Damayan Garden Project

Frenchtown 10/29/15

2015-10-29T20:00:00.000-04:00

This week at Frenchtown, the Damayan crew mixed some compost, harvested greens, and made some Frenchtown wraps! Our organic compost (made of coffee grounds and fruit) should be ready for use in a couple of months. Mark taught us how to make his signature veggie wraps. These vitamin K packed snacks consist of green peppers, kale, lettuce, purple mustard leaf, and garlic chives. Yum! Try it at home!

Frenchtown 10/22/15

2015-10-22T20:30:00.000-04:00

Goodbye, okra! See you next season! The okra has been removed and replaced with broccoli.

Lots more weeding was done this week, as well! We’re making way for more and more new veggies. The organic compost is coming along, as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to use some of it in a couple of months.

We finally got some of the weeds pulled off of the fence as well. The Damayan sign can finally be read, though it may need a bit of a touch up.

Our volunteers were a big help today and really appreciated their new Damayan Garden Project bags. We definitely encourage the use of reusable grocery bags (or whatever use you might have for them)!

Frenchtown 10/15/15

2015-10-15T20:30:00.000-04:00

Thursday at Frenchtown was an exciting day full of weeding and revamping! Not that many people would consider weeding exciting, but, fortunately, lots of our volunteers find the activity relaxing. One can find a strange kind of satisfaction in cleaning out a garden…

Help was definitely given where it was needed. We even pulled out the old okra plants to make room for the bigger veggies that will be coming in next week. The tomatoes and cucumbers are holding up pretty well. We planted carrots in the bordering planter boxes and are looking forward to harvesting them. We also transplanted some kale into our new boxes. The kids at the community center really enjoyed helping to move the baby plants to their new homes. We’re definitely grateful to have the added gardening space!

Unfortunately, we did have to pull out some of the sounding flowers in the garden. The boys were fabulous gentlemen however, and no lady was left unacknowledged! Each was awarded with a beautiful bouquet.

Thank you so much to Red Eye Coffee, Edible Arrangements, and the many other local restaurants who support us in our efforts to make our organic compost!

Frenchtown

2015-10-01T20:11:00.000-04:00

For the past couple of weeks, we have been working on expanding the Frenchtown garden. We placed a couple of new raised beds and potted some greens! The mushroom compost is going into the new beds and they should be ready for planting within a couple of weeks. Many of our volunteers learned how to handle power tools for the first time. Thanks for the lessons, Mark!

Frenchtown Community Garden

2015-09-17T20:44:00.000-04:00

Boy oh boy, do we appreciate our volunteers! We just want to take a moment to say thank you to all of our hard workers and note that we are ecstatic about the increasing amount of help we’ve been receiving, lately. Today, we received help from our leadership students, FSU Outreach Program volunteers, and volunteers from CHICS at FSU. Please keep it coming!

As mentioned earlier this week, green is back in style this season. Frenchtown has just been replenished with planters full of kale, spinach, and lettuce. As usual, the kids at the community center had tons of fun helping out. They did a great job watering the plants, layering up the compost, planting seeds, and of course, taking breaks to munch on some candy leaf.

We’re eager to continue garnering new help and spreading the word about our mission. We love to teach and hope to reach out as much as we can. Thank you to everyone for all your help!

A Rainbow!

Frenchtown Garden

2015-09-03T20:19:00.000-04:00

Damayan Staff is ready to roll, rain or shine!

This past Thursday, Damayan staff was joined by FSU Community Ambassadors, FSU Leadership students, and a few little volunteers for some fun in the mud.

After waiting out the rain, planning ahead for the coming year, and discussing some possible new garden installations, the crew got to the fun work. First: we had a little history lesson on how the Frenchtown Gardens got started back in 2007. It was really a collaboration between the county, some interested Damayan crew, and one interested community volunteer: our very own Mark Tancig. We thank them all for coming together to create what we have today. If you'd like to find out a little more, wacth our Frenchtown video on YouTube! https://youtu.be/R3bMQ0cddZ8

After the lesson, Mark brought in some composting material (leftover food and coffee grounds) as well as some worm-filled soil for sorting. Everyone got their hands dirty, sorting the worms out of the soil. The goal is to rehome them in some new compost, so they can turn it into more soil, and continue the cycle.

