A Cooperative Learning Project
Save the date – we will hold our annual Seed Selection Meeting on Saturday, January 30 in the 4th floor meeting room of Robbins Library (700 Massachusetts Avenue) from 9 AM to Noon.
Everyone interested in the crops & varieties we will grow in the garden this season is welcome. Prospective new members of the garden group are especially encouraged to attend and join the discussion. Bring your seed catalogs and great expectations for the coming growing season!
2015 was our 6th year of gardening, growing and learning at Robbins Farm Park. After the record-breaking snow of the winter, we enjoyed our largest membership to date, had our most successful seedlings and participated in several local events.
We have also begun planning for the transition of our tired snow fence and salvaged gate to a more accessible and less temporary structure. Look for more information as we coordinate with the Town's efforts to upgrade Arlington's parks.
Garlic: mostly produced small heads, planted too early in 2014, new varieties planted 10/31 this year
Leeks: another excellent year!
Onions: our best year yet
From Sets: did well, yellow more productive and popular than red and white varieties
From seeds: awesome! grow same varieties next year
Scallions: broadcasting worked, a bit difficult to harvest, try creating shallow trough and distribute seed @ every ½ inch then cover and tamp bed – or – plant @ ¼ inch apart in short drills @ 1-2 inches apart
Shallots: did well in both locations
All late season seedlings stressed by hot weather after transplanting & needed more shade cloth than we had
Broccoli: early crop: yield okay but discolored again; late crop: wonderful, produced some side shoots by end of season
Brussels Sprouts: grew well, spacing good, sprouts smaller than usual, plant on shady side of bed next year, keep up with the aphids!
Cabbage: early season: green did great, red good, though inconsistent & slower. Late season: did well though some in shade of Brussels sprouts, savoy variety – perfect
Cauliflower: white heads were smaller than we would like, purple heads were tiny and many never matured – try a specialty variety with fewer days to harvest
Bulb Fennel: grew well, tasty though not very large, find a bigger variety for next year
Carrots: nice carrots from both plantings, good varieties (try settling on just 2 orange varieties?), good schedule, should have been thinned better
Celery: good overall, about the right amount, lost one seedling early and a few more plants later, blanch earlier next year?
Parsnips: added (maybe too much) sand to the soil, another bad year for germination – even second seeding, some leaf damage (by beetles?), overrun by sweet potatoes, a few were split or stubby, try to improve for next year
Basil: awesome, again!
Borage: self-seeded plants transplanted into tomato bed failed – those not transplanted were fine
Cilantro: basically did well, not the best germination, try planting half in April & half in June
Nasturtiums: did great, needed some aphid treatment
Okra: good variety, planted all 13 seedlings & lost several, try using black plastic to warm soil before planting then remove, try planting 6 in front & 5 in back for spacing
Rhubarb: doing better in new location, producing well
Sunflowers: move next year, use Serenade
Three Sisters bed: move to another location next year
Corn: germination problems, lovely ears, not very productive, need better support
Beans: nice variety, reasonably productive
Squash: compact habit good, but produced very few, very small squashes – new variety next year