On top of the world:)

This morning, when checking my email I had a nice surprise:) STARworks Garden Blog has been featured in an online article about organic gardening: Growing Green At Home: The Top 35 Organic Gardening Blogs. The blog is listed in top 5  in Farming category.

That's pretty cool! And a bit funny to me... When we first started to bounce around this idea to build a garden in the back of the STARworks building, the former sock mill, I was overall very skeptical about online presence. To tell you the truth, I wanted nothing to do with blogs, or Facebook or whatever else was out there.
 My life was already full, or so I thought, and blogging seemed like utterly too much to do on top of everything else... Plus - you sort of have to be open enough to "journal"... you know - discuss things in writing - but publicly...
I kept pushing back at first, when Nancy suggested I take up blogging about the garden.
But finally, oh so very reluctantly, I signed up for Blogger account, and started feeling my way around that whole new realm.
Little did I know I would enjoy the process so much that I currently keep up with 3 blogs, have become slightly addicted to Facebook, and have even sniffed Twitter a bit.

So - cheers to all the bloggers of this world. This new media has taken "freedom of speech" to a new level.

Now, getting back to more mundane (or muddy?) matters... Here are a few proofs that I have been busy in the garden, getting my fingers dirty, as well as clicking the keyboard keys!

The list of seedlings started in the greenhouse is pretty long. Mostly cool weather crops, as we are not out of the possible freezing time quite yet. Last few nights there has been some frost on my car window.

 A new plant I have started this spring is Sorrel - such a delightful leafy green/herb - it could go either way. In the foreground of this picture are some Chinese cabbages.

This is an Apricot (one of my most favorite fruits) branch on our dwarf "fruit medley tree" in the garden. It was the first to bloom.

Jim Joyce donated 3 fruit trees to STARworks Garden last year. We have a pear and apple tree with 3 different varieties on each, crafted on dwarf rootstock. 

And a tree with apricot, peach, nectarine and plum.

It's pretty crazy that something like this can even be done!

The apricot branch actually bore 2 delicious fruits last summer!

Just a reminder: this year's last Mushroom workshop is on SATURDAY, from 9-12. 

Sure signs of spring.

I worry about the possibility of another  freeze, but really - it's been very nice and springy out there for a few weeks now.

Things in the greenhouse are coming along great. I'm transplanting lots of seedlings, and starting new seeds - both for CSA and to sell.

Here are some evidence of spring weather effects on plants at STARworks Garden.

 Pear tree is about to bust!

We got some fresh cow manure compost delivered this week from Mr. Brown, who has supplied us since we started building the first beds. We're trying to expand the growing space this year. Eddie and Angela Bernard, the owners of Wet Dog Glass have offered to use a part of their lawn (less to mow!) to turn it into a garden patch for summer crops! That should make it easier to overcome the small space syndrome. I won't have to rush, to plant summer crops on top of greens, or wait too long to get fall crops in - as I'm always reluctant to pull out tomato plants in September... they always seem to get a second wind by then.

Some interesting reads from this week: 

Farm-raised kids are less prone to asthma. Who gets the credit? Germs, researchers say.

How to Make Oatmeal . . . Wrong

Speaking of oatmeal - my family eats it salty, with a dab of butter. Goes great with some bacon from Whipowill Hill Farm and eggs from Hope Farms. 

Eat Real, folks!

Sunshiny day!

This wonderful teasing weather has definitely brought on a Spring Fever for me.

I've spent a few hours each day in the garden, clearing beds from dead plants, pruning, weeding, loosening soil in the beds where I direct sow, and starting seeds in the greenhouse.

Crocuses are blooming and last year's parsley is coming back strong.

 One great thing I did last fall - was to mulch the beds better than in previous years. On most of the beds I added a thick layer of leaves. I've peeked under the leaves, and the earth worms have been having a blast - the soil is moist, soft and crumbly, and with very few weeds.
I also mulched the kale and garlic I planted in the fall - with sheets of newspaper, and shredded office paper. The newspaper has done a good job keeping the weeds down, and where the weeds did grow among the shredded paper - they were super easy to pull out!

(before weeding)

 Mulching well in the fall is really the best gift you can give yourself and the garden!

(after weeding)

I've kept the kale and garlic covered with row cover, to protect them from hard frosts. 

Some of the plants started in the greenhouse include: savoy and regular head cabbage, kale, Chinese kale, Bok Choy, mesclun mix, lettuces, spinach, Swiss Chard of different colors, arugula, sorrel.

Outside I've planted the first round of peas, carrots and beets. 

Lets hope for a good growing year!

GROW YOUR OWN GOURMET MUSHROOMS!

with instructors Greg Bender and Hugh Martin.

Dates & Times:

Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms. Log cultivation: February 26. 9AM – 12PM

Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms. Log cultivation: March 12. 9AM- 12PM

LOCATION: back of STARworks Building, 100 Russell Drive, Star, NC 27356

For directions go: http://www.starworksnc.org/contact.html

Price of the workshop: $18.- per person or $20.- on the day of the workshop (if space is available). The price covers the use of tools, wax and spawn. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own logs, maximum 3 logs per person.

Logs have to be cut no longer than 3 weeks prior to the inoculation. Please do not bring logs that have fallen due to disease and have been found on forest floor! Size of logs should be 3” - 4” in diameter and about 2 feet long. If possible, bring your own electric drill, cordless drills are not powerful enough.

Types of wood: For Shiitake – white or red oak is the best, sweetgum will work

For Oyster – cottonwood, oak, alder, maple, aspen, ash, beech, birch, elm, willow, poplar

To register, please contact Anne Pärtna: #336 653 9551 or email: anne@starworksnc.org

Space will be filled on first-come-first-serve basis. Payment options include: cash, check, credit card. For credit card payment call :910 428 9001

Gearing up for the summer!

Yesterday gave us all some hope! Seemed like spring is just around the corner. It was amazing to be outside in the middle of the winter, wearing but a t-shirt, weeding and cleaning out the garden beds. I saw tons of fat wriggly earth worms happily doing their job. To think that just a few years ago this was a patch of gravel where even weeds barely grew! And now it's a playground for worms, frogs, toads, lizards, butterflies etc. And me:) And occasionally some kids:)

To get the year going, I've started getting the greenhouse ready, cleared the beds, except for some parsley, cilantro, celery and flowers and perennial herbs. I will be ordering some seed to grow more carrots, green beans, beets and pak choi for the CSA. Some of the Mushroom workshops are lined up for the end of this month, March and June. I will post all that info somewhere on the blog ASAP. 

Stay tuned!