Mark even found a tiny watermelon! Very refreshing. Hopefully a good sign of future produce!

Frenchtown Summer 2015

2015-07-23T13:19:00.000-04:00

Frenchtown Summer 2015

The last couple weeks, children at the Laverne Payne Community Center and FSU volunteers from the Community Outreach Program and their facilitators Burgen and Maddie, have been working on a new project for the garden. Mark has decided to expand it! Four new raised beds will be added this upcoming fall; ready for planting leafy greens, carrots, peas, broccoli and much more!

In preparation for this new project, volunteers have cleared vines and debris off the fence to allow proper sunlight for the new site. Due to the summer rain, weeds have taken over! We appreciate volunteers clearing them out for new planting. The existing garden is producing cucumbers, tomatoes, watermelon, and peppers.

Mark, along with Damayan volunteers, Burgen and Megan facilitate sessions every Thursday from 4:30PM to 6:30PM. Weather pending.

Transportation from FSU is provided via the Community Outreach Program! Stop by the Center on campus for more information.

Frenchtown Blog October

2015-02-04T18:27:00.000-05:00

Frenchtown Blog

10/9/14

10/16/14

Another two beautiful sessions at the Frenchtown Community Garden these last weeks. The old garden beds were in need of a makeover! So with help from enthusiastic children at the Laverne Payne Community Center and FSU volunteers from the Community Outreach Program and their facilitators Sky and Jenson, we were able to pull out the decaying concrete beds and clean up the site in preparation for the new space. The following week, Mark provided us with lumber, tools, and education necessary to make new raised garden beds! We were able to make new sturdy beds for our fall planting, which will include leafy greens, carrots, peas, broccoli and much more!

For those who are interested in learning how to make your own raised garden beds! http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/raised-bed-gardening

During the installation of the new beds, Burgen, Hannah, and Garden Manager Kristi drove out to pick up mushroom compost for Damayan’s fall planting garden sessions and upcoming installations.

Mark, along with Damayan work study students, Burgen and Shayna, and Hannah, our Community Ambassador, all helped facilitate this productive workday and will be out every Thursday from 4:30PM to 6:30PM.

Transportation from FSU is provided via the Community Outreach Program! Stop by the Center on campus for more information.

Frenchtown Fenceline Project

2015-02-04T18:22:00.007-05:00

Frenchtown Fence-line Project

The last couple weeks, children at the Laverne Payne Community Center and FSU volunteers from the Community Outreach Program and their facilitators Sky and Jenson, have been working on a new project for the garden! Now that the new raised garden beds are in, we are going to utilize the fence-line for even more garden space. By recycling large empty soda and juice bottles, we are able to make hanging garden pots. This is a perfection solution for those lacking yard space for a garden bed, allowing them to grow on a balcony or small fence. These fence line pots are ideal for herbs and leafy greens, great for this time of year!

Materials:

Recycled Juice/Soda Bottles

Drill

Wire

Wire Cutters/Plyers

Scissors

Paint

Soil

Seed

Steps:

1. Cut off bottom 1/4^th of recycled plastic bottle

2. Drill about 6-8 small holes in the top of the bottle (as to allow water to drain when hung up)

3. Drill two holes (opposite of each other) on the cut edge of bottle

4. Thread wire through two holes on bottom cut edge of bottle

5. Hang up on fence post or thread wire through fence before attaching it to the other side

6. Add potting soil and plant your seeds!

Mark, along with Damayan work study students, Burgen and Shayna, and Hannah, our Community Ambassador, helped facilitate this productive workday and will be out every Thursday from 4:30PM to 6:30PM.

Transportation from FSU is provided via the Community Outreach Program! Stop by the Center on campus for more information.

Frenchtown October Blog

2015-02-04T18:22:00.005-05:00

Frenchtown Blog

10/9/14

10/16/14

For those who are interested in learning how to make your own raised garden beds! http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/raised-bed-gardening

During the installation of the new beds, Burgen, Hannah, and Garden Manager Kristi drove out to pick up mushroom compost for Damayan’s fall planting garden sessions and upcoming installations.

Transportation from FSU is provided via the Community Outreach Program! Stop by the Center on campus for more information.

