Happy 2011!

A happy sunny picture to warm the chilly winter day:)

Every year about this time I realize how much did not get done in the year before... Maybe it's because I tend to set unrealistic expectations for myself - or maybe I just procrastinate too much. Maybe it's a little bit of both.
We did grow a load of veggies in our small garden, and shared them with about 14- 16 families throughout the season - 32 weeks of picking, sorting and bagging. We did grow more flowers than last year - and I'm hoping they will be more abundant in the coming season, as the perennials are getting established. We had great mushroom cultivation workshops and wild mushroom workshops and harvested first big flushes of mushrooms. We had a few workshops with kids and partnered with Star Library on a summer program.

But we didn't get the rainwater catchment system built, as there are just too many variables to think through, lack of materials, and manpower... We didn't get our bees, because the winter of 2009/2010 was really hard for bees and killed many... I didn't get the 2 more flower/herb beds built since our Bobcat was always in use or broken...

It's good to look back to a year and assess what worked, what didn't and how to do things better.
Happy 2011 everyone - let's make this a year to remember!

I owe y'all big time

It's been a long time since I last reported on the happenings at the Garden. And it's not because nothing has happened. Quite the opposite.

The last BIG thing that needs to be mentioned was Central Park's Annual Gathering in October. STARworks Ceramics has talked about it on their blog, so I won't repeat everything. I would like to say that it was inspiring to hear Joel Salatin, and many other folks who are LIVING and BREATHING the change in American food ways. Who ARE the change. Those of you who attended the workshop - I know - went away with a positive feeling and the urge to help local food movement along - whether raising/growing local, volunteering with an organization, or buying at least a fraction of your food from local farmers. 

STARworks Garden CSA has wrapped up it's season for now. We stretched our luck until the end of November. And what a year this was! Tomatoes as late as mid November! That of course meant I (and many other growers) had a heck of a hard time getting fall greens going with the incredible late heat and drought we had. I wish I could have included more salad greens for all of you, CSA customers this fall, but I just could not get the greens to germinate! 

This is what we had to offer in the beginning of November, and below is what we had at the end of October:

Roses - just a few weeks ago!

By now, of course, the freezing temperatures have done their job (hopefully have killed some bad bugs as well!)

I have pulled up most of the summer crops, there is still plenty to do to tidy up the garden and make plans for next year.

Merry Christmas Everyone, and a Happy New Growing Year!

First Annual STARworks Glass Pumpkin Patch - a success!!!

The last Saturday's early morning sunlight really brought the glass pumpkins, that Nick and his helpers had made - to life. I couldn't stop taking pictures! Here are some of my favorites.

As we set everything up, I wondered, how many people would come out to Star, on their Saturday morning, to splurge on Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations... 

...even if they were enticing...

Well. Little did I know, and to all of our surprise - we had people lined up, guarding the treasures they had chosen, before 9 am, the official opening time! It's lucky no fights broke out:)

Before we knew it - meaning - before noon the pumpkins were SOLD OUT!

HUGE thanks to everyone who came out and supported STARworks this weekend - the proceeds from the Glass Pumpkin Patch sales will go to support our Highschool Glass Program! Thanks Nick, Suzie, Tim, Eddie, Steve, Drew and Robbin - who have been sweating and blowing their heads off making the pumpkins! 

The Second Annual STARworks Glass Pumpkin Patch will be even bigger and better - Save the date - October 1 2011!

Shiitakes anyone?

The cooler weather and rain we finally had, has made the Shiitake mushrooms pop out of logs like never before in our garden! Such a beautiful sight to see! Adam and I have been watering them yesterday and today, and I will be picking some tomorrow. 

This is the second year for these logs, and the first time they have bloomed so well!

Seeds go in, fruits come out

How nice it is to step outside early in the morning and feel the cool fresh air! The midday heat is no longer relentless. We do desperately need rain though! I have tried to start lettuce in the STARworks garden twice now, and can't keep up with the watering - resulting in only a few plants coming up. However, my garden at home receives some shade and retains water better, so I'm putting my bets on those beds to give us the first taste of some tender greens. Carrots, bunching onions and some radishes and lettuces have already sprouted. I spent this morning turning the last available beds and sowing more lettuce, spinach and arugula. Keeping fingers crossed - and watering the garden overnight with drip hoses every other week or so...

Eggplants are still producing good at STARworks garden, they seem to especially love the bed I planted them in - full sun, and no competition from tomatoes or other crops. There is a problem with pests, mostly lacebugs. Those buggers had just covered lots of the more tender top leaves. I mostly avoid using chemicals for pest control, but this time decided that the small cap full of Pyrethrin, sold for use in home gardens, was worth trying. So, I sprayed them early last week, being careful not to get the solution anywhere where it was not needed. Inspection this week shows, that it helped reduce the bug populations to where hand picking and squishing the bugs will now be possible.

Our Oil Seed Garden is starting to look rather ragged... I decided to take down the gigantic sunflowers this week and had to use a saw to cut through the stems that were almost as thick as my 11 year olds arms...

Some of the seed heads were huge and heavy too.

Under the sunflowers there were a few cotton plants that had grown quite beautifully! I had thought we lost them - they were so slow to grow and did not look promising in the spring. But whaddayaknow:) Cotton has beautiful shy blooms - we have an old timey variety that blooms in shades of creamy yellow and purplish pink.

The pods that later pop open to reveal a fluffy cotton ball are beautiful too - they remind me of hazelnuts.

Another oil seed plant that I started on a whim is sesame. I'd never seen a sesame plant, and I LOOOOOOOVE the seeds, so I decided to throw a handful of brown sesame seeds from Grand Asia Market in our oilseed bed - and wow. The plants have grown taller than me, and are full of pods, which are full of seeds (I've checked!). The plants are so long and gangly (and still keep blooming) that I have to figure out a way to support them until the pods ripen. By the way, the plants smell wonderful if brushed against!

As we are gearing up for another Annual Gathering here at STARworks - there is plenty to do in the garden to get it ready...

Now, if only we'd get some rain!