Season Extension

School Garden Week of October 17th, 2022

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!

Seeds are coming up!  I had an opportunity to plant with 100 third grade gardeners at Summit Rd. Elementary a couple weeks back and we have some serious germination.

Photo credit: C. Comer

The spinach is coming up which I am happy for as it is a finicky germinator.  The lettuce is coming up thick!

 

Photo credit: C. Comer.

This lettuce is pretty closely planted.  It needs some thinning.  It should be watered a few hours prior and then thinned.   A great job for student gardeners.  I recommend spacing to about 3 inches, which is approximated by the length of an elementary pointer finger for reference for students.  If you paper towel planted, you are spaced already.

If you have not yet direct seeded in the garden you can still plant many things: spinach, kale, lettuce, carrots, bok choi, and cilantro would all do fine planted now.  The soil temperatures at Waterman Farm here on campus, found at this link (plus the other research stations across the state) shows we are at mid-50’s right now, which is fine for cool season planting.

 

 

We have some cold nights coming up.  I recommend that you cover your new plantings outside with row cover or plastic overnight this week.  Row cover should be fine to leave in place during the day but you may need to vent plastic during the day as it may become too hot under it if it gets sunny.  

For indoor planting you can plant lettuce, bok choi, kale, or other leafy greens under the LED lights for potential transplanting or sending home with the students.  For your Aerogarden, you can still start leafy greens and herbs now.  If you get to winter break and you have good growth in your hydroponic systems, the smaller systems can be taken home and plugged in to continue to provide a harvest.  For any questions regarding your school growing feel free to email me at mcdermott.15@osu.edu

 

High Tunnel Soil Borne Disease Testing

We have numerous high tunnels in Franklin County at both community gardens and urban farms.  USDA ARS (Agricultural Research Service) based in Wooster is now accepting samples for free to test the soil in high tunnels for the presence of soil borne disease.

CLICK HERE for the submission form and more information. –> Soil_submission_form_2022

Questions? Please contact Anna Testen, anna.testen@usda.gov or 330-641-2862.

Growing Over Winter Garden Walk at Greenway Community Garden on Wednesday October 5th @ 6pm.

You are invited to the Greenway Community Garden this Wednesday for a garden walk with some of my favorite people: The Growing and Growth Collective.  We will be talking about Growing Over Winter.  Lots to still plant but not alot of time to get those seeds and plants in the ground!  We will be talking season extension, cover crops, and what you can plant right NOW. This event is free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions to The Greenway Community Garden at 1652 Greenway Ave. Columbus, OH 43203.  LINK TO MAP.

 

Grow Your Own Fresh Vegetables All Winter Long

One of my favorite ways to grow is over winter,  under season extension.  My favorite veggies that can handle the cold are spinach, kale, bok choi, and believe it or not, cilantro!

Check out this recorded webinar class on Growing Over Winter to help get you started.

Garden Walk at Franklinton Farms on Wednesday September 14th, 2022 @ 6pm.

We have a new date for our Garden Walk.  It will be on Wednesday September 14th, 2022 @ 6pm.

Franklinton Farms is a nonprofit ~2 acre scattered site urban farm. Over the past three years, with the support of a Warner Grant for Sustainable Agriculture through OSU, Franklinton Farms has been trialing a few different, low-cost ways to improve production of lettuce in our increasingly hot summers. We’ll share with you what we’ve learned over the past three years, showing our techniques and sending you home with a supplies and equipment list so you can more successfully grow lettuce in the heat.    This event is free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions.

We will meet in the parking lot at the main office at 867 W. Town St. then walk over to the plot at the corner of  Walnut, Rich,  and Martin.  Hope to see you there!

Rescheduled!! Garden Walk at Franklinton Farms

The garden walk at Franklinton Farms on Tuesday August 30th @ 6pm is cancelled and rescheduled.  New Post Coming Soon.  Besides talking about planting, harvesting, and what is going on now we will share a little bit about some of the on-farm research that we have been doing together the past three years on some new and interesting methods of growing leafy greens in hot weather.  This event is free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions.

We will meet in the parking lot at the main office at 867 W. Town St. then walk over to the plot at the corner of  Walnut, Rich,  and Martin.  Hope to see you there!

A Busy Week in the Garden and Market! Three events on August 2nd, 3rd, and 4th this week.

Lots going on in the garden this week.  It is planting time for the last batch of summer veggies,  time to start fall cool season vegetables,  plus maintenance of our current crops with pest, weed, and fertility challenges.  Plus 90 degree heat.  I will be out in the community all week talking these topics on two garden walks plus a trip to the Bronzeville Grower Market.

 

Tuesday August 2nd: A Garden Walk at Bexley Community Garden South @ 6:30pm.

Come join us at the Bexley Community Garden South, 925 Ferndale Place, Bexley for a free in-person class to discuss:

  • What bugs are a problem now.
  • What to do with fertility.
  • What are our weather predictions?
  • What to plant now

Link to Google Maps

 

 

Wednesday August 3rd: A Garden Walk at Mari Sunami Community Garden on the South Side @ 6pm.

We have two more garden walks at Mari Sunami!  In the first walk on August 3rd we will be talking about what summer crops you can still plant for a fall harvest.  For the second walk on September 7th we will talk fall planting of cool season crops. Plus lots more about pests, weeds, disease, fertilizing, and harvesting.   The walks are free and open to the public so bring your friends and your questions!

Also,  there is potential space available if you are in need of a garden plot!   Contact Jess at the phone and email below if you are interested.

 

Here is a close up of the map to get you to the location

 

 

 

Thursday August 4th: What to Plant NOW for Fall at the Bronzeville Growers Market @ 4pm.

Plus you can do some shopping and get some fresh produce!  See you out and about!

Grow Your Own Fresh Veggies Over Winter

I like to say that Ohio is a four season growing environment.  I grow and harvest every month of the year including January and February.  I recently did a class on Growing Over Winter and many asked if I had a recording of that to view.  You are in luck.  Check out the Growing Over Winter webinar below.

There is still plenty of time to get seeds in the ground so that you can enjoy some fresh veggies all year long.

Growing Over Winter Virtual Class on 9/30 in Partnership with Grange Audubon Center

I will be speaking on Growing Over Winter in partnership with one of my favorite central Ohio places, the Grange Audubon Center.  This virtual event takes place at 6:30pm on Thursday September 30th.
Ohio is a four-season growing environment. Did you know with a little planning, wise variety choices, and a little season extension fabric you can harvest your own fresh vegetables from January to March.  No outdoor space available? We will also talk about indoor hydroponics and how you can grow indoors in the winter as well.
There is registration required.  Register at THIS LINK.
See you then!

April Update in the Community Garden Recordings are now LIVE

April is a busy month in the garden with bed prep, planting, and fertilizing to get a great harvest.  If you missed last night’s class I have the information in two formats:

Fast social media version with a quick 3 minute review of the highlights.

 

 

The full class webinar recording with more detail plus chat Q & A.

Do not forget to register for the upcoming May Update in the Community Garden on Tuesday May 4th @ 6:30 pm held in partnership with the Charles Madison Nabrit Memorial Garden.  The class is free but registration is required:

Hi there,

You are invited to a CarmenZoom webinar.
When: May 4, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: May 2021 Update in the Community Garden

Register in advance for this webinar:
https://osu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZwhmzTlvSGK4Y4ZD2w5QIA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Any questions about this webinar should be directed to the webinar organizer.

 

The Ohio State University

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