Summer at AHS

Ok, so I am really terrible at posting on a timely fashion. But I'm here now, and a lot has happened this summer. The National Capital Area campaign for Plant a Row for the Hungry has taken off and we have a record 6500lbs so far!!! Many thanks must go to everyone who has contributed, including the farmers from the West End Farmers Market, local community members and schools, and the AHS demonstration garden. All of the fresh produce has been donated to local food banks serving the community. We are almost at the end of the season but hoping to reach our goal of 7500lbs! If you live in the DC metro area and would like to help us meet this mark you can either drop your produce at the AHS headquarters (visit our website for details http://www.ahs.org/river_farm/plant_a_row/index.htm) or take it to a food bank of your choice. Be sure to get the total weight of your donation and e-mail me at jrozmus@ahs.org so it can be included in the total. This program allows us to get a quantitative idea of the fresh produce getting into the hands of the DC/MD/VA residents in need and will help with assessments and determine the future needs for a healthy community.











After 2 1/2 years of waiting patiently, the banana in the box finally has fruit!!! I was starting to doubt if it would actually fruit, given that we are not in jungle conditions and it almost dies every winter in the semi-lit garage. But it proved me wrong. The fruits are small, like plantains, and taste just like a banana. Duh, of course, it's a banana! I highly recommend growing one.


















Another myth has been busted...you don't need no stinkin' paddie to grow rice. Yep, I said it. You don't need a large pool of water to grow rice. I have rice seeds growing on the plant that I started in the spring. I feel like the proud mom of some of my plants. Yeah, goofy, but it felt like such a risk at the time. I stuck by them, nurtured them and voila, it works!
















I am growing peanuts again this year. I started them from the peanuts I harvested last year. How cool is that?! I also grew corn for the first time. It worked out great. My lentils were fuller than last year, but didn't get any lentils :( My tomatillos didn't do so well this year. Very slow to form flowers and the fruit didn't get very large. Then all of a sudden the plant wilted away. Yes, I watered it! I grew thai green, turkish orange, red egg & white cloud 9 eggplants. Very cool! The red and orange ones look like maters.



The sesame is seeding now and the amaranth was a beautiful pink hue. The cotton is holding its own but was blown over during a bad storm so it is a little lopsided. Another new crop I tried was stevia. It's cool to share with the kids that come through since its 300x sweeter than sugar, for real! The quinoa was very neat. Most people have never seen the plant. I hadn't...



That's it for now. I'll be sure not to wait 4 months before posting again ;)

Up to Speed

It's been a little while since I have posted...sorry :( There is so much to report. First and foremost, I donated a total of 722lbs for the 2007 growing season!!! woohoo! I doubled what I have done the year before. I hope to double again this growing season and donate 1500lbs. Last year was a great year all around. The view of the garden is from October. It was still lush that late in the season. I continue to grow my knowledge of maintaining a garden each year. I want to keep it interesting so I am going to grow some more interesting crops. I am going to grow lentils, quinoa, and peanuts. I did plant peanuts last year and it was awesome!!! [See photo] I had no idea how they grew, underground! Very cool plant. I planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. Would be a good crop for a school program. I did grow lentils last year but started them a little late. They do not like heat. I started them today to see if the cooler weather will help. I have never grown quinoa so we will see what happens. A new addition this year is a cold frame. I researched on the internet some plans for a cold frame. I found one that looked good and had a friend build it for me (as I can barely hammer in a nail). It is super cool. I started a bunch of cold crops such as lettuce, kohlrabi, spinach, and have started putting them in the EarthBoxes. They are in shock right now but will perk up soon (I hope). I am also planning on having more interpretation out in the garden this year. I want to focus on the country of origins of the plants, nutritional value and what part of the plant we actually eat. It will be a lot of work but I feel that it is intrical in engaging the visitors and connecting them to the cultural importance of food. This year promises to be intersting, exciting and informative. I'll keep you posted!

Almost 400 lbs donated!!!

