Weekly Challenge Update

Independence Days Challenge Year 4, Week 28
Plant something-Started some lettuce and Swiss Chard, for fall crop and a demo I am planning to do for the community garden day celebration
Harvest something- Plums, My First Tomato of the year! Beets,
Preserve something- Dehydrated some plums; cantaloupe
Community: Participated in the first Burien Walk N Talk
Preparation: Got my new Rain Barrel installed need to install the down spout
Eat the food/Try something new: Dehydrated plums
Repair, Re-Use, Recycle- making a mini rain barrel out of a 12 gallon tub I have for the porch and a garbage can lid
Want not: Nothing wanted this week
Plant A Row Challenge, August 2011
Well my First Carrots are about ready to pull out of the ground and be taken to the Food Bank. Along with some plums makes a better donation!

Weekly Challenge Update

Independence Days Challenge Year 4, Week 24
Plant something-Some radishes,
In the greenhouse:
In the community garden plot: radishes, new carrot patch
Planted at home:
Harvest something: All my garlic, some leek thinnings , oyster mushrooms, strawberries, radishes, kohl rabi, pineapple weed;
Preserve something: Drying (dehydrating the garlic) I did it this way last year and it was fine. Cut up the garlic scapes and stalks and dehydrated
Community: replanted a new aquare of carrots for the Plant A Row challenge
Preparation: After reading about Malabar Spinach, ordered a packet of seeds to grow this wonderful vine! Bought some GORM shelving units at Ikea- changing pantry around!
Eat the Food: Local Pasta with a sauce made from infused olive oil with homegrown garlic, leek thinings, some oyster mushrooms, pineapple weed tea
Waste not: Cut up the garlic scapes and stalks and dehydrated
Want not: After reading about Malabar Spinach, ordered a packet of seeds to grow this wonderful vine!

Had to replant my square of carrots. I think the birds got all the seedlings. Luckily the Ed Hume seed packet I got had plenty!

Plant a row for the hungry - Row Marker

Click to enlarge

If you are thinking of joining Fleecenik Farm's Plant A Row challenge, or have done it already, Here is a row marker. Especially useful for getting the message out if your garden is visible to others, or is in a community garden plot, just click the pick to enlarge and print and cut out. Then paste it on to a stick or whatever you use to mark your rows.

Weekly Challenge Update

Independence Days Challenge Year 4, Week 17
Plant something-
In the greenhouse: Re-potted the Amaranth, the last of the tomato plants

In the community garden plot: Radishes


At home: Planted a second square of carrots for the Plant A Row program/challenge


Harvest something: Some lettuce, some Chinese cabbage, sorrel, miners lettuce
Preserve something:
Community: Very gratifying to see a lot of the Community Garden members come out to work at our first work party of 2011.
Preparation: Repaired two heavy duty extension cords, ordered the stuff to make my Solar Generator (finally!)
Eat the food/eat something new: just salad with lettuce, Chinese cabbage, sorrel, miners lettuce
Waste not: Repaired two outdoors extension cords, re-used a butt load of little plastic pots found in trash!
Want not: ordered the stuff to assemble my Solar Generator;


In the greenhouse: Re-potted the Amaranth, the last of the tomato plants
In the community garden plot: Radishes
At home:
Very gratifying to see a lot of the Community Garden members come out to work at our first work party of 2011. Dumb ass that I can be, I forgot to bring my camera.



Plant a Row for the Hungry- Planted a second square of carrots for the Plant A Row program/challenge

Weekly Challenge Update

Independence Days Challenge Year 4, Week 16
Plant something-
In the greenhouse: Repotted most of the tomatoes. Potted a pepper plant (impulse buy) To leave in the green house

In the community garden plot: Some Chard, carrots, beets, leeks, broccoli, radishes, daikon, Kohl Rabi, deer tongue (mache), borage

At home: Kohl Rabi, radishes, chrysantimum greens, Artichoke, beans, peas


Harvest something: Thinnings, some garlic scapes
Preserve something:
Community: getting the first community garden work party planned with my colleagues on the board ; Planted my “row” for Fleecenik Farm’s Plant A Row Challenge
Preparation: Made some hanging baskets and topsy turvey planters
Eat the food/eat something new: garlic scapes and thinning in tuna salad,
Waste not: Junk lying around for topsy turvey and hanging planters. Old lumber to build up a bed in the front yard It is pressure treated so using for a ornamental bed. Figured out how to reuse the bottle on my Mr. Clean Automatic shower cleaner ( again, an impulse buy) and will try using a vinegar solution in it.
Want not: bought a case of vinegar for cleaning and garden use.



Okay got out of my soy corn dog rut, made a green tea soup with rice and kelp. Bought some chocolate eggs for easter, ate one.


Planted my Ed Hume Carrot seeds that the Ed Hume Seed company sent at the community garden



In the greenhouse: Repotted most of the tomatoes. Potted a pepper plant (impulse buy) To leave in the green house
In the community garden plot: Some Chard, beets, leeks, broccoli, radishes, daikon, Kohl Rabi, deer’s tongue (mache), borage
At home: Kohl Rabi, radishes, chrysantimum greens, Artichoke, beans, peas

Very excited- my first amaranth seeds have sprouted in the greenhouse. Very excited to try amaranth leaves!

Plant a Row for the Hungry/Free Seeds for it

Well I got my "row" planted in Fleecenik Farms "Plant a Row" Challenge. Or in my case... I got my square planted (since I am a devotee of Square Foot Gardening). And I found out that the Ed Hume Seed Company will give a package of seeds for those who participate in the National Garden Writers Association's Plant A Row drive. Ed, a local garden writer and television personality sent me a package of carrot seeds to plant in my row/square. To sign up for the challenge, head on over to Fleecenik Farm Blog. To get a free packet of seeds for it, go here to Ed Hume Seed Company. I may have to plant another square at home, since I have seeds left over!