May 2012 Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Newsletter

Plant Sale

The Cape Cod Organic Gardeners’ Annual Plant Sale will be held Saturday, May 12, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Kelly Farm Stand, corner of 6A and Marston Ln., Cummaquid.

Members bring plants on Friday, May 11, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm:  seedlings, perennials, etc.  Please label your containers with masking tape, leaving room for price. Members may purchase on Friday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Month’s Meeting:

Our next meeting will be Thursday, May 24 at 7:00 pm at the Wheldon Library on Rte 149, West Barnstable. Please park behind the library.

The cookbook author Didi Emmons will present a slide show on Eva’s Garden and discuss Didi’s recent book Wild Flavors, an IACP-nominated cookbook and commentary on (often wild) herbs and plants. Didi will lead us through the themes that shape her book and Eva’s life: bartering, salvaging, and preserving, and the importance of community. Signed cookbooks at $28 will be for sale.

From Didi’s website:
“This is a cookbook about a farm, a farmer, and a cook. Eva Sommaripa is a driven, uncompromising 70-year-old farmer growing exclusively for Boston’s top chefs. Her bucolic, slightly chaotic 2-acre organic farm began 40 years ago. Growing over 200 unusual herbs, greens, and edible weeds, the farm is a visual and culinary odyssey; analogous to the Louvre, it cannot be seen in a day. Over the past decade, Didi Emmons, chef and author, has been visiting Eva regularly. She has been cooking from her garden, absorbing knowledge of the plants, and learning about Eva’s unconventional strategies to sustainability.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks

Thank you for bringing refreshments to the April meeting: Lily Tu, Bettina Brown, and Nancy Minnigerode.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Sale

My name is John Carter and I am an organic grower in Yarmouth Port. I have a red cedar/plexiglass custom-made cold frame that I would like to sell. Its dimensions are 3 ft. x 5 ft., and it is two years old. I am asking $300.00 for it.   I can be reached at (508) 362-4192 or carterzinnia@comcast.net.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CCOG Mailbox

Hello CCOG members,

Although I have been missing from your meetings I have not forgotten your wonderful encouragement to me in the beginning stages of using organic methods. I certainly have encouraged many people to become CCOG members over the years.

AND the good news is Brewster Community Garden has gone completely organic this year. Under the direction of the Brewster Conservation Commission it has become their mission to “turn the garden over” to organic. Members are going to receive a list of what is acceptable for amendments and not a moment too soon.

In addition, both the Brewster Community Garden members and the First Parish Brewster Garden are going to be contributing produce to the 8 towns on the lower Cape through the program supported by Lower Cape Outreach food bank.

Green Blessings,

Sandy Nichols
The Manure Maven

April 2012 Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Newsletter

Thank you to Kevin, Tamar, Frank and Judith for picking up the NOFA bulk order.

The second bulk order will be picked up on April 14. This is for seed potatoes, onion sets and shallots. You may pick up your order from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Kelly Farm, 66 Marston Lane, Cummaquid.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 19 at 7:00 pm

Raspberry jam from Web of Life Farm

at the Wheldon Library on Rte 149, West Barnstable. Please park behind the library.

Our speakers will be Donna Blischke and her daughter Stephanie from the Web of Life Farm in Carver. They will describe how they prepare organic veggies for freezing, canning and dehydrating.

Salsa from Web of Life Farm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Save the Date! Our annual plant sale will be Saturday, May 12. Members bring your seedlings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 2012 Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Newsletter

Upcoming Events:

The NOFA bulk order pickup will be held at the Meetinghouse Farm (same location as last year) on Saturday, March 17.  Please Note: Pickup times have been changed to 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. The Farm is located on Route 149 on the north side of Route 6 near the historic 1717 Meetinghouse in the Village of West Barnstable in the Town of Barnstable.

TRUCKS STILL NEEDED!  The order this year is much bigger than it was last year, and Kevin and Tamar, who coordinate the pickup, need a couple of extra people with trucks to pitch in.  The order gets loaded at Jonathan Sprouts Organics, 170 Middleboro Road, in East Freetown (it’s about 25 miles off Cape).  If you can help, please e-mail Tamar at tamarhaspel@gmail.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jess and Friends

The Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Club will be meeting on Thursday, March 22 at 7:00 pm at The Whelden Library on Rte. 149 in West Barnstable. Our speaker will be Jess Powers, who will share her experences working on an organic farm in Uganda, Africa.

