Living in Season

Loving that Squash!

Samuel is a pumpkin nut. Since the pumpkins ripened he's been hauling one around the house setting it on the table, and even taking it to bed! I thought he would really get into carving this year, and I was right. The boy was right in there scooping out the guts. He loved carving the face on the front, and was thrilled when I lit the candle inside. Fire and a pumpkin? Jackpot!

I'm a fan of the squash, too, although I don't go as far as taking one to bed. I roasted the seeds from the pumpkins we carved, as well as cooked a few of the pie pumpkins I grew in the garden. They smell fabulous roasting in the oven, and it's so handy to have pumpkin puree on hand for mufins and cakes. Cooking a pumpkin, or any squash, is very simple. Cut it in half or quarters, depending on the size, clean out any seeds, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. I turn off the oven once the time is up,then let it cool before scooping out the meat. I typically measure it out into 2 to 4 cup amounts so I'm ready to grab one and bake.

So far we have a half dozen packages of pumpkin, plus about eight bags of butternut squash. The butternut grew in my plot at the River City Harvest community garden. It was nice to have a space where I didn't have to worry about the plants spreading out, and the squash did well. I like to use the butternut for a butternut/chicken soup (with kale), and would like to try a pasta with a butternut squash filling. At least now that it's in the freezer, I have it on hand to experiment this winter.

Square Foot Gardening

Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of talking with Mel Bartholomew, the author and inventor of Square Foot Gardening. Dad gave me his book when I was about 12 years old, and we often turned on his PBS program when I was over at his place on the weekends. Both of us thought it was pretty impressive of how much Mel could grow so much in such a small area. It caused me to start thinking about gardening in a different way.

During our chat, I was surprised to learn Mel didn't start out in the garden. Actually he was a civil engineer with a successful consulting company. When his business reached the point where the next logical step was to grow, Mel said, "I retired when I was 42. I sold the company, and took up gardening as a  hobby."

He worked in the local community garden for awhile learning the basics from the county agent, but kept questioning why things were done they way they were. Why were the rototilling when they walked behind it, compacting the soil? Why did they plant in single rows with so much wasted space? It inspired him to travel the country asking these questions and looking for a better way. What resulted was a revolutionary way of gardening.

Square foot gardening utilizes every bit of useful space, and it doesn't matter how awful your garden soil might be since you're growing in a raised bed with a specific growing mix. Mel recommends 4 x4 -ft beds since most people can reach in the middle from any side. In his All New Square Foot Gardening, he recommends filling it with a mix of compost, peat and course vermiculite creating the ideal combination.

On top of the box, Mel says to set a solid grid to mark off since foot-square sections. In there you plant a specific number of seeds or plants in amounts of 1,4,9 or 16. For instance, you can plant a single tomato in a square and 16 radishes in another. If this doesn't seem like much, keep in mind you are to pull and reseed or replant as one crop is finished. This means turning over crops many times throughout the season.

Tami, a lady at our community gardens, is doing a wonderful job of growing in her square foot beds. She went by Mel's book to the letter, and it's paying off. She has 5 boxes all together, and it seems to be plenty for her family of four. I interviewed her for the Great Falls Tribune article, too, and she couldn't be happier with the results.

Call for Volunteers on KRTV

This afternoon I finally got my act together to harvest a few of the veggies at the Park Place garden for River City Harvest, and take them over to Nancy Wilson at Meals on Wheels. There were maybe a pound of the grape tomatoes, plus a half dozen cabbage, and (to my surprise) four zucchini quickly growing out of control. We're going to be overwhelmed quickly if we don't have folks picking on a regular basis.

So I was delighted when when Katie Stukey from KRTV called while I was en route to Meals on Wheels, and met me at their door. It's wonderful that she's enthusiastic about promoting the need of the food banks, as well as helping at River City Harvest spread the word that we need volunteers to keep up with the 60+ tomatoes, 120 cabbage, 50 peppers and numerous squash plants. I hate to have anything go to waste, which won't happen if we have enough people to keep up with it. Many hands make light work, and I'm grateful KRTV was willing to help us spread the word!

Here's their story:

http://montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=10862924&nav=menu227_5

Gopher Wars!

Oh, we're having a devil of a time with the gophers at the community garden. They counted coup on the lettuce the first night, and by the end of last week I was fielding calls from upset gardeners. There was a big, old tabby out there last night, but he's skinny enough that it's obvious he's not making a dent in the rodent population.

