Plant, Weed, Mulch, Water

Reported by Julie on June 1, 2009:
Sunday I planted the pickling cucumber and the yard long pole beans.

Last week I planted more zinnias, carrots, and transplanted basil and kale from another farm.

I weeded and mulched the leeks and onions.

I planted corn, birdhouse gourds, and when the latter seeds ran out, I planted the remaining pole beans and some lemon cucumber seeds to finish out the row supported by corn.

I mulched the two potato rows hardcore - over 1.5ft of straw to get good and high on the plant.

I'm watering overnight - it was a hot and windy day and there are a lot of seeds in the ground that need the moisture.

I also got chalkboard paint from Bret to establish a communication board on the new garden shed built by the third-graders.

Reported by Barbara on May 30, 2009:
David and I turned on the drip irrigation. Rows were extremely dry, and plants looked stressed from the extreme heat today coupled with dry ground. Seedlings will go down quickly if not kept moist. All rows are being watered, even the rows not planted yet. I'll go back early tomorrow morning and turn the water off.

I also delivered the shredded mulch bags and fish emulsion/algamin mix with a paint filter and the seeds: Yard Long pole beans and Painted Mountain Corn. I set everything inside the new shed. Also attached a note on the box about how to mix emulsion in 2 gallon spray tank.

There's the possibility of some severe storms the first of this coming week.

Let the Growing Begin!

Barbara delivered the following report on May 20, 2009:

The weather finally has given us a week's worth of sun to get some sustained work completed at the Okanis Market Garden.

With the help of many hands the "infrastructure" of the garden is in place.

Rick's pick-up truck has become the vehicle of choice to transport trellises, rototiller, and all things in need of being brought to the garden.  All of the trellis system had been prepared and was moved to the garden the prior evening. Julie had done a preliminary tilling earlier that day and then Barbara completed a final tilling later on Tuesday evening. The soil was in perfect planting condition for Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning David Clark, Marissa Massoni, Julie Ferreira, and I began installing the trellis system. David was our mechanical mentor for both the construction of the trellis system and the t-tape drip irrigation system. Marissa has been working with me this season at Maggie's Farm.  We connected through Growing Growers and her energy and interest in sustainable agriculture has been a great asset to me. On Wednesday morning Marissa helped with weeding and planting out tomato starts. Julie worked with David so she could learn about the installation and eventual take-down of the trellis system and also the mechanics of the t-tape irrigation system. I think we worked as an efficient team and got our intended work completed. The t-tape system was tested before we left that afternoon and was watering newly planted little seedlings. On/off valves will be attached, so that each row can be turned on independently.

What got planted:
Cherry Tomatoes - SunGold and Yellow Mini
Heirloom Tomatoes - Yellow Bell, Valencia, Japanese Black Trifele
Sweet Bell Peppers - Snapper (Green-Red) and Sunray (Green-Yellow)
Summer Squash - Yellow Crookneck, Sunray, and Baby Bush
Culinary Sage
Mexican Tarragon
Summer Savory

Weeded:
Leeks - King Richard
Onions - Candy, Mars, and Superstar

Hilled and Mulched:
Potatoes - Fingerling Variety - Ross Finn Apple
Yukon Gold

Yet to be direct seeded:
Cucumbers
Beans
Bird House Gourds
Radishes

Let the growing begin!

Rain Barrel Workshop

On May 12, several Prairie Moon community members attended a rain barrel workshop in DeSoto, Kansas, taught by the Hillsdale Water Quality Project. A rain barrel system provided through a Kansas Green Schools Water Quality Grant will connect to the Okanis Garden drip irrigation system to water plants and conserve water.

April Showers

April showers galore! Julie reports that the rain has definitely been making it difficult to find days with soil dry enough to work in, but she and some of Bret's 3rd grade class made an attempt on the morning of April 29 to put leeks in the ground. They also seeded some lettuce starts that will be in Bret's classroom under the grow lights.

The tomatoes, peppers, and herbs that the third grade had tended in the classroom were moved to Barbara's farm on Monday where they are hardening off outside under a hoop house. Julie hopes to be transplanting those soon.

On May 4, Barbara and Julie got the last of the leeks and onions planted. Julie planted some flowers, too.

Wishes for next year--(1) a hoop house, so plants don't have to leave site to harden off, and (2) a bigger grow light area, where starts can be transplanted into larger containers and kept under grow lights longer.





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Potatoes and Onions and Leeks, Oh My!

On April 23, 2009, Barbara and Rick tilled the garden rows again. This was the second tilling, using a large tiller; the very first tilling was with a small tiller. Momentuously, potatoes and onions and leeks went into the ground that day.

Earth Day

On April 18, 2009, garden mentor Barbara Clark represented the Okanis Garden and her own Maggie’s Farm at an information table during an Earth Day celebration at the Community Mercantile natural food grocery in Lawrence, Kansas. The Merc will be featuring Okanis Garden produce in the Deli during 2009.

Kansas Green Schools Water Quality Grant

On April 6, 2009, Prairie Moon Waldorf School learned that it had been awarded a Kansas Green Schools Water Quality Grant for the Okanis Garden. This grant is administered through Kansas Association of Conservation & Environmental Education (KACEE) and funded through the Kansas Dept. of Health & Environment.

The grant will assist Prairie Moon with curriculum-development in non-point source pollution reduction and prevention and water conservation, as they relate to the Okanis Garden. The curricula will begin to be taught during the 2009 Prairie Moon Summer Camp.

The grant also provides monies to build a rain barrel system for the garden, which will be constructed during summer, 2009.

As matches to the grant, Prairie Moon has already received donations of two large, round, bales of straw for heavy mulching in the garden, and native plants for xeriscaping on the school grounds.

Prairie Moon Waldorf School can officially proclaim itself to be a "Kansas Green School"!