Organic Farming in Uganda

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Saturday, March 24, 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, there will be a seed starting workshop. This will be held at the Kelly Farm at 66 Marston Lane, Cummaquid. Please call Jean to register at 508-362-8136.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Local News:

GreenCAPE wins 25 Years of Victories Award

Our own Sue Phelan and other members of GreenCAPE have won one of Toxics Action Center’s 25 Years of Victories Awards. The goal of this program is to recognize the top 25 winning campaigns that the Toxics Action Center organizers helped make happen, and to honor the community leaders throughout its 25th anniversary year. An awards ceremony was held on March 3rd as part of the Environmental Action 2012 conference in Boston.

Senator Dan Wolf will be giving Sue and other GreenCAPE leadership a citation in honor of their receiving the award. This citation will be presented at the Barnstable Town Council meeting being held Thursday, March 15, 7:00 pm, 367 Main St, Hyannis.  CCOG members are encouraged to attend!

Congratulations to Sue and GreenCAPE for this recognition of all their hard work!

************************************************************************************************************

GreenCAPE is also one of the co-sponsors of the upcoming 30th National Pesticide Forum, Healthy Communities: Green solutions for safe environments, being held at Yale University, New Haven, CT, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, March 30-31, 2012.

Although organic farming and land management continue to grow, policies to protect people from pesticides are threatened in the Northeast and around the country. At the same time, cutting-edge science links pesticide exposure to health problems, honey bee colony collapse, and other environmental issues. Join researchers, authors, beekeepers, organic business leaders, elected
officials, activists, and others to discuss the latest science, policy solutions, and grassroots action.

For more information visit http://www.beyondpesticides.org/forum/

December 2011 Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Newsletter

NOFA Bulk Order

Potatoes in Smart Pots, May 2011

Great Opportunity to buy cover crop seed, soil amendments, potting soil, potato & onion starts, plus many other crop/garden necessities at co-operative prices! This is available through CCOG’s membership in NOFA…..and significant savings through group purchasing.

The list of items available will be available on Jan. 1, 2012, via the web site www.nofamass.org. Look for the listing there under Programs, Bulk Order.

Download the order form (print out two). Fill in your selections. Send one completed order with your check to:

Carolyn Albrycht
5 Sachem Circle
E. Sandwich, MA 02537

Keep a copy for yourself. Mail the order to Carolyn by Jan. 14, 2012. Pickup will be in March, and will be announced.

If you have any questions or need additional help, call Carolyn at (508) 888-3905.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Annual Dues $5/Year

Dues are due in January. You must be a paid CCOG member to participate in the Bulk Order.

Please make checks out to CCOG and send to:

Jean Iversen
P.O. Box 464
Cummaquid, MA 02637

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pot Luck 2012

Our winter pot luck will be Sunday, January 22, at 1:30 p.m. at the home of:

Lois Fournier
128 Ashley Dr.
Centerville, MA 02632

Snow date January 29.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks

Thank you to Michele Koch, Christl Barbour, and Linda McKeown for bringing refreshments for the November meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last Month’s Meeting

We enjoyed a sharing meeting, discussing our successes and problems.

Jean Iverson spoke about the importance of fall clean-up and prep of the garden: Cover the field with seaweed, thatch, or straw to protect against erosion; or plant a cover crop (ie winter rye, hairy vetch). Jean is using clover this year because her winter rye seeds are bad. Add compost or manure.

Some other suggestions and solutions discussed by the group:

* To get rid of earwigs, try leaving damp leaves on the ground at night in the problem area; in the morning, collect the leaves: the earwigs should be all over them.

* Some have consistent problems with the squash borer; Jean suggests covering the plants with Reemay and leaving until the blossoms appear.

* A member has had great success with planting a cover crop of oats around her tomatoes. She clips the oats with scissors when they start to get too tall, and leaves the clippings as a mulch.

* There was discussion about season extension and cold frames; one idea is to plan an area in your garden where you want to erect a cold frame and plant it accordingly; then you can construct the cold frame around the existing plants when the weather starts to turn cold in the fall.