Frenchtown Thursday 4/4/2014

2014-04-21T09:57:00.005-04:00

It was another fantastic day with weather perfect for gardening at the Frenchtown Community Garden. Mark equipped our seven volunteers from FSU outreach and five children of the center with the tools needed to create a brand new sign for the garden. The session was full of hammering nails into 2x4s, digging holes for the posts, and using the weed whacker in the garden. With this new makeover we are well on our way to a fruitful summer garden for the community! The Damayan Garden Project production team was also at the site recording valuable footage of the children and volunteers interacting in the garden. Next week we'll be painting and incorporating creative ideas from the eager children who come out. Our volunteers were able to take home kale and mustard greens for their wonderful help this week.

Transportation from FSU is provided via the Community Outreach Program! Stop by the Center on campus for more information.

Mark Tancig, along with Damayan work study students, Burgen and Kacki, helped to facilitate this productive workday and will be at the Laverne Payne Community Center every Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30.

FRENCHTOWN 3/27/2014

2014-04-21T09:56:00.002-04:00

What a great turnout at the Frenchtown Community Garden this week! We had close to 10 volunteers come out with 8 children from the Laverne Payne Community Center gardening with us. This week the kids repurposed some old fencing into trellises for the sugar snap peas with the help of the FSU community outreach group. We also mulched the strawberry bed to protect the plants from weeds and to trap moisture. The strawberries have started blooming small white flowers, which means we’ll have strawberries within the next couple of weeks! The children are very excited about this, especially since we’ve eaten all the yummy carrots already. Mark brought squash seeds that the children planted into a bed fresh with compost. The kids really had a lot of fun learning about growing food and enjoy being in the garden .

Transportation from FSU is provided via the Community Outreach Program! Stop by the Center on campus for more information.

Mark Tancig, along with Damayan work study students, Burgen and Kacki, helped to facilitate this productive workday and will be at the Laverne Payne Community Center every Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30.

Frenchtown 2/27/2014

2014-03-07T16:55:00.000-05:00

Frenchtown

February 27^th 2014

This week, we got our hands on some strawberry starts for the Frenchtown garden! Volunteers from FSU Community Outreach, Jonathan, Andre Weir, Danielle Burr, Megan DeBello, and Megan Federico had a wonderful time helping us and the children tend the garden while leaning how to grow their own food. The compost beds from last week allowed us to get our hands dirty and do some spring planting. We transplanted strawberry starts into the center bed! They'll start to flower soon! We also planted peas and greens seeds in the other compost mounds. Volunteers were helpful in cleaning up the fence line for climbing beans and other vining produce. As for what is already growing, take a look! After a hard couple hours work, our fast and efficient crew had earned a snack. We munched on sweet carrots wrapped in lettuce and mustard leaf. Yummm.

Transportation from FSU is provided via the Community Outreach Program! Stop by the Center on campus for more information.

Mark, along with Damayan work study students, Burgen and Kacki, helped facilitate this productive workday and will be out every Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30.

Frenchtown Garden 2/20/14

2014-03-05T17:44:00.000-05:00

What a great day at Frenchtown Laverne Payne Community Center garden! Special thanks to FSU Outreach students, Rob, Skyler, Megan, Nick, and their facilitator Jon for helping out at the Garden. They all came out to weed back the beds for climbing peas along the fence, shovel compost, turn soil and learn new ways to be self-sustaining! Mark was able to get a full pickup truck load of compost! We used this to fill the beds to give the soil more life. Lay Lay, in elementary and other regulars at the community center, gave us a helping hand shoveling compost onto these new beds. The volunteers and kids were able to harvest kale, carrots, and lettuce from existing beds for a healthy post-work snack. Come out next week for some education and hands-on experience planting mixed greens, tomatoes, and some strawberries! Volunteer hours are 4:30-6:30 on Thursdays. Transportation from FSU is also provided via the Community Outreach Program. Go by the Center on campus for more information.

Kristi and Era also gave us a visit to work on future garden plans and locations, so stay tuned!

