Herbs and onion, ready for the taking

The first bits and pieces are ready to be harvested.  There is basil coming in steadily, as well as cilantro and onions.  There are some lemon-y herbs, chamomile and some sugar-substitute (apparently the leaves are really sweet) which only need a week or so to get themselves better established, but then leaves can be plucked from them as well.  The squash plants are coming along nicely and some are actually getting big but I haven't seen any actual squash yet.  The cucumbers (by the trellis in the northeast corner) are still needing some babying but I think they'll come back.

Things to do:
- Weed.  This will be the big task for the immediate time being.  Anything that looks like grass can go, and anything that looks like it shouldn't be there.  If you have questions, ask.  I'd be happy to go over it with you, meet you out there, whatever.
- Water.  Every now and then when we start to have less rain this will be a bigger task.  There are drip hoses set up, but some spots still need to be sprayed with the hose.
- Weedwack.  We even have a weedwacker, just need someone willing to operate it.  We really just need to get around the perimeter to keep the grass under control and the place looking nice.
 - Harvest herbs. As mentioned above, some of these are ready.  They will continue to get big, so we need to be careful not to take too much, but some can certainly be taken.  If you have suggestions of what to do with them please share!  I'm thinking pesto and drying them, but don't really know what else.

As always, feel free to comment on the website or e-mail if you have questions or want to set up a time to meet with others.  Tell your friends, neighbors, or anyone else who may be interested about the garden and just stop by some time to check it out.  I'll be there Saturday at 11 as well.

 Basil

Cilantro

 Chives

 French Tarragon

Sage

The sweet plant.  :)  I think you eat the leaves like sugar. 

German chamomile 

 Lemon!  It smells amazing.

 Unidentifiable squash.  It's a mystery....

 Onion.  Yum.  Come and get it.

How the garden grows

 This year's layout.  Row 1 is the one on the left of the picture, and row 6 on the right.

Unknown squash.  It is fungus-y, but as you can see it is still growing.

 Basil!  Pesto, here we come.

 The tomatoes are getting so big.  There is even a blossom on one.

 A row of peppers.  I think they are red, or orange or some other color.

Another type of squash.  We may need to wait a while to figure out what kind.  Butternut, summer squash, or zucchini. . . . .

There's just a couple of eggplants.

 Lots of onions.

Baby pumpkins.  Hard to believe how big they will be in a few weeks.

Let the 2014 Season Begin

Welcome back!

So lot's has happened, without updates.  For those who may be wondering, the very quick synopsis of last year would be that the garden made a ton of produce with the majority donated to Lutheran Social Services and the Ronald McDonald House.  This year our goal is to get greater community involvement and establish relationships with The Banquet and other organizations that can distribute the excess to families who may not otherwise have much access to fresh veggies, and to try to get some kids involved.

 To fill in the most important and exciting things, the garden is getting started for the year.  Most everything is planted and things are coming up.  It is fairly different design from last year with rows the length of the garden.  There are 6 rows, and I will refer to them by number with 1 being the northern-most and 6 the southern (closest to the house).  We are using a weed fabric and cardboard boxes to help keep down on the invasive grass and weeds.  I am happy to say that it has all stayed organic.  Don't be surprised, however, when you get there and there are cardboard boxes along all of the aisles.  This is to keep that darn grass under control.  They may get a bit fragile when wet, but are fairly hardy when dry.  The rocks are there to keep them from blowing around, but should you notice some escapees please feel free to put them back and weigh them down again.

With all the rain this season we have had a return of the squash-y fungus.  It has infected all of the various squashes, pumpkin and cucumber thus far.  We treated it once, and will again shortly and are happy to announce that it is still growing well and seems to be improving so I am optimistic we can get a hold on it.  All of this rain is great to keep down on the watering that needs to be done, but those darn squash are not happy about it, as I suspect that is why this fungus has started.

The tomatoes are thriving, they are happy to have been out there for several days now.  The peppers too are getting themselves established.  There are lots of both!  There are some herbs coming up on the southern-most row, with a bunch of basil, cilantro and some that are as of yet unidentified.

There are some carrots popping up their little heads along the edge of rows 2 and 3 (next to the aisle) however it does seem as though some of those were washed away.

The to-do's for the week (and things that you are welcome to help with should you stop by):
- Pulling grass from in any of the rows, particularly near the carrots on the edges of rows 2 and 3
- Uncovering the herbs in row 6 should the mulch wash into the holes where plants are
- Pulling large weeds along the perimeter, both in and out of the fence, and putting them in the tupperware
- As tomato plants get taller we will be weaving twine between them for support

We will be making a point of having someone there Saturday morning around 11 should you prefer to work with others or under some direction.  Please feel free to contact us through comments here, our e-mail at sfneighborhoodgarden@gmail.com or via our facebook page under Sioux Falls Neighborhood Garden.