Garden Progress

Most of the seeds that were directly sown into the Earth are growing but to speed up the process we purchased many seedlings, mostly of plants we have had success with in the past. So we are assured of another productive gardening season. We purchased beefsteak tomato, big boi tomato, red plum tomato, jalapeno pepper, parsley, basil, eggplant, stevia, sweet pepper, lettuce and celery. We also purchased ornamental flowers for the front yards at both sites. We bought black-eyed Susan, impatiens, sweet potato vine, hosta, marigold, coral bells tick seed, hydrangea, rose and coleus. We continue our yearly tradition of planting 6 ft. and 10 ft. sunflowers around the entire perimeter of the garden. Birds and squirrels are often seen eating the sunflower seeds from the head of the sunflower. We harvested our home wormbin for the 6th time and are preparing the work wormbin to be harvested for the 7th time in approximately 2 weeks. We decided to cook some of the plants that we are growing this season for lunch to sample what they taste like. Natalie and Jan cooked okra, beets, asparagus, artichoke with a dipping sauce and Johhny cooked cinnamon rolls. Everything tasted good. As things continue to grow and the sun shines longer during the day we are watering the plants regularly and weeding more frequently. We bought red cedar mulch to help keep the weeds down. The first plant that was harvested this season was mesclun lettuce which we prepared in a salad with tomato, cucumber, olives, Italian dressing, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. It tasted good. The garden is progressing well. Goodbye.



                                             -Rabbi Stacey Van Rossum

                                         (Rose)

                                         (Hydrangea)

                                         (Hydrangea between 2 dogwoods)

                                         (Barley)

                                         (Chamomile)

                                         (Mint)

                                         (The garden from far away)

                                         (Rabbi Stacey planting celery)

                                         (Rabbi Stacey at work)

                                         (Stevia)

                                         (Johhny holding garlic planted last Fall)

The sower sows seeds

                                         (Lettuce)

                                          (Purple dove snap bush beans)

                                         (Collards)

                                         (Figs)

                                         (Rabbi Stacey in front of fig tree)

                                                   (Variegated dogwood)

                                         (Peaches)

                                         (Asparagus crowns)

                                         (Workers in the garden)

                                         (Barley)

                                         (Collard seedlings)

                                         (Rosemary seedling)

(Lavender)

                                         (Pepper seedlings)
As the temperature warms up we begin to direct sow seeds into the Earth. So far we have planted lettuce, carrots, beets, kale, collards, radishes, arugula, Swiss chard, purple dove snap bush beans, wheat, barley, amaranth, okra, marigold, sunflower, mixed sunflower, Mexican sunflower, parsley, stevia, English thyme, sage, squash, fennel, cilantro, chives, tarragon, eggplant, bunching onions, tomato, sorrel and cucumber directly into the soil. Some of these we have had success with in previous seasons and some are new plants that we have never tried before. We purchased and planted collards, pepper and rosemary seedlings. Some of the seeds that we started indoors in a seed starter kit grew and we planted the cantaloupe seedlings outdoors, a few have died but some have survived so far in the Earth. The delivery of soil came to Morris Ave. so we added a new layer of topsoil to the garden. We planted some flowers in the front yard at Morris Ave. We planted daisy, alyssum, forget-me-not, and bachelor buttons. With enough water, sunlight and plant maintenance like weeding we will have another successful year at My Urban Farm.



                                                                             -Rabbi Stacey Van Rossum

Season 2012

                                          (Morning picture of the sky as the sun rises)

                                          (From our trip to the Central Park Zoo)

                                           (From our trip to the Central Park Zoo)

                                           (From our trip to the Central Park Zoo)

                                           (Tulips)

                                           (Cantaloupe growing)

                                           (Magnolia trees in bloom)

We had our first meeting on 3/16 to begin making plans for Season 2012. The soil at both sites have been turned over once and a delivery of 1/2 ton (1000 lbs.) of topsoil is expected for Morris Ave. We planted, tomato, pepper, cucumber and cantaloupe in seed starter kits. The cantaloupe is already growing. Seeds have already been purchased and we are trying several new plants and different varieties of plants this season. Some new plants include okra, rhubarb and artichoke. There is still talk of building a greenhouse and talk of buying chickens. At E. 111 St. we tested the soil for Potash (K), Nitrogen (N), Phosphorous (P) and also the PH level was tested. The magnolia trees are blooming and the tulips have sprouted flowers. The weather is warming up and My Urban Farm is beginning to get back to work.



                                                                                       -Rabbi Stacey

The Season is over

The season is officially over. We had our last day of work last Monday. We were able to harvest greens like Swiss chard and kale and also kohlrabi until the very last day. I went to the Morris Ave. site today to feed the worms in the wormbin and when I looked outside in the garden there were still healthy chard and kale leaves. If they survive the winter and are still there in the Spring it would not be a surprise. In the past we have had kale that survived the snow of Winter and the rain of early Spring that was still edible when I picked them. This year we planted oat as a cover crop at Morris Ave. and I planted spelt in late November that should be ready in the Spring. The spelt was about 2-3 inches tall on our last work day. I have purchased barley and wheat seeds that I am going to plant in the Spring at Morris Ave. Much garlic has been planted at both sites and are growing. We took a trip to the Central Park Zoo and were able to see some animals there. There has been talk of building a greenhouse for use in the Spring. That would be both useful and convenient. The plan is to meet in late February to start making plans for Season 2012. I will continue to feed and maintain both the work wormbin and my home wormbin during the Winter. Once again it was another successful season of gardening and I look forward to Season 2012.



                                         - Rabbi Stacey

Trip toThe Battery Urban Farm

                                          (Rabbi Stacey, Johnny, Betty, Tara, Natalie)

                                          (1 view of The Battery Urban Farm)

                                          (Johnny & Tara looking at the collard greens)

                                          (Another view of The Battery Urban Farm)

                                          (Collards at The Battery Urban Farm)

                                          (Another view of The Battery Urban Farm)

                                          (The view across the water)

On Wednesday we visited The Battery Urban Farm in lower Manhattan. Here are some pictures.

Fall has come

The temperature has dropped so the season is almost over. We continue to harvest but there was a snow storm recently and the gardens were covered with snow. I harvested the work wormbin for the 6th time. Some plants still remain in the ground but with the falling temperatures we will probably be putting the gardens to rest in the coming weeks. Here are some pictures.

                                          (Garlic)

                                          (Oregano)

                                          (Growing figs)

                                          (Fig tree)

                                          (Marigold)

                                         (Moon flower)

                                           (?Fever few?)

                                           (Gourd)

                                          (Inside the wormbin before harvesting)

                                          (E. 111 St. after the snow storm)

                                          (Woodpecker)

                                           (Woodpecker)

                                          
                         - Rabbi Stacey