* If you have unwanted honeybees in your house, etc., Forest Keepers Tree Care (508-790-1620) will remove them to a new hive; this service is also provided by Barnstable County Beekeepers Association – call the Barnstable Extension Service for names. Beekeepers DON’T collect wasps, hornets, carpenter bees, or wild bees so the caller should be reasonably sure the swarm or nest is in fact honeybees.

Maggie Cole's raised bed, July 2011

Maggie Cole discussed the results of her first year using nutrient density techniques learned at the Real Food Campaign course, outlined as follows:

Basic Techniques Used

1. comprehensive soil tests and mineral amendments added based on results (soil samples tested by Logan Labs in Ohio)
2. nutrient drench (liquid minerals, enzymes, humic acid, and inoculants diluted with water) added at plant/ transplant and at regular intervals as plants grow
3. foliar spray applied at regular intervals (liquid minerals, fish emulsion, humic acid, and inoculant diluted with water)
4. consistent watering (thinking about keeping the soil alive, instead of just the plant; so wetting the entire area frequently once we’ve gone beyond a week without rain)

Improvements Over Previous Years

1. noticeable improvements in flavor: lettuce, carrots
2. increased size/output of plants: tomatoes
3. successful new crops: cucumber, eggplant, swiss chard, garlic, borage
4. delay in plants succumbing to insects/disease: zucchini

Status Quo

1. continued success: green beans, green onions
2. continued difficulty: broccoli, cauliflower, spinach
3. so-so results: fava beans (some improvement), snap peas (new crop)

Issues/Problems

1. spotty germination (possibly due to difficulty reducing a plant/transplant drench recipe to amounts per square foot from amounts per acre)
2. poor growth of crop: basil, parsley
3. pest problems: kale, winter squash

New plans for next year based on this year’s experience:

1. use compost for all planting/transplanting
2. learn seed saving techniques; save seeds from most vigorous plants
3. consider amending larger area (ie lawn) to affect perennial garden soil
4. mulch as much as possible
5. look into sources for rock dust (basalt is best) to add as a soil amendment
6. read John Jeavons books to learn more about close planting
7. feed plants after very heavy rains (counter-intuitive – but heavy rains wash nutrients out of soil and wet soil has less available oxygen, which can kill soil systems that deliver nutrients)

We discussed issues/benefits of seed saving, including the difficulty in the home garden setting of spacing plants far enough apart so as not to become cross-pollinated.

November 2011 Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Newsletter

This Month’s Meeting:

The next meeting of The Cape Cod Organic Gardeners will be Thursday,  November 17  at 7:00 p.m. at The Whelden Library on  Rte.  149, West Barnstable.  This will be a sharing meeting.  Maggie Cole will give a brief presentation on the final class in the Real Food Campaign course and the results of her first year using crop density techniques.  Hope to see you there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Announcements: 

A meeting will be held on Wednesday,  November 9, 6:00-8:30 p.m. at the Falmouth Public Library to assess interest in forming a Cape Cod Storefront Cooperative.  The meeting will be facilatated by Dr.  Joyce Young.  RSVP  to Paula Manzi at 508-280-5144.

Mass Audubon is looking for a farmer with goats and sheep to manage early successional habitat at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Cummaquid. We are looking to practice managed intensive grazing within approximately 8 acres of land on the Sanctuary. For more information please contact Sanctuary Director Ian Ives at 508-362-7475 or email at iives@massaudubon.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last Month’s Meeting: Vermicompost

Dave and Kathleen Girelli of Mashpee gave a presentation on their worm farm and vermicomposting.

Kathy demonstrates a pot and colander used as a worm farm.

They originally became interested in worm farming after watching the movie No Impact Man, about a family in NYC who, among other things, started a worm farm in their apartment as part of a plan to leave no net environmental impact for one year. At about the same time, Dave and Kathy began juicing, so they had about 2 lbs of pulp every day to use as worm feed. Their first worm farm was just a plastic bag; their second was a colander inside a soup pot, with a loose cover to allow air circulation. Next they started using plastic window boxes, placing a layer of newspaper at the bottom of the window box, adding a layer of soil, a layer of vegetable pulp, another layer of soil, and a piece of wood cut to cover the top of the box.