Here's my latest post on Planters Place blog concerning dealing iwth these voracious critters: http://www.plantersplace.com/Community/ViewBlog.aspx?BlogId=4

Opening Day at the Community Gardens

After a rough start we finally have our first gardens organized by River City Harvest up and growing. The spring weather was less than cooperative with heavy snows in the most inopportune times, and when we tried to work the ground with a tractor and tiller it was completely ineffective. Same with a rented tractor and duck foot plow. Eventually Wade from the Cascade County Extension office rallied a friend, and was able to plow it with a 100 HP tractor and chisel plow. That did the trick! Grant tilled it twice last weekend with a tractor and tiller. We had a proper garden!

Since things didn't go very smoothly all spring, I decided I better measure and stake the plots before everyone was there. The standard plots were supposed to be 20 x 30 - of course that didn't hold true. On the south side they were 20 x 34 or so with one plot being only 12-ft wide instead of twenty. On the north section, I had to restake several times trying to squeeze in 10 plots. One plot was the standard 20-ft, while the others varied from 15 to 17-ft wide depending on how long that particular section was since it too ranged from 32 to 40-ft. I managed 9 full plots and one half plot in that half, which seemed okay to me since I was dealing with a migraine from the previous day and 80+ degree heat. My mind wasn't the sharpest to be calculating anything! It turns out I created one extra, albeit short, plot - we were only planning on fourteen plots, not fifteen! Oh well, we'll use it for the food banks if no one comes forward to rent it.

We're also able to provide a plot for the Park Place residents, many of whom are retired farmers or lifelong gardeners. The director came out to chat, and it sounds like the folks are excited to have an opportunity to work the soil again. I'm happy because I know how I would feel if I didn't have a garden, plus I can only imagine the wealth of knowledge behind those walls!

When I arrived, I had to off load the rototiller. Grant showed me how to start it and back it down two skinny boards, but that looked downright dangerous. I simply turned te machine around in the back of the truck, wedged the boards into the ground, and wheeled that bad boy off the tailgate. It rolled smoothly with no problems. (Later, a friend of Deb's in Park Place said they were watching me wrestle it off.)

The first few folks that showed up helped me finish measuring and marking the plots, then when Deb directed each to their garden, they did a great job of clearing the rocks and clumps from the plots. It was wonderful to see everyone enthusiastically working. A few ladies even planted peppers, squash and tomatoes. Others seeded different crops. Our greatest challenges are going to be the wind and sharing water, but I think it's going to go just fine.

Tips on Starting a Community Garden

The "Victory Garden" concept is undergoing a resurgence in this country where more people are interested in growing their own food, whether to cut down the grocery bill or to ensure they're consuming healthful produce that hasn't traveled thousands of miles. For those who don't have a decent place to garden in their back yard, community gardens are a wonderful way to go.

When we moved to Great Falls a couple of years ago, I assumed I could rent a plot locally since we were living in a rental home and didn't exactly know when we would find a house. I was a bit surprised none existed, which is why I thought it would be a good idea to see if they would be needed in this area. Thankfully, there are several other folks who think along the same lines, and as a mentioned early, we came together and formed River City Harvest to start community gardens throughout Great Falls.

Our first location is at the Park Place Health Care Center, and we're excited to prepare the site as soon as the weather cooperates. In the meantime, we're sending out membership applications for anyone interested. Our blog site is: www.rivercityharvest.blogspot.com and email is rivercityharvest@yahoo.com for anyone interested.

I also have an article on what it takes to create a community garden in this month's issue of Hobby Farm's newsletter: http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/community-gardens-1.aspx

It details some of the nuts and bolts on what it takes to organize one, and will hopefully encourage others to give it a try in their own areas.

River City Harvest

Slowly, but surely, we're plugging away to make community gardens a reality in Great Falls. I called in to Wade at the county extension office the other day to chat with him and Deb, who has taken on the mountain of paperwork involved in acquiring the non-profit status, and our efforts look promising.

We had a couple of disappointments earlier in the process because land that was offered ended up either not working out, or no longer being available. But there are a couple of pieces that will make a great beginning if everything works out with the various entities. Hopefully we'll know for certain within a few weeks so we can start working as soon as the weather breaks in the spring.

It's our goal to provide gardens for families to grow their own produce throughout the season to mitigate grocery costs and provide nutritious fresh vegetables. With fresh veg prices going through the roof, this will hopefully be a big help to local families. Education is going to be an important part of this program, too. I'm excited about teaching newbies how to play in the dirt. We also intend to set aside plots to grow specifically for charitable organizations such as the food bank and Meals on Wheels. I interviewed the gal who runs the Meals on Wheels program, and she said her elderly folks really appreciate the fresh veg, especially when they know it's locally grown. If such a small thing can bring joy to these folks, I think it's a very worthwhile effort. And, as throughout the country, our food banks are struggling to keep up with demand so if we can help out at all, it's a worthwhile endeavor.

There are so many good things to do when it comes to involving the community and gardening - hopefully our early struggles will smooth out so we can get to the business of gardening and feeding those who need it.