Frenchtown Garden Report - 9-20-12

2012-09-21T10:12:00.002-04:00

Hello All,

Maybe I should just call this the September Garden Report. We have been having a great time at the garden the last couple of weeks. Last week, The Center crew from FSU started coming out again. Jake, who was the group's leader last year, is doing it again. Last week he brought John and this week John and Emily joined him. Latika, who I met at the Extension Office a few weeks ago when I represented Damayan for a Sierra Club presentation on Tallahassee's community garden scene, has been a faithful volunteer the last month. Unfortunately, last week she was stung by a wasp that was setting up shop next to the fence. We've also had a good group of kids coming and helping/hanging out with us.

Tasks completed include lots of weeding, preparing beds, planting seeds, flipping compost piles, and eating whatever we could. Latika was a great help in the weeding department and also with helping the kids plant their seeds. We've planted collard, radish, arugula, and today planted lettuce. Today was Emily's first time gardening so I handed her the shovel and had her load up buckets of compost to get the lettuce bed ready. Her and the kids planted the lettuce seed. Lele, Tiara, Maya, Jada, CJ, and Antia have been coming out every week to help us plant and keep us company.

We've munched on okra, sorrel, cucumber, pepper, basil, chives, and tomatoes. We spied a baby watermelon today (we planted them a bit late) just before we we're getting ready to yank the vines. We'll see what happens with that. The kids were excited to see the little melon.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Mark

Frenchtown Garden Report - 8-23-12

2012-08-24T09:31:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

This week's report should be titled the Frenchtown Jungle Report! If you haven't noticed, I've been AWOL the last couple of weeks while attending to kids in camp and a house with no flooring. So, with me being gone and the plentiful rains, the garden was looking more like a jungle, but today, the garden was tamed a little bit. I brought the mower and the energy to just dig in and start pulling.

This week was also the first week back for the kids at the community center so I was able to see some of my friends that I haven't seen since before summer. Alfonso, Jason, Chris, another Alfonso, Ms. Donna, and Ms. D were there and we were so glad to see each other. Alfonso and Chris came out with me and kept me company while I weeded. They might of picked a couple of weeds too. Alfonso spotted a nice cucumber that we shared and we also tried some raw green pepper. Not too bad! Nothing like the smell of a garden fresh pepper. I'd say that in another week or two the garden will be all cleaned up and we can start preparing for the fall crops. Yeah!

There's a workday this Saturday at the McCray Boys' and Girls' Club garden so if you're interested, check out the website to get the address and be there around 9am. There will be lots of weeds to pull!

Have a great weekend,

Mark

Frenchtown Garden Report - 7-5-12

2012-07-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

I was solo much of the day. It gave me a chance to get all the real weedy spots that most folks would be afraid to tackle. Like the ones with fire ants all around! I pulled up a good batch of weeds for the compost pile.

As I was leaving with some produce in hand, a little girl and her mom - Kalea and Kendra - stopped by to play on the swings. I asked if they would like any tomatoes and Kendra, the mom, said that Kalea really wanted to look around the garden. So we all walked around the garden and talked about all the plants we have growing. Little Kalea was quite a gardener for 9 years old. She knew a lot of the plants already and was telling me names of weeds she pulls out of her grandmother's garden. I gave them the tomatoes, a green pepper, and a cucumber. Hopefully, they'll come by again.

I'm on summer vacation next week so I won't be at the garden. I hope you all have a great week.

Mark

Frenchtown Garden Report - 6-28-12

2012-06-29T09:03:00.000-04:00

Hello All,
I got rained out on the 14th and didn't get my report out last week. We've been enjoying those rains and trying to keep up with the weeds that have responded well to the rain and heat.

Last week, CJ and Seqouia hung out with Katie, a new volunteer, and I. Katie said she had been wanting to connect more with her community, saw the garden, and found us on Google (where else!). She was a great help with the weeds and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed chatting with the kids. We ate some tomatoes and cucumbers to keep us energized.

This week was adults only. Demitrius, Katie, and her friend Caitlyn and I continued weeding! With the four of us, the weeds took a big hit. It's looking a lot better today! Spent plants got pulled, the mint was pruned back, the strawberries were uncovered, and the compost pile grew rapidly. Demitrius took a green pepper home and Caitlyn got a cucumber. We had a great time talking while weeding.

Remember I told you all about the City of Tallahassee coming and filming us a few weeks back? Well, check out Channel 13 for the EcoSmart program. It's awesome. They have a whole show about Tallahassee's community garden scene and we're in it. The kids did a great job representing the Frenchtown Garden. I caught it one night and I was very proud of my little gardeners!

