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I will be speaking on Pruning and Harvesting as part of Franklin Park Conservatory’s Communal Garden class series on Tuesday July 8th at 6pm. Learn the best practices for pruning and harvesting to keep your plants healthy and productive! This class will cover proper pruning techniques for various food producing plants to encourage growth and improve yields, as well as tips for how to identify when fruits and vegetables are ready to pick, proper harvesting techniques to avoid damaging plants, and tips for storing and preserving your harvest for longer enjoyment. The class is free and open to the public but they do ask for registration.
Extension colleagues of mine will be hosting an Urban Ag Field Day in Mansfield on June 25th at 4pm. The event is free and open to the public but does require registration. The link to register is below or you can use the QR code.
I will be partnering with the OSUMC Healthy Community Center in the near East side for a series of community garden programs held on a Wednesday each month from March through September. The classes are free and open to the public but they do ask for registration due to the classroom size. The next class will be Digging In: Herbs and Pollinators on Wednesday June 11th from 6-7pm. Bring your friends and your questions! You can use the flyer QR code to register, the go link at go.osu.edu/HCCgardenseries, or can CLICK HERE to register. Scroll down to pick the Digging In: Herbs and Pollinators class plus check out all of the educational opportunities that they have at the Center.
Click HERE to view, print, or download the flyer –> HCC 2025 Garden Series
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
Please be sure that all of your garden systems are closed up before you leave for the summer. We are getting closer to the last day of the year and now is a good time to engage your students to assist you with garden clean up. Here is some helpful information from Katie.
Outdoor Raised Bed:
Row Cover Cleaning:
Row cover can be washed by hand in a sink or large tub of hot soapy water and then rinsed a few times in clear water. Or you can wash it in a washing machine on the gentle or delicate cycle. It’s best to dry it in the sun as it will also help disinfect it and brighten it.
Indoor Grow Stations : Cleaning your AeroGarden
Start by dismantling your garden and cleaning out your indoor plants and any leftover roots. Roots can grow into the filter, so be sure to clean it out and reinstall after you’ve finished cleaning the bowl. If the filter looks too worn, replace the filter to prolong the life of your pump. Be careful not to throw away your filter by accident! It’s easy to do when removing plant roots.
After clearing out the roots, you should clean and sanitize your AeroGarden® hydroponics growing system to help prevent the growth of root pathogens that can destroy your live plants. There are various ways to clean your garden:
If you have a dishwasher:
If you don’t have a dishwasher:
Cleaning the Grow Deck:
Sometimes roots will grow through the nozzles on the grow deck and prevent proper water flow. Separating and cleaning the grow deck of any stray roots can help keep the water flowing efficiently. The grow deck can be separated on almost all AeroGarden® models.
First, remove the grow deck from the bowl of your AeroGarden® and place it upside-down on a flat surface. Locate the tabs on the underside of the deck and push the tabs inward and down. The tabs are flexible and designed to be separated. Use a scrub brush or similar cleaning tool to remove the roots and any other debris from the grow deck. Snap back together in place.
For your LED light and seed starting trays:
I know that many of you have harvest festivals and taste testing at school. Make sure that you follow safe harvesting techniques. Here is a video to guide you.
Any questions about your growing? Email me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu
I will be partnering with the OSUMC Healthy Community Center in the near East side for a series of community garden programs held on a Wednesday each month from March through September. The classes are free and open to the public but they do ask for registration due to the classroom size. The next class will be Digging In: Summer Vegetable Planting on Wednesday May 28th from 6-7pm. Bring your friends and your questions! You can use the flyer QR code to register, the go link at go.osu.edu/HCCgardenseries, or can CLICK HERE to register. Scroll down to pick the Digging In: Summer Vegetable class plus check out all of the educational opportunities that they have at the Center.
Click HERE to view, print, or download the flyer –> HCC 2025 Garden Series
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
Lets take a look at the weather:
Hopefully you have all your plantings outside in your raised beds, if you have those available to you. Only a few more days of school left this semester!
Here is a video that show how to safely harvest and store your fresh leafy greens
This month you are maintaining collard greens under LED lights for transplanting outside in the raised beds later this month or for maintaining under the lights to harvest in the classroom.
After you get the collard greens transplanted outside, if you have no other plants under the LED lights, make sure to clean all your pots and trays and store them with the lights, including the cord, in a safe spot for next semester.
This month we are harvesting tomatoes from the Aerogarden.
Keep the tomato under the lights by pruning as needed.
I need some better pics of tomatoes in Aerogarden Harvest units. Does anyone have a pic to share? Send them my way!
Aerogarden has some great information on planting on their website. CLICK HERE for their product manual website.
Click HERE for the Aerogarden planting guide for tomatoes.
Please be sure that all of your garden systems are closed up before you leave for the summer. We are getting closer to the last day of the year and now is a good time to engage your students to assist you with garden clean up. Here is some helpful information from Katie.
Outdoor Raised Bed:
Row Cover Cleaning:
Row cover can be washed by hand in a sink or large tub of hot soapy water and then rinsed a few times in clear water. Or you can wash it in a washing machine on the gentle or delicate cycle. It’s best to dry it in the sun as it will also help disinfect it and brighten it.
Indoor Grow Stations : Cleaning your AeroGarden
Start by dismantling your garden and cleaning out your indoor plants and any leftover roots. Roots can grow into the filter, so be sure to clean it out and reinstall after you’ve finished cleaning the bowl. If the filter looks too worn, replace the filter to prolong the life of your pump. Be careful not to throw away your filter by accident! It’s easy to do when removing plant roots.
