Attack of the aphids!!!!

OK, they weren't really attacking, but if they were smart enough, they could have!! A couple of weeks ago I noticed my snow peas burning in the sun, so I moved them over to the shade. I harvested 1 quart of snow peas (see last post) and I check on them this week, and all the plants look dead! Since one of my spinach beds inside was not producing as much as the other, I thought I'd replant more peas inside. I pulled all of the spinach up and saw a few aphids, but when I pulled the pea plants up there must have been a hundred or more of those little buggers!

Water can in hand, I went straight to the kitchen for some vegetable oil, water, and soap (no bleach), a natural remedy for aphids I found online previously. I was surprised that this instantly killed them! I'm going to add compost and wait a day before transplanting tomatoe plants into that container as well as wait to replant my peas. Hopefully the aphids will not return!

It has been hot in Gorham! Check out the progress and enjoy the heat....

Left: Cucumbers Right: Sunflowers

Garlic

Pickling cucumbers inside have grown a lot in the past week!

Jalapenos are beginning to flower!

Hot and bell peppers doing great!

Pole beans taking over the lights!

And beginning to flower :)

Pumpkins!!

Squash (hope there's room)!

Chamomile has flowered a lot!

Cherry tomatoes are beginning to show!

Just keep growing, growing, growing!

It's almost July! Can you believe it?! I can't! It's been beautiful here in Gorham for the most part and the plants are loving it! Another harvest yesterday, 24 quarts lettuce, 8 quarts spinach, 2 quarts chives, 3 quarts terragon, 1 quart snow peas. Check out some of the progress...

Cucumbers, Squash, Pumpkins, Carrots

Carrots

Chamomile beginning to flower!

Cucumbers, with sunflowers next to them

Pickling cukes inside

Mountain Mint finally getting bigger

Nasturtiums

First harvest of Snow Peas

Pole beans growing right up and above their poles!

pole beans



Pumpkins



Squash

Sunflowers, these are the biggest :)

Cherry tomatoes beginning to flower!

A Natural Green Thumb

Well, I don't know if I've mentioned, but I have zero experience growing in a greenhouse. Karen, a worker in Brooks Dining Center has informed me I have a natural green thumb!

As I previously said, I was nervous about my seeds not growing because of dry soil, but as you can tell from the following pictures, I don't think I have anything to worry about!

 
 
 

 

 

 













Aaand, as you may or may not have noticed from previous pictures, I most certainly had mixed up my signs for spinach and lettuce! Who knew? Ohh just about everyone that knows anything about gardening. :) Changed them today!

Still to plant next week and later this summer: pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, pole beans, nasturtiums, and sunflowers!!

Enjoy the weekend!

Coffee. Garden. Coffee. Does a good morning need anything else? ~Betsy Cañas Garmon

Good morning!

I have planted many seeds in the last couple of weeks and we're already seeing green! Take a look!!



Our 1st Jalapeno popping up!



Organic Lettuce!

 

Organic Spinach!

 





Sugar Snap Peas!



Organic Tomato!

We also have mystery plants which I forgot to take pictures of. There were a lot of little green helicopter heads popping out of one of the beds I didn't plant anything in. I transplanted them into a smaller container to see if they become anything! Leftovers from last year perhaps. 

One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it provides.

~W.E. Johns, The Passing Show

Until next time, Kayla

Gorham Greenhouse Now Growing Great Greens!

The weather outside has been unpredictable, as Maine typically goes, but the greenhouse is keeping warm! In fact, today it reached 90 degrees, so the fans are running and trying to cool it off a bit.

I've been busy planting, watering, watering, and watering. The beds were unbelievably dry from being left all winter and required several days of watering and turning before anything could be planted.

Most seeds were started on April 14: basil, borage, bell peppers, jalapenos, tomatoes (yes, I'm trying from seed), lemon balm, cilantro, and chamomile (smallest seeds ever!) and certified organic artichoke and red grape tomatoes.

The beds finally seemed moist enough yesterday to plant so I proceeded with: parsley, mountain mint, and certified organic carrots, lettuce, and spinach.

All seeds were bought locally at Johnny's Selected Seeds in Winslow, Maine.

I'm a little concerned about my seeds as their soil keeps drying out rather quickly, but I keep putting the water to them! So we'll see how it goes in the next couple of weeks. Worse case scenario: we spend a little more money to buy starter plants. BUT, fingers crossed we don't have to do that.

Tarragon and chives were both left in the greenhouse during the winter and survived! We have already served chives once in the dining hall, they were mixed in with the mashed potatoes.

Now, we wait. Patience is a virtue. :)

Until next time,

Kayla

A new year! A new Sustainability Coordinator!

Spring has sprung! (Ok, for the most part)

Hello all blog-followers and others... My name is Kayla Bubar and I'm the new Sustainability Coordinator for Aramark over at the University of Southern Maine. AKA, "The New Tyler" And no, being a vegetarian and a redhead are not prerequisites for the job, just unexpected similarities :)

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as I expect to be updating this blog frequently, especially throughout the growing season! I come from Unity College, a small environmental school located in Unity, Maine where I received a Bachelors of Science in Sustainable Design and Technology. My passions include, but are not limited to, building science, city planning, hiking, yoga, community engagement, meeting new people, and of course, sustainable food!

I have successfully completed my first week here at USM and must say the staff are fantastic and friendly, the food is fresh and delicious, and my desk is covered with notes and seeds already! Soon to come: starting seeds in the greenhouse, getting to know USM students, and Earth Week!

See you soon and thanks for following,

Kayla :)

P.S. If you have any ideas, questions, or concerns involving sustainability, please feel free to post a comment here, or email me at kbubar@usm.maine.edu Thanks!

January 11 :: Harvest Calculations... a little late

Happy New Year!

Please don't hate me, i've been sitting on these numbers for two months just waiting for... ok, i don't know why i was putting it off. But don't fret, the wait is finally over. I know it must have been an anxious time for all of you, and for that i apologize.


Here it is, the cumulative harvest totals from the greenhouse and raised beds this passed season. I'd suggest that you not question my math, just understand that all of these figures are based on photographic evidence, messy notes made in a dirty notebook, and a good memory:


55+ gallons of leaf lettuce
20+ gallons of spinach
30 or so gallons of basil
225 or so pickling cucumbers
95+ hot peppers (Jalapeño and chili red)
21 or so sweet peppers
over 200 cherry tomatoes (from only two plants!)
45 bulbs of hardneck garlic
15 bulbs of softneck garlic


The quantities of the below mentioned plants are not important, but the length of the list is: parsley, marjoram, chives, French tarragon, sugarsnap peas, nasturtiums, cilantro, swiss chard, radishes, sunflowers, borage, and rudbeckia.


It wouldn't be a Blog post without some photos, now would it? I'll leave you with a few photos from the last season, chosen at random.

May: Chive blossoms - beautiful and edible

July: garden harvest taking over the walk-in fridge!

June: so many happy plants!

Pepper seedlings in hand, fresh crop of lettuce sprouting in the background, gardening in a dress and leggings in May... Life is good!

Take care and take heart: a new growing season is just around the corner!

Grow on,

Tyler