JUNE 11: Saturday Lecture on Herb Gardening

The Friends of Fodor Farm is pleased to announce our third speaker for the 2011 gardening season.

On Saturday June 11 at 11:00AM, Master Gardener Candice McCullum will be our guest at the pavilion at Fodor Farm.  Candace will talk about growing herbs and their many uses--culinary, medicinal, fragrant and economic. There will be a question and answer session. As a Master Gardener, Candace is able to answer any questions you have regarding your garden.

There is no charge to attend – FREE!

See you June 11 at 11:00AM.

2011 Free Lecture Series at Fodor Farm

The Friends of Fodor Farm is pleased to announce our first FREE SPEAKERS for the 2011 gardening season.  All lectures will take place at the Pavilion.

On Saturday APRIL 30 at 11:00AM, Edward Henrey will explain how to take a SOIL SAMPLE. This will let you know exactly what fertilizers—if any—you might want to add to your soil to achieve the best results in your garden.

Then on Saturday MAY 14th at 11:00AM, Jeffrey Deorio of Reynolds Farm Nurseries will explain the do's and don'ts of PLANTING SEEDLINGS.

These gardening experts are able to answer any questions you have, regardless of their discussion topic.

Potluck at Fodor Farm

Join us this Saturday for a

Presentation & Potluck

featuring

Melissa Henry

"Organic Gardening and Closing Your Bed for the Season"

Saturday, September 18

11:00 a.m.

Please bring an appetizer, salad, entree or dessert to share!

This week at Fodor Farm

Fall is in the air, the leaves are starting to turn. Gardening is almost over... or is it? The garden is open still for another couple of months, and there's still time for fall crops. For things such as leafy vegetables, you still have time to get seeds in the ground. If you're interested in growing garlic, now's the time to start thinking about what type you'll want to grow. It's not quite time to plant garlic, but it's getting there, and if you're ordering seed garlic, you'll want to leave time for shipping. In the area, Reynold's sells garlic for planting, as do many vendors at the farmer's markets in the area. Don't plant garlic from your grocery store though, as those are usually treaed with chemicals to inhibit sprouting. (Same thing goes for potatoes, though those are planted in the spring only.)

Please remember to properly dispose of all diseased plant material - leaves, veggies, stems, etc. Anything that is diseased, or that you might think is diseased, must be thrown out. Fungus, mold, blight, mildew - all of these things have been seen around the farm, and they all count as disease. Also, if your plant has been infested with harmful pests, it's better to trash them rather than compost. As the pile isn't a "hot" pile, it might not kill every egg.

We have our potluck coming up this Saturday, so keep your fingers crossed for good weather. If you attend, please bring a little something to share with others. The potluck will come after our speaker this weekend, probably about noon. As previously mentioned, our speaker this Saturday - at 11am, Fodor Farm picnic pavillion - will be Linelissa Henrey, and she will be talking about organic gardening and closing your garden for the season. This will be a great time to learn a little about gardening while meeting your fellow gardeners and noshing on some tasty treats. Hope to see you there!

Thank you, and see you around the garden.

Sincerely,
Shari Reilly

This Week at Fodor Farm (7/30)

Hello everyone, As many of you know, the members of the board do walk-throughs in the garden from time to time, noting what plots haven't been planted and which plots are in need of care.  Last week several of us did another walk through, and compiled a list.  We've given the list to the city, and hopefully we'll see some of these empty plots get filled.  The board will be e-mailing farmers who need to get their gardens back under control.  In the lower level, despite there still being people on the waiting list, the city has assumed care for most of the community plots as well as a couple of farmer plots.  We've asked the city to halt planting in farmer plots, and we're trying to help fill the community plots.  If you have a group or school that would like a 4'X16' plot, please talk to Mike, as there are still plenty of spots available. That's all for this week.  Remember, the bugs and weeds are in full force, and there are many plots that are showing bug and weed infestations.  Please get out there and do some maintenance in your garden, especially if it's been a while since you last did so.  Your garden and your neighbors will thank you. See you around the garden. Sincerely, Shari Reilly

Weekend Lecture Series

Sal Gilbertie, of Gilbertie's Herb Gardens of Westport, gave vegetable gardening tips at Fodor Farms Community Garden in Norwalk on Saturday, July 17. Copies of Gilbertie's newest book were available for sale and signing at the conclusion of his presentation. The book is titled “Small-Plot, High-Yield Gardening: How to Grow Like a Pro, Save Money and Eat Well by Turning Your Back (or Front or Side) Yard into an Organic Produce Garden.” Sal's talk was fascinating...not only did he give growing tips, we also got a funny behind-the-scenes look at gardening and gardeners from a nurseryman's perspective. Be sure and check out the nursery's web site (http://www.gilbertiesherbs.com/) for a guide to herbs and listings of their great talks and workshops.

The lecture series continued on Sunday, July 18, when Colleen Plimpton -- popular garden author, coach, and lecturer -- discussed her new book, "Mentors in the Garden of Life." This very personal book is equal parts memoir and gardening guide--each chapter focusing on a specific plant and its significance in Colleen's life. Colleen's web site is http://www.colleenplimpton.com/ and her blog is http://www.colleenplimpton.blogspot.com/. Sign up for her mailings to get handy, informative monthly reminders of seasonal garden tasks. Colleen is a regular guest columnist in the Connecticut Gardener magazine.

What crazy weather we're having! At least Mother Nature is taking care of watering everything for you. With all the rain that we're having, lawns and gardens everywhere should be happy now.


A big thank you goes out to Tamar Fischman. She worked hard to arrange our most recent speakers, getting the farm two speakers in one weekend! If you missed the speakers, there should be more coming up. Keep an eye out for announcements, and please take the time to come and see one of the talks. They don't last too long, are full of information, and are a great way to meet your fellow farmers. Thank you Tamar!

With the damp weather comes things such as powdery mildew. There are several solutions out there, including using a milk solution or baking soda solution. One solution goes: 10% milk, 90% water. mix, spray on both the tops and bottoms of leaves. Let dry, apply every couple of days until mildew is controlled.

Or you can try:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 quart water
A few drops of liquid soap
Again, mix and spray. Test this on a small patch of your plant before you spray your entire crop to test the sensitivity of the plant.

There are a couple of commercial sprays available, too. If you choose to use one, make sure that it's organic approved. Local nurseries such as Reynold's and Stew's and shops on-line carry organic sprays.

If you'd like to know more, you can find more information here:

http://www.gardenguides.com/778-keeping-ahead-powdery-mildew-garden-pest-tip.html

http://www.gardenguides.com/779-using-milk-control-powdery-mildew-garden-pest-tip.html

http://gardening.about.com/od/gardenproblems/a/PowderyMildew.htm

Don't forget, fall-planting time will be here soon. Planting crops in late summer extends your growing season. Carrots, parsnips, beets, broccoli, Swiss chard, kale, collards, cabbage, Brussel sprouts, peas, and all kinds of salad and Asian greens. Choose disease-resistant varieties that mature quickly.

Hope that this helps! Remember, the local libraries have many good books on gardening, and there's a wealth of information on-line. If you're new to gardening, or want to learn more, there are many places out there you can learn from.

See you around the garden!

Sincerely,

Shari Reilly