After clearing out the roots, you should clean and sanitize your AeroGarden® hydroponics growing system to help prevent the growth of root pathogens that can destroy your live plants. There are various ways to clean your garden:
If you have a dishwasher:
If you don’t have a dishwasher:
Cleaning the Grow Deck:
Sometimes roots will grow through the nozzles on the grow deck and prevent proper water flow. Separating and cleaning the grow deck of any stray roots can help keep the water flowing efficiently. The grow deck can be separated on almost all AeroGarden® models.
First, remove the grow deck from the bowl of your AeroGarden® and place it upside-down on a flat surface. Locate the tabs on the underside of the deck and push the tabs inward and down. The tabs are flexible and designed to be separated. Use a scrub brush or similar cleaning tool to remove the roots and any other debris from the grow deck. Snap back together in place.
For your LED light and seed starting trays:
I will be teaching a class on Planting Your Summer Garden in partnership with the Mt. Carmel Healthy Living Center, 777 West State St., on Tuesday May 20th at 1:00pm.
Do you want to learn how to get started in summer veggie gardening? We will talk pests, fertilization, the weather, and what to plant NOW, plus take all your questions. If the weather is nice we will walk outside to their community garden as well. The class is free and open to the public but they do ask for registration to ensure there is enough space. Bring your friends and your questions and hope to see you there!
Check out the registration link below to register for this class as well as view a ton of other free learning opportunities.
CLICK this LINK to Register -scroll down to find the class
This is a weekly look at what is happening in the school garden to assist teacher educators engage their students in agriculture. It can be used by garden students of all ages however!
Lets take a look at the weather:
Hopefully you have all your plantings outside in your raised beds, if you have those available to you. If not and they are ready, make sure to harden them off prior to transplanting. Check out the video below for guidance.
Here is a video that show how to safely harvest and store your fresh leafy greens
Here is a video on transplanting
This month you are maintaining collard greens under LED lights for transplanting outside in the raised beds later this month or for maintaining under the lights to harvest in the classroom.
After you get the collard greens transplanted outside, if you have no other plants under the LED lights, make sure to clean all your pots and trays and store them with the lights, including the cord, in a safe spot for next semester.
This month we are harvesting tomatoes from the Aerogarden.
For spring break, I know many of you have plants in production. I do not think that the Aerogarden will do well on its own with mature tomatoes over a 10 day spring break, so if there is no one at the school to take care of them, and you still want production, gently transport them home and back so that production can continue until the end of the year.
Keep the tomato under the lights by pruning as needed.
I need some better pics of tomatoes in Aerogarden Harvest units. Does anyone have a pic to share? Send them my way!
Aerogarden has some great information on planting on their website. CLICK HERE for their product manual website.
Click HERE for the Aerogarden planting guide for tomatoes.
Please be sure that all of your garden systems are closed up before you leave for the summer. We are getting closer to the last day of the year and now is a good time to engage your students to assist you with garden clean up. Here is some helpful information from Katie.
Outdoor Raised Bed:
Row Cover Cleaning:
Row cover can be washed by hand in a sink or large tub of hot soapy water and then rinsed a few times in clear water. Or you can wash it in a washing machine on the gentle or delicate cycle. It’s best to dry it in the sun as it will also help disinfect it and brighten it.
Indoor Grow Stations : Cleaning your AeroGarden
Start by dismantling your garden and cleaning out your indoor plants and any leftover roots. Roots can grow into the filter, so be sure to clean it out and reinstall after you’ve finished cleaning the bowl. If the filter looks too worn, replace the filter to prolong the life of your pump. Be careful not to throw away your filter by accident! It’s easy to do when removing plant roots.
After clearing out the roots, you should clean and sanitize your AeroGarden® hydroponics growing system to help prevent the growth of root pathogens that can destroy your live plants. There are various ways to clean your garden:
If you have a dishwasher:
If you don’t have a dishwasher:
Cleaning the Grow Deck:
Sometimes roots will grow through the nozzles on the grow deck and prevent proper water flow. Separating and cleaning the grow deck of any stray roots can help keep the water flowing efficiently. The grow deck can be separated on almost all AeroGarden® models.
First, remove the grow deck from the bowl of your AeroGarden® and place it upside-down on a flat surface. Locate the tabs on the underside of the deck and push the tabs inward and down. The tabs are flexible and designed to be separated. Use a scrub brush or similar cleaning tool to remove the roots and any other debris from the grow deck. Snap back together in place.
For your LED light and seed starting trays:
It is Garden Walk time! I will be on the South side and the East side next week at two community gardens to talk about what to plant NOW for summer, what is in harvest, what you can still plant for spring, and what pests to watch out for. Plus take all your questions. Both events are free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions!
The garden can be a little tricky to find so here is a picture of the location from Google Maps
Mari Sunami Community Garden is located at 248 Stanaford Place. CLICK for MAP
Have you ever wanted to learn more about on farm research? There are many challenges facing urban producers including urban heat, soil/water/nutrient stewardship, and economic sustainability. I am collaborating with The Urban Farm Church, Sunny Glen Garden, and South Side Family Farms on a SARE Research and Education Grant to evaluate soil improvement practices over time. Come to The Urban Farm Church on Wednesday May 14th at 6pm to learn from Farm and Education Developer Taylor Green about organic, no-dig urban gardening and the research project we will working on for the next three years. The class is free but registration is asked for so they know how to plan for snacks!