Green Spaces Alliance

Spring Garden Updates

GreenSpaces — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:16:03 +0000

Winecup- Callirhoe involucrata

The spring rains have spoiled us this year with lots of lush green growth and a stunning wildflower display. A recent family excursion to the Medina River Bike Trail was not the least bit disappointing this spring with seas of purple verbena, standing winecup, and a gorgeous white mallow.

The community gardens network gardens have also benefited greatly from all of the spring rains. I have witnessed some of the most beautiful and productive gardens in a recent garden tour. San Antonio community gardeners deserve a big pat on the back. It just goes to show that a lot of hard work topped off with some great spring rains can really pay off.

Jefferson’s New Pergola!

Onion at Jefferson

Asparagus Ready for Harvest!

Tomato Trellising

Jefferson Community Garden has a beautiful display of onions with graceful scapes, and asparagus, smartly planted in the garden’s first year, is ready for harvest. Tired of wimpy tomato cages, garden coordinator, Sherilyn Strickland is boldly trying a new trellising method for her tomatoes. Since many of us look for locally appropriate techniques to try in our gardens it will be great to see how her experiment goes so that we can try it in our gardens. All of this and embellished by a new pergola too!

Larkspur at Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill Community Garden currently has a great show of prairie larkspur with various shades of purple flower spikes dancing in the breeze. Gardeners have expanded their garden with new terraced beds on the back slope of their garden. The terraces were probably very successful at “catching” and slowing some of this terrific spring rain “storing” water directly in the garden soil where it belongs. The lush crops growing in the new plots are testimony to that. Visitors to the new linear park, which is taking shape across the street, will be pleased with the backdrop provided by the garden.

Community gardens can also cultivate species diversity as evidenced by the active purple martin colony that sings and darts around Olmos Park Terrace Community Garden. Visitors and garden members alike enjoy witnessing the active colony while enjoying afternoon shade on the new, strategically placed limestone benches. Adding to the richness of species diversity, the triangle park is graced with an elegant (and I do mean elegant), three bin compost system with lots of rich compost in various stages of completion because of the work of literally millions of microbial life and other various decomposers.

Home -grown Texas Celery!

River Road Community Garden has a miraculous crop of celery (yes, I said celery!) this year due in part to the ample rain coupled with excellent garden stewardship.

Monarch Larva at River Road

Lady Bug Pupa and Adults

River Road gardeners should also be very proud of the monarch butterfly larvae that have found a temporary home on the milk weed (Asclepius curassavica) at their garden. In addition to playing host to monarch butterfly larva, the garden also invites all stages of the ladybug life cycle to the fennel. Maybe all of those six legged animals are there celebrating the rich history to be discovered in the River Road neighborhood including the soon to be refurbished acequia that runs adjacent to the garden.

Hopefully, you are also noticing lots of six legged guests to your gardens. Insects can be great ambassadors to the garden because children of all ages can be drawn to them even if there seems to be negative feelings at first. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard someone express complete disgust yet be totally engaged for long periods of time by the insect’s behavior. Alternately, you may be noticing a few that are not quite as welcome. Proper identification is important so as not to harm beneficial insects. Remember, that the vast majority of insects do not harm plants and sometimes even those that do can be tolerated if the damage is limited and not compromising production in a major way. While visiting the new CIELO Garden on the northwest side I saw a small population of both striped and spotted cucumber beetles. They were presenting themselves readily in the cool morning hours so they were easy to spot and equally easy to pluck and squish! I’m typically squeamish about smooshing insects and if I had access to a bucket of soapy water I would have preferred to give them an eternal bath.

Striped Cucumber Beetle

Spotted Cucumber Beetle

By now you should have: planted your shade or fruit trees, asparagus crowns, and potatoes and with this unseasonably mild spring weather you are likely well underway with your tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and beans. Chances are you are thinking ahead to the next gardening season and how to keep your spring crops productive into the summer. Learn how you can make the summer season easier to endure with our next workshop, Summer Preparation, coming up on May 19^th from 9-12 at High Country Community Garden- 16418 Cypress Park, 78247. Register on-line at: http://www.greensatx.org/upcoming-events/register-for-a-workshop

Seed Swap Success!

GreenSpaces — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:13:53 +0000

The 2011 Green Spaces Alliance Seed Swap went so well we decided to host not one, but two, in 2012! Our first was held on Tuesday, January 17^th at Jardin del Sol located at 400 N. Frio Street. Forty people were in attendance for seed swap success!

Participants mingled with other gardeners, exchanged seeds that they collected from their gardens or exchanged surplus seeds, took free seeds from GSA’s surplus, enjoyed GSA community garden interviews, learned about Denver Urban Gardens and its latest community garden research, and attended a seed starting demonstration; all while sipping warm tea and munching on, of course, popcorn!

Last year, several San Antonio community garden representatives stepped forward to talk about the community garden projects in their neighborhoods. Interviews were conducted and broadcast by local cable station-KCWX. Seed Swappers had the opportunity to watch the interviews. You can watch the inspiring interviews, too: http://www.greensatx.org/media/in-the-news.

The Denver Urban Gardens documentary was very informative and supplied Seed Swap attendees with information on some of the newest community garden research. The Gardens for Growing Healthy Communities (GGHC) community-based research initiative developed a research study that was conducted by a team of researchers based at the University of Colorado in Boulder. They found that those involved in tending small local gardens tend to eat more vegetables, exercise more, weigh less and generally claim to feel healthier than their non-gardening neighbors.

