2010 Annual Report for FNC07-682
Incredible Crop Yields From Small Urban Spaces
Summary
WORK ACTIVITIES
March 2010
*Dick Sims came out and tilled under rye cover crops between rain storms, it's been too wet to till up until this point, (beds 5 and 6 are totally untillable still, completely under water an inch or two)
*Made more tomato cages for beds from concrete reinforcing wire
*Transplanted seedlings from my basement grow lights directly to garden sites, planted bed #7 with potatoes, radishes, onions, etc.
*Lots of rain, no need for rainwater from rain barrels this month except to water flats
*Terry Honn quit as a garden apprentice, said she's too busy
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold are beginning as garden apprentices; they helped work the gardens, spread old straw in beds1, 2, and 3
* Made a batch of the World record compost, turned out smelly and damp but I spread it anyway in tomato field
*Ben Story, garden apprentice, helped frame doors on greenhouse, cut glass for all remainding greenhouse windows
April 2010
*Helped start a small 20 by 20 foot organic garden at Newhouse (a domestic violence shelter for women and their children), I grew all the plants from seeds and donated the plants for their garden. I planted about 12 tomato plants, about 12 zucchini and summer squash plants, onions, marigolds, fennel, sage, basil, collards, zinnia, green beans, a few corn plants, fertilized and put up rabbit fencing around the garden for them, and told women at Newhouse about my SARE project
* Driving back and forth caring for Newhouse garden and my garden in KC almost every day
*Transplanted tomato, peppers, eggplants directly to garden beds, 1, 2,and ; didn't need to transfer plants from under grow lights in basement to greenhouse, it's warm outside already.
*Put up red wall of waters around fifty tomato plants plus peppers and eggplants even though it's warm outside for early April, still have cool nights
* deer are a problem – they've jumped a fence and keep drinking the water out of the tops of the wall of waters, keep stretching out the tops and I keep filling them up
*(Beds 5 and 6 are still untillable, completely under water)
*Installed bean fence and planted 50 feet of yard-long green and red beans in bed 7 with potatoes, and onions
*Ben Story, garden apprentice, helped frame the rest of the storm windows in the greenhouse
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold garden apprentices helped work all of the garden beds
*Lots of rain, didn't have to water garden this month
May 2010
*Continued planting a few more plants and caring for Newhouse garden, telling women at Newhouse about my SARE grant project at my house
*Put up rabbit fencing around garden bed 7
*Met with the grant writer at Newhouse, to discuss the possibility for SARE grant next year at the shelter, (not-for-profit grant)
* Going back and forth from Newhouse garden to my garden 20 minutes away almost every day
* Made a batch of the World record compost, spread it on tomatoes and my other crops
*(Beds 5 and 6 are still untellable; still under water) beds 1, 2, and 3 suffering from too much rain, only bed 1 has reasonable drainage by the house
*Bed 2 is my prize tomato bed using the World record holders organic method, and bed 3 contains the regularly grown organic tomatoes. Tomatoes like some water but not this much. Both beds are suffering and several tomato plants plus peppers have died. I replaced dead plants with new ones I grew from peat pots. Bed 2 is doing better though.
*Transplanted more seedlings directly to other garden sites to fill in bare spots from other waterlogged plants.
* Put complete deer fencing up around bed 3
*Secured Tomato cages in bed 2 around all of the tomato plants
*Bed 1 planted in snap peas, bed 2 in tomatoes with cages five feet apart, bed 3 cabbages, lemon basil, conventional tomato row for comparison, fennel, etc.
*Ben Story, garden apprentice, helped cut shrubs away, garden
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold, garden apprentices, helped work the gardens
*Lots of rain, no need for rain barrels this month
June 2010
*Continue to care for garden at Newhouse shelter, picking suckers off tomatoes, fertilizing and weeding
*Removed all wall-of-waters off plants; deer have stretched out the tops on a lot of them, need to buy more for next season
*Deer are trampling the deer fencing in 3. Re-stretched the fence again. This bed is located next to a blueberry bed that their used to coming to, although deer are also in beds number 1 and 2, the south side of the acreage
*Dick Sims came in to till out bed 5 and 6; very wet in northwest corner still, didn't till very well, waiting for dry week to re-till it again
* Going back and forth from Newhouse garden to my garden around Raytown almost every day
*Lots of rain, no need for rain barrels this month. This is an incredibly rainy year.
*Plants are suffering from too much water again in 2 and 3; replanted some more tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and squash.
*Ben Story, garden apprentice, helped with garden all month
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold, garden apprentices, helped work all of the gardens
July 2010
*Continue to care for garden at Newhouse shelter, picking suckers off tomato plants and weeding and some watering (the shelter bed is on much higher grounds than my house garden beds
*Going back and forth from Newhouse garden to my garden almost every day
*Lots of rain, no need for rain barrels this month in my garden. Plants still suffering from too much water; keep replacing plants. I've been known to start too many plants but this year it's coming in handy.