Have a great weekend. Stay cool and enjoy the 4th!

Mark

Frenchtown Garden Report - 6-7-12

2012-06-08T08:42:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

Sorry for the report hiatus. Two weeks ago was Damayan's murder mystery fundraiser and last week we got rained out. I have been enjoying this rain and so have the veggies and the weeds.

Today, Demetrius, Robbie, and I showed up and did mostly maintenance. Lots of weed pulling. That stinkin' pig weed and a variety of grasses gave us a lot to do. We did munch on green beans and a couple of strawberries. We also planted some pepper seeds that Demetrius brought and planted basil starts that Demetrius helped seed a couple of weeks ago.

Over the last couple of weeks I've harvested eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash. I gave Sequoia and CJ's family a load of tomatoes one day when I went to check on the garden and water. I've eaten some of the eggplant and zucchini and they were delicious. I made ratatouille!

The Damayan murder mystery fundraiser was a big success! Everyone had a great time and helped us raise some needed funds. Thanks to everyone who was a part of it.

This Sunday is the annual, much anticipated Tomato Feastival at Turkey Hill Farm. If you love tomatoes from the garden, amazing homemade paella, cake walks, pot lucks, and/or eclectic silent auctions, then you should be there. I'll be there making sure all of the kids are having fun - sprinklers, face paint, seed spitting contest, maybe some sack races. I hope to see some of you there.

Have a great week,

Mark

Frenchtown Garden Report - 5-10-12 and 5-17-12

2012-05-18T09:13:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

Well, I skipped another report week but there have been a lot of things going on. I'm in the middle of buying and selling houses, Damayan has a fundraiser next Thursday, and then there's the old 8-5. Whatever happened to the 9-5? In any case, we've been having lots of fun.

The veggies, the weeds, and myself have been enjoying the rain. I hope it continues. Last week we got our first taste of tomatoes. We've just about finished off the strawberries but there are still some coming in. Kristi came by last week and left us some more tomato and pepper plants.

This week we harvested our potatoes. Not as good as the first year but better than last. I plan on cooking them up and bringing them back next week for the kids to eat. We also harvested some eggplants, onions, zuchinni, and yellow squash. We also worked on the critters that are poking holes in our tomatoes. We found stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs, their nymphs, and caterpillars today. Mickey and I crushed most of them but the kids found them for us. We did some observation of them before giving them a good squeeze!

OK, so remember awhile back I mentioned a murder mystery? Well, we just got a clue that it's happening next Thursday at the Dogwood House. Check out our website for more clues on how to join us to figure out the mystery.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I'll be hanging out at Lake Hall for Elijah's birthday! My momma is going to be in town also.

Oh and an update on the Refuge House garden. We had a great time helping install 5 raised beds and beefing up some existing garden areas they already had. We worked hard and had a great time. Thanks to Orchard Pond Farm for donating a load of compost.

Mark

Frenchtown Garden Report - 4-5-12, 4-12-12, and 4-19-12

2012-04-20T09:17:00.001-04:00

Hello All,

Sorry for the two week hiatus. I will try to do my best to summarize all the fun we've been having.

The last two weeks we had quite an international flair at the garden. On the 5th, our Macedonian friends - Gregor, Jasmina, and Katarina - hung out in the garden with us. On the 12th, Charles, from Norway, was with us. These folks were part of the awesome FSU Center group. I learned from Jasmina that in Macedonia mint is used in bean soups to reduce the odor levels when it comes out later in gaseous form. Good to know! Charles gave us a brief run down of the Norwegian political system. Very interesting. They have a bunch of political parties that have to work as a team after elected. What an idea! Politicians working together?! Anyway, the three amigos from the Center - Jake, Jamie, and Britney - were also there along with Robbie, Mickey, Quinn, Brian, and Leo.

Today, the adults included Jake, Jamie, Britney, Josh, Robbie, and Alex, a new volunteer with the rec center. Rebecca and Paul, with Edible Landscapes (see more below) also came by. The kids included KJ, Sequoia, Markel, Alfonso, Jamel, Nadia, Narissa, Summer, Jason, CJ, and Joel, a volunteer from Fairview Middle School's IB Program. Joel needed some community service hours and found Damayan where else, but on the internet. Joel was a great help today and I hope he can make it back. He was a very motivated young man.