Base and 2 tiers of the Worm Factory

They are now using a product called Worm Factory 360, which has multiple tiers that can be rotated as the worms progress upwards, eating as they go. This allows for very easy harvesting of the worm castings and composted material. The Worm Factory also features a spigot at the bottom allowing for easy removal of the compost tea created in the process, which is an excellent fertilizer for plants. The harvested vermicompost is spread around plants or combined with regular soil to make a rich potting soil.

This 2 1/2-week-old wheat grass planting has already been harvested once.

Dave and Kathy also grow wheat grass for juicing. They place the vermicompost produced by the worms into a window box, sometimes adding regular soil, sprinkle the surface with wheat berries, and cover with a sheet of damp paper. The grass can be harvested multiple times if it isn’t cut all the way down. They juice the wheat grass, and the leftover pulp goes back to feed the worms. (Only an auger juicer will work for juicing wheat grass.)

Worm Farm Facts

• Red wiggler worms eat 3x their weight per day
• Unless the worms are overfed, the worm farm has no odor
• Worm farms are best kept at 60-80% humidity and 40-80 degrees
• All organic material is okay to use as worm food except oily substances (pine needles, citrus fruit, eucalyptus leaves) and fresh grass clippings (become very hot as they compost)
• vermicompost contains 5x the nitrogen, 7x the phosphorous and 11x the potassium of ordinary soil

Click here for the meeting handout provided by the Girellis: worms handout

October 2011 Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Newsletter

This Month’s Meeting:  Vermicompost

Thursday, October 20 at 7:00 p.m. at the Whelden Library, Rte. 149,  West Barnstable:   Kathy and David Girelli will present a program on their worm farm and how they started,  using handouts, pictures.  They will bring packages of worms.

Thanks!

Thank you to all who showed their gardens this summer.

Thank you to Linda Mckeown who hosted the September pot luck.

And thank you to Jack Stacy for his generous contribution.

Welcome New Members:

Kathy and David Girelli, Dr. Joyce Young, and Tara L. McDowell

July 2011 Cape Cod Organic Gardeners Newsletter

Summer Farm & Garden Tours:

July 10 – Sunday @ 3 p.m. Coonamessett Farm, 277 Hatchville Rd, East Falmouth, shown by Stan Ingram. Take Rt. 28 to Mashpee Rotary, then take Rt. 151 to Sandwich Rd. traffic light (gas station on corner) and turn left. Go 1.6 mile to  Hatchville Rd (Unitarian Church on corner) and turn right.  The farm is about a mile down Hatchville Rd.

July 24 – Sunday @ 3 p.m. Meetinghouse Farm, Rte 149, West Barnstable, shown by Judy Desrochers, 508-362-2396.  This is a community garden located on Route 149 on the north side of Route 6 (exit 5) near the historic 1717 Meetinghouse.

August 14 – Sunday @ 3 p.m.:
1. Tamar and Kevin’s home garden and chickens. #739 Rt. 149 (about a mile from Rte 28) 508-681-8760
2. Maggie Cole’s home garden. 116 Ralyn Rd. Cotuit., 508-419-1397.  From Tamar and Kevin’s, turn right onto 149 then right on to Rt. 28. Drive 2 miles, then turn left onto Santuit-Newtown Rd. (Capizzi’s on corner).  At stop sign, bear left onto Old Oyster Rd.  The first street on the right is Ralyn Rd.  Pass Ralyn Rd and park on street behind house (look for balloons), or turn right onto Ralyn Rd, then left at T intersection; 116 is on the left.

August 28 – Sunday @ 3 p.m.:
1. Tamara Lickfield’s home garden. 137 Keveney Lane, Yarmouth Port, 508-362-3392.  Take Rte 6 to exit 7, drive north on Willow St. to 6A.  Turn left on 6A.  Drive about 2/3 mile to Keveney Lane on the right.
2. Kelly Farm.  66 Marstons Lane, Cummaquid, 508-362-8136.  From Tamara’s, return to 6A and turn left.  Drive .2 miles to Marstons Lane (Cummaquid Golf Club at entrance). Kelly Farm is certified organic.

September 11 – Sunday @ 1:30p.m. Potluck picnic at Kelly Farm, 66 Marstons Lane, Cummaquid (off 6A)  508-362-8136.  Rain date Sept.18.  Try to bring a dish made from your organic produce.

Thank You!
Barbara Kiusalas and Marette Reid for refreshments for the May meeting.
And to Maggie Cole for information on crop density.

CCOG is now also on Facebook