Children s Vegetable Garden Program - Fall 2014 Session September 20, 2014

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1 Children s Vegetable Garden Program - Fall 2014 Session September 20, 2014 AGENDA 5 Instructors/volunteers, please go over this with all the children (together) in each section during your morning meeting. Check Box: Once completed Starting today, volunteers should start arriving at 8:00 am to get the morning ready in their Sections and the children and parents should arrive promptly at 9:00 am. Remember, that we have daily chores, Junior Master Gardener activities and special projects for the garden. So at times, we may need to stay til about noontime. Is everyone reading the agenda before Saturday morning? Following the agenda on Saturday? Looking at how the example plot looks first thing in the morning? Make sure children as well as parents sign in and sign out each Saturday. If your information is incorrect on one of the sign-in or contact sheets, please notify your instructor. Children, how are your gardening journal and folder coming? Weeds are starting to overtake many of the plots and walkways. We need to pick them all (top and root) and dispose of them correctly. Can you identify prostrate spurge and young pigweed? DO NOT place any material or debris in the compost bins, unless otherwise told. How Are Your Plant s Growing? The best person in your garden is your shadow. This means you are out there often and looking at everything real close. Tycoon and BHN 968 Cherry Tomatoes: Are your plants straight and tucked nicely inside their cages (be careful not to break any stems)? We still have tomato cages that are hooked incorrectly on week #5? Miss Mary will be covering this first thing in the morning. Everyone, please check if both of your cages are set correctly. The rebar stakes should be hooked in place at the lowest ring section/connector of the cage and not in the middle of a ring. These are very expensive cages that we want to use for many years to come. The cage should not shake at all when you are finished. 1

2 Evenly distribute one full cup of Medina s Growin Green natural derived poultry based Organic Fertilizer around the very bottom outside lip of each tomato cage and not the center of the plant. Instructors will treat the plants at the end of the day with liquid Spinosad. Sweet Slice Cucumber: How does your plant look? Are there any insects feeding on your plants like cucumber or Colorado potato beetles? If insects are present, eliminate them by grabbing and smashing them (might need to do this a few times during the morning). Instructors will treat the plants at the end of the day with liquid Spinosad. Colorado potato beetle Cucumber beetle Slug-larvae of cucumber beetle Bunching Onions: All 4 clumps of onions should be up by now. Some folks have more than 4 clumps throughout their plots? If that is the case, inform Miss Mary of this, just in case someone needs to replace some of theirs that haven t come up yet. Cheers Head Cabbage, Snow Crown Cauliflower and Green Magic Broccoli: Are all of your plants looking healthy? Gently rub off any eggs or small caterpillars from the backside of the plant s leaves. Remove any leaves that are really bad looking and damaged, but no more than 1/3 of the total leaves of your plants. Take caution not to pull hard on your plants when pinching or cutting off any real bad leaves. Evenly apply one full cup of Medina s Growin Green natural derived poultry based Organic Fertilizer two inches away from the trunk of each grouping of plants. That means a total of 3 cups will be used for all six plants. Instructors will treat Prostrate Spurge ALL these plants at the end of the day with liquid Spinosad. Purple Bush Beans: All your bean seeds should be up by now. This is the last day, to re-sow any plantlets that have not come up or have come up with no tops or a very week top. Turn in all extra seeds to Miss Mary to make sure that we have enough for everyone that needs to do their last reseeding. Nelson Carrots: Did everyone follow last week s carrot planting instructions as shown below? Have any of the carrot seedlings come up yet? If not, we will give them until next week. 2

3 The first row of carrots will be planted a foot away from the outside of the cucumber trellis. The second row should be spaced 8 inches from the first row and the third row should be spaced 8 inches from the second row. Really scratch up the planting zone of the carrots to a depth of about 3 or 4 inches. When doing this, remove any rocks and large debris as well as incorporate one full cup of Medina s Growin Green natural derived poultry based Organic Fertilizer. The final planting zone should be nice and level with very loose broken up soil. Take your time with this process. Pigweed Designate the three planting rows in your carrot planting zone. Each row should have a two inch wide planting band that is about 1/2 deep. Within that planting band, space 30 seeds evenly out at about an inch apart. All three rows should have their seeds evenly spaced out from top to bottom and left and right. Once all the pelletized seeds have been evenly spaced and laid out, then gently/barely press them into the soil. Finish this process by gently and slowly watering in all three rows a couple of times, making sure that none of the seeds are visible afterwards. If they are, barely push them in a little. What s Up Doc? Dutch farmers created the orange-colored carrot in the 1500 s by crossbreeding pale-yellow varieties with red ones to honor their royal family, known as the House of Orange Don t forget your plant tag. Remember, you only need one for the whole planting area. Grower s Supply Catalogue Dreamland Fall Zinnias: Why didn t everyone plant their seven allocated transplants last week? All seven of your transplants should be nice and healthy looking today. If not, this is the last day to replace them. Fertilize each of your two groups of zinnias with half a cup of Medina s Growin Green natural derived poultry based Organic Fertilizer. Make sure to evenly distribute the fertilizer around the plants and at least two inches away from their stems. Today s Plantings We will carefully be planting 8 white kohlrabi transplants and 3 rows with Crawford lettuce seed. Note: Lettuce seed will be sown at the very end of the day. Look at your Planting Guide and the Example Plot as a reference point; located at Sec 3, Plot 14. Are we all doing this? Use the irrigation on/off valve as a guideline. Handle your transplants and seeds carefully at all times. 3