We've planted tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zuchinni, peppers, green beans, and okra over the last couple weeks. A big thanks to Bob Freeman, a friend of a friend who had some extra tomato plants and thought of Damayan. They've been planted at Frenchtown and Lichgate.

The strawberries have been good to us and oh so good. The mulberries have also been plentiful. Joel saved himself a large handful for his pancakes this weekend. Smart kid I tell you! We're waiting on our green tomatoes and blueberries to turn ripe!

Happy Earth Day weekend by the way. Just like Mother's and Father's Day, we should treat everyday as Earth Day. So give your Earth a hug this weekend and check out all the Earth Day events going on below. I especially hope you can make it to Lichgate on Sunday.

Have a great weekend,

Mark

Today:

Get There Green - formal launch of two City employee transportation initiatives: the City Employee Downtown Commuter program, which includes bicycles and an electric vehicle for use in downtown commuting, and the City Employee Alternative Vehicle Parking Program, which will offer City Hall employees who drive alternative-fuel vehicles the opportunity to park under City Hall.

Earth Day at the Capitol, 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. -- the City will be providing interactive exhibits and booths, energy-saving and recycling tips and information about the TAPP program at this environmental expo. Students from throughout the area come to this event, organized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It will be held at Waller Park, behind the Capitol Building.

Sustainable Fashion Show, 1 p.m., FAMU Set, Watch us make old stuff look better than your new stuff. Bring any clothes that you have to donate to charity.

Green Evolution Concert, 7:30 p.m., The Engine Room on Railroad Ave, $5, bands: After the Smoke, TRX and Kodeine.

Saturday:

Permaculture Community Planting Event, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.- the City's Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Affairs Department, in partnership with Edible Landscape, the Greater Frenchtown Area Governor's Revitalization Council, the Frenchtown Neighborhood Association, Frenchtown CDC and volunteers from the community, will hold a community permaculture tree planting event at the Carter Howell Strong Park (located on the corner of Copeland St. and W. Georgia St.).

Cash for Trash, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.- a special trash collection event allowing residents to dispose of bulky items, electronic waste, paint, batteries and other hazardous items. Residents participating in the event will receive a $5 credit off their City utility bill. The event will be held at Solid Waste Services, 2727 Municipal Way.

Salvation Army Garden Grand Opening, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. The Tallahassee Sustainability Group invites the entire community to the Salvation Army Garden (2129 Jackson Bluff Rd) in celebration of Earth Day & the Grand Opening of the Urban Farm. Tours of the gardens, presentation of our vision for collaborative development in this space, a family garden plot dedication & planting with Captain Julio DeSilva! Food, fun, music, juggling, games! Ribbon Cutting at noon.

Green Evolution Ideas Mixer, 6-9 p.m., The Mint Lounge, Part of the FAMU Green Week/ Green Evolution, this will be an evening of networking, drinks and fun with community leaders centered around finding fresh ideas to fuel our future.

Sunday:

Earth Day in the Park, 1-5 p.m. - the City's premier Earth Day event, Earth Day in the Park will feature garden and aerobics demonstrations, music, one-mile walking groups, and fitness, organic food, wellness and sustainability vendors. The event will be held in the Park Avenue Chain of Parks at Ponce De Leon Park.

It’s in Our Hands-Earth Day Celebration, 2-5 p.m., Litchgate Community Garden on High Road, by the Magnolia School. Live, acoustic music, environmental demonstrations, children's activities, and Taste Budz selling some yummy food. Bring cash for food and face painting, but there will be lots of free activities for everyone.

Environment Florida Drinking Socially for Earth Day 4-11 p.m., Fermentation Lounge. 20% of Fermentation Lounge's profits that night will go to Environment Florida

Frenchtown Garden Report - 3-22-12 and 3-29-12

2012-03-30T09:21:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

This report is a two-for-one deal. I didn't get a chance to write you all about the great Thursday we had last week, so here you go.

