The Food Project: Youth. Food. Community.

By Intern Brian Nichols and Kathleen Banfield

Are you suddenly finding that you have more collards than you know what to do with? Do you want to save some kale or tomatoes for a cold winter day? Try freezing your vegetables! These vegetables will taste just as fresh as the day you picked them, and it can be quite satisfying to reminisce about your garden during our long, cold winters. Freezing some types of vegetables is actually a very simple process. Just follow the instructions below to stock up on those plants that produce more than you know what to do with!

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Weeding is an important part of maintaining your garden. Regular weeding (at least once a week) is most beneficial because it's more manageable and they won't grow too big, which will prevent weeds from stealing too much space, water, and nutrients from the plants you actually want in your garden. Some plants eventually go to seed if not weeded right away, which will result in more weeds growing in your garden.

Sometimes the hardest part of weeding is being able to differentiate between the weeds and plants you seeded. While labeling what you plant and keeping an accurate map of your garden bed can help with plant identification of what you planted, it is even better to know a little about the weeds you are pulling up!

Check out this chart (4 MB PDF) with some of the most common weeds you'll find in your garden. Remember, not all weeds are "bad!" We distinguish between edible and nutritious ones and those you can just get rid of!

by intern Mayra Class

Build-a-Garden internsIt's summertime and here at The Food Project, that means we are working in full force. I am 16 years old and I started at The Food Project last summer as a crew worker in our Summer Youth Program. Now I am at the intern level, which means I have grown as a worker and I have a better understanding of what it means to work hard and build a better community. In fact, this summer, eight interns joined the Boston internship to work alongside Kesiah and Kathleen on many projects, and one of our main focuses is the Build-a-Garden Program.

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We all know that some of the bugs we find in our garden are pests and they damage our beloved crops that we work so hard to grow. It can be frustrating and disappointing to find evidence that some type of pest has been eating at your plants, or perhaps has already destroyed a crop.

The most important first step you can take to manage pests is to monitor your garden closely and regularly. Check plants for signs of pests at least twice a week throughout the growing season. Pay extra close attention to young plants that are just sprouting or were recently transplanted. Look at the undersides of leaves and at the inner stalks of plants and inspect for any holes in foliage. Many insects that feed on your crops are easiest to manage early on, when their populations are still minimal.

The second step to managing pests is to identify the culprit. Try to identify what bug might be damaging plants by collecting as much information as you can. Look for any bugs that are around the plants: either on them, in the ground nearby, or flying around. Pay close attention to their appearance: color, size, and any other defining characteristics.

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This week, we planted a combination of vegetables know as the Three Sisters with students from our partner schools. They enjoyed this story about the ways that plants can help each other

In a time before clocks and watches and trains and boats, and farms even, there lived ancient Spirit Children who could tell time from the setting of the sun and the colors in the sky. The Spirit Children were not like us for they could switch into different beings in the blink of an eye: One moment a human with two legs and two arms, the next moment a fox, swift and sly.

They lived to create life on earth such as plants and animals so that the world could be a beautiful place. They roamed freely and in peace with the eyes of Mother Sun and Father Moon watching over them from the skies with love in their hearts.

Among the Spirit Children there lived Three Sisters, no more alike in looks than in personalities. Sister Bean was tall and frail with green hair and graceful limbs. She was always dancing and twisting and twirling.

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This past weekend I set up a drip tape irrigation system on my raised beds. While drip irrigation systems requires a little more upfront labor, the set up is relatively easy and inexpensive, and over the course of the season it will allow you to water less and more efficiently with less effort.

Drip irrigation allows a gardener to focus water where it is needed- at the base of the plants, focusing on the root zone. With overhead watering (which includes using a sprinkler or watering can) it is much harder to concentrate your irrigation efforts, resulting both in using more water than necessary and watering weeds and/or weed seeds that are undeserving of attention. Here are instructions on how to set this up (PDF) in your own beds.

Adriana stands in front of her raised bed gardenNeighbors Mary and Adriana are gardening together. After The Food Project determined that Adriana's yard space did not get enough sun for a garden, Mary kindly invited Adriana to tend to a raised bed garden in her yard instead. The Food Project built each of their families a raised bed, and now, they're growing food side by side!

their lettuce nearing harvest time

Adriana holds a spinach leaf affected by leaf miner

Tomatoes Need Support

As tomatoes grow taller, they need support to help them produce more fruit and take up less space. In order to avoid damaging plants, it is best to begin when the plants are small. Consider starting at the same time you plant your tomatoes. While there are many ways to make your own supports for tomatoes, such as trellis systems, we suggest starting off easy if you are a beginner gardener. Here, we discuss how to cage and stake tomatoes.

Caging

caged tomatoYou can buy tomato cages at any garden supply store and they are really easy to use. Place the cage over the plant so that it is centered, and as it grows, gently guide the stems through the holes of the cage. Caged tomatoes need minimal tying; however, consider tying stems gently to the wiring if they are loaded with fruit and become heavy.

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Tips on growing, harvesting, and more

close up of some lettuceWhen to harvest lettuce depends on the variety of lettuce you plant. Here are a few guidelines based on different types of lettuce.

For head lettuce, you should harvest when the head becomes firm. Just pull the entire plant out of the ground, cut off the roots, dip into cold water, and refrigerate until eating. This will keep lettuce fresh and crisp.

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Even though I have had some bad luck with my spinach, I managed to harvest about two cups (enough for a small and delicious salad)!

Boston GardenerRight now I am most proud of my peas, which are about 1 ft. high. I just built a trellis for them on Friday. It probably took me about 25 minutes to build the whole thing, but I have to say I was in Home Depot trying to find supplies for a solid 2 hours! As friendly as the Home Depot staff is, the place is extremely overwhelming. Luckily for all of us, a new urban gardening store called Boston Gardener has opened up right down the street from Dudley Station (and right next door to the Haley House Bakery Cafe)!

Location:

2131 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02119

Website: GrowBostonGarden.com

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