Don't Feed the Deer!

   There’s nothing more maddening then walking through the garden in the morning only to assess the damage instead of picking a bouquet of flowers. Deer are a terrible frustration to most gardeners, and it takes creativity to battle these rodents with hooves.

   One way people can try to outwit the deer is to plant native species that are more resistant to their curious palettes. Typically, they’ll leave these species alone; however, I’ve lost thousands of dollars of native plants to desperate deer. When times are tough, they’ll eat just about anything.

   There are also a myriad of scent deterrents to dissuade nighttime marauders. My friend, LeAna, sometimes hangs bags of human hair or soap in the rows of flowers. Other people try garlic, moth balls, predator urine or eggs. Scent deterrents work to a certain degree, although once again, desperate deer will overcome fears to reach food; in addition, just about all of them become accustomed to the scent, and once they realize nothing is going to hurt them, they ignore it. The best way to utilize scent is to mix it up – change what you use every few weeks.

   One concoction LeAna and I found that works on spring flowers is an egg and water mix. She recommends mixing a dozen eggs cracked into a gallon or so of water in a watering can. Mix it up and pour it over the tulips. We’ve both had terrible trouble with deer in the spring, and this does the trick. The key is to refresh the mix on the plants if it rains, or to redo it every two to three weeks.

   I love the Scarecrow, the remote sensor triggered sprinkler. A quick blast of water puts them on the run. And the argument that they’ll become used to it doesn’t hold. Heck, I forget it’s there half the time, and my brain is supposedly bigger! Friends on Lion Mountain in Whitefish, which is an area polluted with deer, have been my perennial test subjects. They’ve used it for at least five years with splendid results.

   Extreme conditions need extreme measures, and sometimes the best option is a fence. Keep in mind that deer can jump eight feet if pressured. One of the most functional and effective fences I’ve seen is Deer-D-Fence, the product Belva and Richard use at Tizer Botanic Gardens and Arboretum in Montana City (www.tizergardens.com). They installed this high-strength, yet lightweight, black mesh fence around their six acre place filled with plants from throughout the world. It’s a veritable buffet to the neighboring wildlife, but they’ve been nibble free for nearly a decade. It also blends in well, and doesn’t mar the beautiful scenery.

Here is a list of plants deer typically don’t prefer, although please note, the deer don’t read the list and there are always exceptions:

Peony

Delphinium

Marigold

Aconite (Monkshood)

Foxglove

Artemisia

Achillea (Yarrow)

Feverfew

Hydrangea

Heliopsis

Perovskia (Russian Sage)

Sage

French Tarragon

Bee Balm

Echinacea

Oregano

Sea Holly

                                                   Lambs’ Ears

                                                   Daffodils

                                                   Hyacinth

                                                   Sweet Woodruff

                                                   Lady’s Mantle

                                                   Lavender

                                                   Barberry

                                                   Hyssop

                                                   Thyme

                                                   Mint

Community Gardens

   When we moved to Great Falls last year I wanted to garden, but knew it was going to be a challenge growing sun-loving veggies in a heavily shaded back yard. Surprisingly, given the agricultural slant of the area, there was no community garden in town so I tried planting my tomatoes, peppers and squash in the sunny spots.

   We moved in July, so I don’t know what became of the vegetables. But thankfully, I have plenty of room at our new place, but because of my experience and the fact that grocery prices are skyrocketing, I thought community gardens in Great Falls were important. A month ago I contacted Wade Crouch, our Cascade County Extension Office horticulture agent, and explained my interest in beginning a project. To my surprise and delight, there were two other women who contacted him on the same subject. Deb, Lisa, Wade and I met to focus our goals, and the Great Falls Community Gardens took their first step.    Last night during our second meeting, Wade gave us exciting news of a couple of potential areas. One is close to an apartment complex with a bus stop nearby, fulfilling a goal of keeping them accessible to lower income folks who would find it more economically challenging to spend the gas money to garden. It will also provide an exceptional education opportunity because it is very visible and accessible. The other is a five acre section near the Sun River that would be wonderful for those who can drive to the location. We would divide it into as many plots as we need, then plant the rest for the local food banks.   

   Initially we hoped for a humble half-acre area to start. This is beyond our wildest dreams right out of the gate. Our next step is to sit down with local groups that might be interested in helping with the gardens or receiving the benefits of production to hone our direction. The community gardens will be open to everyone giving individuals and families an opportunity to plant anything they want on their plots. For a set rate, maybe $20-$25 for the season, a family of 3-4 can keep themselves flush with fresh produce from spring to fall. And besides being more cost effective, by growing their own veggies they are eating much healthier and enjoying the benefits of working outside. This should be a win-win for everyone involved, and I’m encouraged by these first steps!