From the Gardens Registrar: Coronavirus; Water; Cool Weather Plant Sale; Row Cover Sales; Why We Hate Fences

Hello Gardeners,

CORONAVIRUS  PRECAUTIONS – Just a reminder: We still need to keep up our social distancing in the gardens. And we still need to be very careful with the shared tools and carts. Remember – wash your hands with soap and water before you come to the gardens, bring your own tools if possible; otherwise, sanitize tool and cart handles before and after you use them, and/or use garden gloves. And don’t come to the gardens if you’re feeling sick.

WATER  - The water is currently scheduled to be turned on in the gardens next week. I don’t have an exact date, and it could be delayed by very cold weather. Once we have running water, gardeners will be able to wash their hands with soap and water at the gardens. We will try to provide soap, if we can.

COOL WEATHER PLANT SALE  – We had scheduled the last Sunday this month for our annual cool weather plant sale by Scott Williams of “Garden to Be”, but because of the virus, Scott will not be able to sell plants at our garden - it would not be safe for anyone. Instead, Scott is putting together an online store that lists all of his plants. Anyone who wants to get plants from him will be able to order them online, and he will deliver them to the gardens. Payment will be in advance. The cool weather plants, such as broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce, will be delivered one weekend morning at the end of this month, and then the warmer weather plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, will be delivered in the middle of May. Scott will be charging a little more than in previous years to make up for his additional expenses, but will not charge for delivery. As soon as I get his link and his exact payment and delivery dates, I’ll share those with the gardeners. I’ll remind you – Scott has very good quality plants, and he’s learned over the years which plants and varieties we’re interested in buying from him. So though we all regret the general inconvenience, it’s still worth buying from Scott if you’re able to do so.

ROW COVER SALES – We have several huge rolls of row cover, which we intended to sell at our Seed Fair (cancelled) and our Plant Sales (also cancelled.) We currently don’t have a way to get it cut into individual pieces, and we also don’t think it’s safe to have face-to-face sales in the gardens. So unfortunately, if you want row cover, (which is a lightweight cloth used to protect plants from cold, wind, and insect damage), you’ll have to buy it from a garden center. (I’m sorrier than you are about this – it’s currently taking up at least half of my office. Not that I’m allowed to work in my office these days.)

INDICATOR PLANTS – I was just told that the time to plant peas is when the leaves of lilac bushes are the size of mouse ears. Say what? This is all new to me, but there is an old, traditional system that tells observant gardeners when to plant certain vegetables, based on what certain perennial plants are doing at a particular time of year. This is also called phenology – the study of the timing of plant and animal activities. Here’s an explanation: https://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/indicatorplants

WHY WE (THE GARDEN MANAGEMENT) HATE FENCES – We would love to just ban fences in our gardens. But gardeners have many reasons for wanting them. For some people, it’s how people garden back home, and they don’t feel right without fences around their plots. We also have many animal pests, such as turkeys, that can be kept out by fences (sometimes.) Fences can also be used to provide a structure for plants to grow on. But fences often cause problems for neighboring plots. If you have to have a fence, here are four things you have to do: 1. Set it up in the right place, which means at least six inches inside your plot from the plot borders. 2. Maintain the fence – a fence that flops over on your neighbor’s plot is useless to you, and a nuisance to your neighbor. A fence must be staked so that it stays upright. 3. A fence should not be so tall or densely planted that it shades your neighbor’s plot. 4. You must keep the area with the fence weeded. If you can do all that, you’re welcome to have a fence. If not, please take it down.Your neighbors will thank you.

Happy Gardening, and Stay Safe,  Kathryn