Seedling Care Session: Monday 5:30pm

Are you plants ready for transplant?

Before we move the pepper and tomato seedlings from our window sills into the ground, we have to harden them off. It’s time to get started — the process takes 7-10 days. If you started seedlings for the first time at the March workshop, you will want to learn how to get them acclimated to the outdoor conditions.

Join us!

We’ll be out in the garden Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week.

• Monday, May 10th, 5:30pm to 6:30pm
• Wednesday, May 12th, 5:30pm to 6:30pm
• Friday May 14th, 5:30pm to 6:30pm

Garden guru Sandy heads out for the summer next week, catch her now!

Volunteers for Daily Garden Care Needed

Want to learn more about morning and evening garden care duties? We’re building a schedule and will need volunteers to spend 10 minutes in the garden each morning or evening. We’ll be looking for people to commit to, say, Tuesday mornings, during the end of May and full month of June. Morning tasks will include some kid-friendly, light watering work.

Scroll down to get an idea of the tasks volunteers would be responsible for…Stay tuned for sign ups! Thank you.

2021 Daily Garden Tasks 

AM Garden care tasks: Before 10:15am

1. Check irrigation system. Does everything appear to be working? The timer dial should be set to AUTO and the correct time should be displayed. Are there signs of hose leaks or other problems? Bone dry soil?  If yes, send a note to cvearthlab@gmail.com – please note day, time, bed number; a photo is helpful if you have one.

2. Using the water wand to wet soil (not leaves) water items that are NOT on the irrigation system. These include

• strawberry towers (water each level)
• hanging flower baskets
• row of pots near shed, row of tomato pots on opposite side of garden, near entrance gate
• 6-7 window boxes Check each box to see if it needs water: Stick your finger in the soil to see if it’s wet 3  inches down. If it’s very damp, you can skip watering.  If it’s not, water deeply.

3. Look for signs of rodent digging in and around beds and the shed. If you find signs of a new burrow (usually a pile of displaced soil that the animals remove to make tunnels) pls take a photo; alert Denise and Shari via text or WhatsApp ASAP.

4. Check plants for signs of disease or insect damage. (We will share images and descriptions) Take a photo, share with group via texting app (WhatsApp)

5. Check for other problems/general signs of damage: broken trellis from wind, etc. If yes, send a note to cvearthlab@gmail.com – please note day, time, area affected, photo is helpful if you have one.

6. Log visit in virtual garden journal: Via your phone or home computer, note the conditions, non-urgent observations such as “very windy, lots of branches on the ground from wind storm, noticed new blooms/flowers on ground cherry plants, saw stray cat inside play area  or ‘nothing out of the ordinary”

Evening duties (after 5:30 but before 7:30pm)

1. Treat disease or affected plants with neem oil spray or soapy water spray bottle stored in shed. (The need for treatments will vary depending on the disease or insects that we’re dealing with)
2. Before you leave, use the MIST setting on the hose to lightly spray the cedar chips on the ground.  This activates a cedar smell which helps deter nocturnal rodents. 
3. Apply cedar oil to all vertical surfaces in the garden.  We will do this every other evening, or after there’s rain.   First, get the cedar oil jug from the storage area (next to 195 backdoor). You may need to refill the container with cedar oil concentrate and water.  Screw on top, and pump only one or two times.  Next, squeeze the applicator as you spray to cover the sides and top edge of every bed.  In addition, spray the border fence (everywhere on inside, and on the outside by the entrance gate) plus along the base of the large fence near gate, and inside the large fence in the section that is inside the garden.  Spray also:  All sides of shed, 3 feet high. The rationale? Rodents navigate by scent, not sight, so we spray cedar oil along surfaces they may use to find their way to the garden. The strong cedar scent confuses them and makes it difficult to find the garden. 
4. Log visit in virtual garden journal, note the conditions, and any non-urgent observations made during the visit.