386 lbs to be precise. The Capital Area Food Bank has been receiving the fruits of my labor this summer, with donations starting at the end of May. The goal is to get to 500 lbs, I think I can do it :) It has been extremely hot this summer, with temps in the 100's. The tomatoes are fairing pretty well, with only minimal blossom end rot and some cracking skin. The peppers are loving the heat, and the eggplants are starting to produce as a sign of these oppressive temps. The cotton has formed hard buds but none have opened yet. The banana, pineapple and mango are still growing but no fruit production. The sesame, wheat and oats are going to seed.

Welcomed Guest

We had a welcomed guest today - a praying mantis! They are warmly welcomed in the TGC garden as they eat some of the bad insects.

Cool Things are Growing at AHS

Below are some of the things growing at the AHS TGC demonstration garden.

'Lime' and 'Red Rubin' Basil

'Cornell's Bush Delicata' Winter Squash

Cotton :)

'Early Purple Vienna' Kohlrabi

Leeks

Spanish peanut

Banana, Pineapple, Mango

'Bright Lights' Swiss Chard

Amarath

Visible results

One of the experiments being conducting in the AHS TGC demonstration garden this year is the effects of the cap color on the crop. I chose Red Dynasty Cabbage in the spring to determine if black or white worked better for a cool crop. Take a look at the picture and let me know what you think :) The box to the right is the black cap and the box to the left is the white cap.

The same activity is being conducted this summer on Cloud 9 Eggplant, a warm crop. Take a look at the picture below to see the results so far.


Hyposthesis: Cap color will not make a difference on warm or cool crops grown in Northern Virginia.

Conclusion: The cap color does effect the growth of both cool and warm crops. The cool weather crops prefer cooler soil temps so it grew larger with the white cap because it reflects the sun. The warm weather crops prefer warmer soil temps so it grows larger with the black cap because it absorbed the sun's heat.

Another activity going on in the demonstration garden is the effect of 3 different planting mediums on Cajun Delight Okra and Eureka Wax Beans. Each is grown in Pro-Mix, 1/2 Pro-Mix & 1/2 perlite, and coconut fiber. The Pro-Mix represents the growing medium used in the United States, the 1/2 & 1/2 represent Jal, the crushed volcanic rock used in Mexico, and coconut fiber is used in Ghana.

This is the Pro-Mix. The left is the Eureka Wax Bean and the right is the Cajun Delight Okra.

This is the half Pro-Mix half perlite.

This is the coconut fiber.

Hypothesis: The Pro-Mix will produce a healthier plant and more fruit. The cocont fiber will be seconf in line then the 1/2 and 1/2.

Conclusion: To be determined...

Spring has sprung!

The AHS TGC demonstration garden is up and running! Almost all 75 boxes are planted. Some of the activities that we will be conducting will be comparing organic fertilizer (milorganite) vs. inorganic fertilizer (chemical 10-10-10) on 'Diva' cucumbers, determining if the white side of the cap vs. the black side of the cap affects the rate of growth in the Virginia zone 7 area on Red Dynasty cabbage, comparing growing mediums using coconut fiber, perlite, and soiless mixture, and comparing yields and characteristics of a variety of tomato cultivars, including green grape, sungold, supersweet 100, and big beef, and eggplants. We started planting our cool crops in March. It may have been a little early because of the weather that came about. We had a freeze a few of the nights after the seedlings sprouted. That burned them a bit. We also had terential down pours and hurricane winds, which flooded the boxes and blew the fertilizer into the seedlings. Needless to say, the seeds I started didn't do so well. But, we are moving on to the warm crops and are looking forward to a successful year. You should come and check it out!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2007! Things are still quiet in the AHS demonstration garden. The chilly weather is upon us, finally...I thought we would never get winter! I will be figuring out what kinds of activities I will be conducting as well the varieties of plants to carry them out. Any suggestions? I will be haveing a Teacher Training here at River Farm on February 24. I am very excited to get the teachers excited about the upcoming growing season. We will talk about the logitsics of the garden, possible activities so teachers can leave with a plan! next time I check in here at the blog I will have a plan for my own garden here. Looking forward to a fruitful season. Shooting for 500+ pounds to donate in 2007!!!