*Deer are knocking down cages in bed 2 and eating, pulling some of the tomato plants completely out, unbelievable!
*Deer continuing to trample the fencing in 3, re-stretched fence again for the third time (Need to get a dog next year!)
*Selling garden produce from my house and to a worker at Newhouse
*Gave organic produce from my house to Bread of Life business to sell at an organic market
*Broke open a bed in front of the greenhouse (higher ground). I'll call it the kitchen garden. Planted 40 foot row of peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, green beans and basil
*Ben Story, garden apprentice,e dropped off, too busy schedule he says
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold, garden apprentices, helped work the gardens
August 2010
*The kitchen garden is growing rapidly, deer are eating some of the tomatoes and all of the green beans but there's still plenty
*Lots of rain but a little drier thanJuly, no need for rain barrels this month still in lower beds, this may be a record for the wettest year
*Going back and forth from Newhouse garden to my garden almost every day
*Purchased fall seeds
*Went to Stuppy's greenhouse to get final pricing on polycarbonate they want $1,700 for plastic and another $1,000 for metal trim WOW! shop around!
*Selling garden produce from my house to advocate in the shelter
*Gave produce from my house to Bread of Life business and to another farmer in Overland Park market to sell for me
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold, garden apprentices, continue to help work the gardens
Sept 2010
*I realize I should have broke ground for the kitchen garden months ago (spring), if we can just have a late winter, I'll have bumper crops of tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in this bed alone. The rest of the garden has suffered this year. Bed 2 containing my prize winner tomato plants, over two dozen plants have hung on and made it past the eight foot mark even though plants died months ago in the other beds. My conclusion: the plants are a lot stronger if grown the World Record method;, they can endure more water and stress. Will attempt this again next year but in several spots of the yard this time in case of more rain.
*Lots of rain, no need for rain barrels this month
*Found a company, Polygal Inc, that will ship out polycarbonate material and edging a lot cheaper than Stuppys, will use some of the polycarbonate to build a cedar cold frame for lettuces, greens too.
*Going back and forth from Newhouse garden to my garden 20 minutes away almost every day
*Deer are coming into the kitchen garden now and ate all the tomato plant tips off in one night (I really need a dog next year! )
*Joe Jennings and his friend are continuing to put final trim on greenhouse windows, doors with more cedar, also put more cedar boards on roof for polycarbonate to lay on
*Purchased more fall seed and am planting in cold frame I made
*Gave produce from my house to Jim (farmer) to sell at organic market
*Selling garden produce from my house and to worker at Newhouse
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold, garden apprentices, continues to help work the gardens
October 2010
*Start to clean the garden beds, roll up fencing, etc.
*Polygal shipped all the polycarbonate and metal trim for greenhouse, now how to put together with no instructions?????
*Selling garden produce from my house and to worker in the shelter
*Joe Jennings and his friend continuing to trim greenhouse windows with cedar *Cleaned out cold frame, planted collard, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cold crop starts to transplant to open field next month, will build a long hoop house
*Going back and forth from Newhouse garden to my garden almost every day
*purchased remainder of fall seed for planting
* Had meeting with case manager from Newhouse shelter she told me that they I was chosen for a grant they have and want to purchase the $1,100 propane greenhouse heater for my greenhouse and to drop a $550 motor into my dead TroyBilt Tiller next month, Praise the Lord!!!!!!!
*Kathy Alongi and Sheri Arnold, garden apprentices, continued helping me in the gardens
*Brought in bags of leaves for the garden beds
*Dick Sims plowed under Beds 1,2,3,5,6,7, and kitchen garden bed; will return to till a few more beds for winter planting
November 2010
*Selling garden produce from my house to worker in the shelter
*Going back and forth from Newhouse garden to my garden almost every day
*Planted in cold frame spinach, kale, collards, mustard, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, a huge variety of lettuces; will thin and transplant
December 2010
*Bought more tomato cage wire for next year, (hoping to stack three cages high on my tomatoes and a cage high on my peppers), more irrigation piping, and more red wall-of-waters
*Planted rye cover crop on several beds and am building long cold frame in the kitchen garden area
*Heater for Greenhouse is delayed and will be shipped the first week of Jan 2011.
*I plan on bumping up the gardens in 2011 as a full time organic farmer/researcher, organic soap business and pottery. I will be changing the name of my business to Pearly Gates Organic Soapery & Homestead. I am already making plans to do the 2011 summer farm tour in June with KCCUA (Kansas City Center for Urban Agriculture). I will continue to grow crops using the methods described in my project: Incredible Crop Yields from Small Urban Spaces, and will tell people of my grant through SARE.