4 Locate your BHN 968 Cherry tomato plant. First of all, is your tomato cage anchored correctly as the example plot? If not, please address this. Measure out your planting and fertilize before you plant. Go 8 inches from the middle outer lip of the tomato cage towards the front of the plot. This will be the first row of four white kohlrabi plants. Each of the four plants should be spaced 8 inches apart. One plant should be planted eight inches coming directly from the top of the inside of the plot and another the same distance from the bottom. The second row of four plants should be the same 8 inch spacing of the row and individual plants. After you have done your measurements and before you do your plantings, fertilize the area with one full cup of Medina s Growin Green natural derived poultry based Organic Fertilizer. Plant the plants up to the first set of seed leaves (unless Miss Mary says otherwise). Remember to water your planting hole before planting. The plants should be nice and straight and watered in real well a couple of times. Don t forget your ONE plant tag. Without getting anyone wet, water planting area with low pressure for about 10 to 15 minutes. Make sure that every orifice in the irrigation line is unclogged with a paper clip. Due to the water pressure in the garden, no more than two sections should be watering at any given time frame. Do not flood plots on walk-ways. If the plots start flooding, let them drain a little, then proceed in watering again. DO NOT RELY ON THE SYSTEM TO WATER NEWLY PLANTED TRANSPLANTS. If the Irrigation System is not working let your Instructor know and see if it can be fixed, if not, your Instructor will flag it and provide Miss Mary with the section number and problem. Fertilize all of today s and last week s plantings with a gallon of Hasta- Gro starter mix. Due to the weight of full water can (two gals); your instructor will mix 2 oz. of Hasta-Gro with half a water can (about one gallon, not a full water can, of water). Do not get any of this fertilizer on the leaves, just on the soil around the plants. At the end of the day, your Instructor will ONLY drench the plants specified on today s agenda as well as any fire ant trails or mounds with liquid Spinosad insecticide. Instructors: mix liquid Spinosad insecticide at a rate of four tablespoons (2 oz.) per one gallon of water. Crawford Lettuce: Today s lettuce instructions are almost the same instructions as last week s carrot planting. Note: Your package of lettuce seed should be used for planting of all the three rows. The first row of lettuce will be planted 8 inches away from the middle of your bunching onions towards the end of the plot. The second row should be spaced 8 inches from the first row and the third row should be spaced 8 inches from the second row. Really scratch up the planting zone of the lettuce to a debt of about 3 or 4 inches. When doing this, remove any rocks and large debris as well incorporate one full cup of Medina s Growin Green natural derived poultry based Organic Fertilizer. The final planting zone should be nice and level with very loose broken up soil. Take your time with this process. 4

5 Designate the three rows that will be sown in your lettuce planting zone. Each row should have a two to three inch wide planting band that is about 1/2 deep. Proceed by watering the planting band in real well with a water can. Note: Your seeds should be sown directly from your seed package as to use the lip of the package to help distribute the seed. Within that planting band, space 20 seeds evenly out at about an inch apart. All three rows should have their seeds evenly spaced out from top to bottom and left and right. If there are seeds still left in your package, proceed by seeding more in each row till the bag has been completely used. Once all the seeds have been evenly spaced and laid out, then gently tamp on them to have contact with the soil. DO NOT COVER THE SEEDS WITH SOIL. THEY NEED LIGHT TO GERMINATE, THAT S WHY THEY ARE PLANTED IN THE BAND. Don t forget your plant tag. Remember, you only need one for the whole planting area. Section Special Projects This is everyone s responsibility to maintain and keep the beauty of the entire garden. Learn an array of different gardening skills. Section representatives, please get with Miss Mary on today s special project assignments for the garden. Instructors Review with children. Cleanup, pickup and praise them. Don t return any tools dirty to the tool shed, let s keep that area clean. Make sure all volunteers and children sign in and out every week. Instructors, check with Miss Mary before you leave. It s going to be a great fall! Thanks Everyone! David Rodriguez 5