Holly and Sean Hirshberg joined us from The Dinner Garden. At the Seed Swap they challenged the participants to grow amaranth plants from seed for the local food bank. The Dinner Garden supplied willing participants with several seed trays, detailed growing instructions, and a package of amaranth seeds. Gardeners who decided to grow amaranth plants were encouraged to bring their 3 inch tall seedlings to any local food pantry registered at Ample Harvest (ampleharvest.org). Ample Harvest serves to connect gardeners that find themselves with a produce surplus with local food pantries. In addition to instructions on how to save amaranth seed from this year’s mature crop, Holly and Sean have also provided recipes for preparing amaranth on their website: http://www.dinnergarden.org/summerProduce.html.

Thanks to all of you who attended our first Seed Swap of 2012 and shared in the exchange of ideas and materials! Our next Seed Swap will be held on August 8^th from 6:30-8:30pm at International Community Garden- 4242 Bluemel Rd. 78240. Plan to attend so that you can witness one of San Antonio’s newest community gardens!

Planning the Spring Garden

GreenSpaces — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:21:47 +0000

If you haven’t started already, it is now time to start planning your spring garden. For gardeners in South Texas, spring planting is just around the corner. While you are making plans for planting your annual veggies after the threat of frost has passed (March 15^th in San Antonio), there are some preemptive things that you can do to whet your gardening appetite and make the coming year a successful, rewarding venture.

Now would be a great time to check in with other community garden members to plan for the year’s events. Plan a garden meeting or potluck to facilitate the exchange of new ideas, assign plots, or make plans for new garden projects. A united group will make the most progress.

Last year’s drought is forecasted to extend through the coming year so it is best to prepare for the worst while, of course, expecting the best. Under drought restriction guidelines at various stages, drip irrigation and hand-watering will be your best, least prohibitive options to keeping your garden watered and productive through the spring and summer. If you haven’t installed drip irrigation yet, consider your options for doing so. Drip emitters are able to concentrate water in the areas that it is needed the most: at the base of your plants directly into the soil. If you already have drip irrigation, plan a day in the very near future to check for leaks in existing irrigation. Choose a warm day. Turn the irrigation on and look for any leaks or holes. Mark the holes with a sharpie, marking tape or flag. Repair broken irrigation lines so that water is not wasted which could cause unnecessarily high water bills.

Hand-watering will be allowed at all times during all stages of the drought so, mend old hoses or buy new ones, replace connections that drip or leak excessively and place a shut-off valve near your water breaker or hose-end sprayer. Be sure your hose extends to all of the areas of your garden that need to be reached. In a community garden setting, you may want to be sure that hoses will reach around raised beds especially if a neighboring bed belongs to someone else. Hoses that are stretched through a garden can damage plants in its path. Also, establish a watering schedule with your fellow community gardeners. Diligence with hand-watering will keep your garden alive and spreading out the work will keep gardeners from burn-out.

Now is the time to plant trees whether they are shade trees or fruit trees. Trees can be an excellent foundation for a new garden design. Shade trees are best planted in fall and winter here in south Texas so make haste and plant now! Your alacrity in planting will give the tree time to establish before our hot and potentially very dry spring and summer months. If planting a tree at your residence, take advantage of CPS rebates for strategically planted shade trees. Fruit trees can be a great addition to an edible community space. Nurseries are stocked with bare root fruit trees and knowledgeable staff to help you choose the right varieties. Attend our first workshop of 2012, to be held on February 18^th from 9-12 to learn more about planting and caring for fruit trees in your home or community gardens.

Plan your spring annual vegetable plots. Spring crops that are recommended include: tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, melons, eggplant and cucumber to name a few. Choose the best suited spring crops by referring to the Bexar County Agrilife Extension Spring Planting Guide. Our knowledgeable Bexar County extension agents are dedicated to providing guidance regarding proper plant selection and timing for our area. Many of you are still nurturing your fall and winter veggies and will notice that opportunities remain to plant some of those cool season favorites. Consider venturing into using crops you may have never tried in the past like potatoes and asparagus. Get a jumpstart on the spring season by starting spring veggies indoors. Tomato, pepper, and eggplant are just a few good possibilities for indoor initiation.

After you have researched the appropriate species, gather your seeds. Attend our first Seed Swap of 2012 to be held Tuesday, January 17^th from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Jardin del Sol! The event is free and open to the public. Participants will have an opportunity to build up their personal cache of seeds by selecting seeds from the Green Spaces Alliance stock of seeds and exchanging seeds with other gardeners.

My favorite piece of advice to give to new gardeners comes from author, Grace Gershuny: “Start with the soil!” Soil is one of our greatest assets especially if one is garden oriented. Prepare the soil by adding compost and other soil amendments. Existing garden beds may need a little jump start after nurturing the previous season’s crops. Adding three inches of finished compost to an existing garden should be ample but also consider adding a slow release fertilizer such as, Medina Growin’ Green or Lady Bug 8-2-4 at the recommended rates.

If you were diligent enough this past year you may be blessed with your own homemade compost. Be sure to sift out larger particles first before adding it to your garden beds. If you don’t have finished compost it’s never too late to start. Hopefully, you were able to procure a few bags of leaves from your neighbor’s curb or had the insight to rake your own leaves into your compost. Given a few months, some fresh kitchen scraps, and a little bit of mixing you will be rewarded with some great garden fertilizer for the next go-round.

Lastly, Christmas tree mulch is available through the City of San Antonio Bitters Road Brush Site located at 1800 Bitters Road. This mulch is special not only because it comes but once a year but because it is made entirely from recycled Christmas Trees. The result is a nice consistent product, baring a few shredded ornaments and some tinsel. Use it generously in your garden especially given our current pattern of drought.

Most of all have fun and enjoy the spring gardening possibilities!