, scroll down a little. As soon as a photo is approved, it will be posted. in the rotating gallery on the front page.

Suggestions are always welcome!

Happy Spring, Everyone!

k!

Join is for the signature event of our nearly-here Spring season (second only to, that’s right, the Plant Sale): the Urban Agriculture Spring Kick-Off!

Community, food, friends, music, dancing, popcorn machine (oh yes), and much more…

Don’t miss it!

It was over a year ago when I bought my first African violet, on sale for $1.99 with just one lonely bloom. That plant has continued to do well in the past year as the other five I have added....

This is the time of year when Narragansett Bay Commission gives rebates for customers who want to purchase rain barrels and compost bins for their homes.  Here is the website if you are interested in purchasing these for a discounted price:

 http://www.nerainbarrel.com/Narragansett.html

Follow this link if you would like to opt out of receiving telephone books…

http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/

We are very happy to announce that we have received a grant from State Representative Joanne Giannini in the amount of $1,500.  This money will go a long way in helping us in our efforts to improve our neighborhood!  Thank you as always to Joanne for her support.

Get involved in your neighborhood!  Please join us to discuss various neighborhood improvement projects, such as the Davis Park farmers’ market, the Davis Park community garden, Davis Park and Fargnoli Park renovations, new grants, the EC&G website, neighborhood clean ups and beautification projects, merchant’s association, Earth Day projects and other new business.  We’ve had great success because of the volunteer efforts of those in our neighborhood.  We welcome all community members. 

Date:  Tuesday 3/9/10

Time:  7:00-8:30 p.m.

Location:  Providence College (Room 405 of the Feinstein Building)

Agenda:  We are trying a new format this month. We will begin with brief introductions and then we will break into subgroups to work on the various projects. (You pick the project you are most interested in, or pick more than one.)  We will then meet as a group to give updates on our projects and discuss new business.

We hope you will join us. If you haven’t attended a meeting before, we look forward to meeting you.

Nature is out there making all sorts of promises and I intend to hold her to them. I am not afraid of spring. I know what’s coming. My eyes are open and I’m ready for it. Some might say that spring is – or at least ought to be – a gardener’s least favorite season. There’s [...]

(Picture credit: Randy Blough) It has been over two months since my return from the Nepal adventure. The fourth phase of our trip involved river rafting on the Seti River for a half day, camping over two nights with treks... Layanee DeMerchant

Hmmm... those fingernails are just a bit too clean.....

With so many people using smart phones and iPods these days, I thought I’d do a quick survey of gardening apps available for these devices. New apps being added to iTunes almost daily, so it’s useful to check often for the latest introductions.

At last count, there are nearly 50 gardening apps available. Many of these are really just new ways to make and save your garden “to-do” lists.  I was unable to find any that are free.

Here are a few for your consideration. I always like to read the user reviews before I buy, so I don’t buy anything that has not yet had any reviews.

Botany Buddy: $9.99

The “ultimate” (and priciest) guide to trees and shrubs.

Good reviews. I am tempted.

Botanical Interests: $5.99

Despite the silly name, I bought this after reading positive reviews and so far I like it. Good interface and nice graphics make it easy to use.

Master Gardener: $3.99

One of numerous garden journal/ tracking/ planning apps, but according to the user reviews, one of the best.

The Master Gardener app

iGarden USA: $4.99

Another garden planning and tracking app.

Some reviewers found it a tad simple for the price – ie: not enough information.

Organic Garden: $1.99

A journaling and “to-do” app that allows you to post photos of your plants. As the name implies, for organic gardeners.

No reviews yet of the latest version

Garden Insects: $.99

A reference for  garden insects. One review only, calling for a bigger database – a common request with many of these apps

Homegrown: $.99

For veggie gardeners. Keeps track of your harvest – quantities and dates. Intriguing concept.

No reviews yet

Eden Garden Designer: $.99

A design app that allows you to see how your garden will look at different times of the year.

The idea sounded great, but this app had mixed reviews.

iPlant: $1.99

A reference guide with information on edible and medicinal plants. This looked promising – until I read the reviews. One person pointed out a glaring error that advised that rhubarb leaves, (known to be poisonous) are tasty. Yikes!!!

MyGarden: $1.99

More or less a plant data entry app – with not enough data, it seems.

Poor reviews.

Houseplant 411: $4.99

A decent database, with information on choosing and caring for houseplants. There is also help for ailing plants.

People who bought it say this is a practical, easy-to-use app. I might just spring for this one.

New apps being introduced at a dizzying pace, so there will  be many new ones coming at us. I think it’s important to make a distinction between what is “cool” and what is truly useful. It’s easy to get sucked in by pretty photos and graphics, but will you actually USE the app once you have gotten to know it? Also, how do you know the information you are accessing is accurate? I guess the best way is to read what others are saying about the app and to steer clear of those with a lot of bad reviews.

Please let us know if you have used any of these apps, or if you know about new and/or better ones.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, 3/9.   Location and agenda to follow.

Maybe I was too hard on March. Last week, like a miracle, a light switched on during my morning dog-walk. And today dawned with blue skies and sunshine. Maybe March isn’t going to be as dreary as I thought? Then again, day-light savings is coming up (March 14) and will throw my morning back into the [...]

Every so often I go grocery shopping and come back with one or two new plants. This happened a few weeks ago when I spotted some new plants with very unusual foliage. 2.15.10 The plants have small, oval, dark-green leaves...