Last Thursday was so great because we had not one, but two groups come out and help in the garden. In the morning, we had Nora Underwood's Ecology of Food class from FSU visit us. They brought two flats of plants that they had started for us and we all got our hands dirty. We planted some baby mustards (a little late but we've been munching on their spicy, baby leaves), sunflowers, and lettuce, weeded, and laid hay. There were about 11 students total and 5 or 6 of them had never gardened before! I made sure they were the first to plant! We had a great time and talked about food and gardening while we worked. I hope they come back next semester.

The morning group did so much work that The Center group didn't have a whole lot to do in the afternoon. But I found stuff to keep us busy. We mulched up the potato plants to encourage more potatoes and, of course, hacked on the mulberry tree. I think we have officially maxed out our tree cutting potential. There are no more branches we can reach. I've visited the garden in the morning and enjoyed seeing the sun shine down on the garden without being blocked by that pesky, fast-growing tree.

That brings us to this week and leaving off on the mulberry tree reminds me to let you all know that they are just about ripe on the big tree north (and therefore out of the sun's way - yay!) of the garden. So keep an eye on the trees in your neighborhood. They go perfect in pancakes! The mulberries though are no competition to the ripe strawberries in the garden. We all had some strawberries today. They are so good. I was retelling the story of the first Frenchtown Garden strawberry to The Center crew - Jake, Jamie, and Britney - and the kids - KJ, CJ, Markel, and DJ. DJ, who I haven't seen much of lately since him and his sisters have moved and who was in the garden with me a lot, remembered being there for that strawberry. If you look up and read one of the first blog posts you can get the low down on this mythical tale.

After searching for and eating all the ripe berries, we mulched the potatoes some more and worked on the fence. Robbie brought some thick bamboo from Laura's place and we cut it to size and tied it down to the new piece of fence that we installed a couple of weeks ago. And then we just chatted. Oh, we put down some more diatomaceous earth on the ant hills because it looks like it knocked them back pretty good.

OK, see below for a number of events coming up.

Mark

Sunnyland Garden will be selling tomato and pepper plants Sunday at their spot on 6th Avenue and MLK. Contact Shelby at Shelby.stec@gmail.com

Vandana Shiva is coming to town on April 13

Joel Salatin will be at Full Circle Farm in Live Oak April 20 and 21. No link so look up Full Circle and contact them.

Check out Damayan's web page to see what we're up to. Phoenix is having an Earth Day celebration at Lichgate and we have a really fun fundraiser coming up at the end of May - a murder mystery!!! Curious? Keep up with our website to find out more clues.

Frenchtown Garden Report - 3-15-12

2012-03-16T08:56:00.000-04:00

Hello All,

We had a lot of folks at the garden today. Jake brought Kurt, Britney, Carolina, Charles, and Sarah as part of The Center group. Lauren, the old Center group leader, and Janelle, a volunteer from The Center who came out a couple of months ago, were there. Robbie came by with his new, old truck before heading off to a Damayan Fundraising Committee meeting. Jules, Sean, and Mary Elizabeth came over on their bikes. Phil and his girlfriend walked by and stopped to see what was going on. CJ and Alfonso were the only little ones that joined us today. With all those folks, the work got done quickly.

While a group worked on weeds, Jake, Robbie, CJ, Jules, and I replaced the missing section of fence that keeps the basketball from rolling over our eggplants and potatoes. A big thanks to my buddy Paul, a former coworker, that donated a section of field fence that was laying around his place. I got it nailed down and CJ finished it of by practicing his hammering skills, with Jules' help.

We mulched with some hay, planted peppers that Robbie donated (thanks Robbie), and hacked on the mulberry tree. We're reaching our maximum height level but the sun is definitely shining through much more. Speaking of mulberry trees, the other mulberry tree near the garden (not blocking the sun, thank goodness) is full of baby, green fruits! We also put some diatomaceous earth on the fire ant mounds to see if that knocks them back at all. I'll let you all know how that works.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. See below for a series of workshops that are coming up.

Mark

Organic Fruit Trees - Mini Workshop/March 23

3:00pm - 5:00pm

Workshop will provide practical basic fruit tree production and management.

Registration: $20.00/person

FAMU Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit

6505 Mahan Drive. Tallahassee

On-Farm Workshop

Organic Edible Landscapes/Let’s Grow Fruit /March 24

11:00am - 5:00pm
Hands-on demonstration, also includes grafting, pest management, etc.

Registration $20.00/person, includes lunch and farm tour.

Location: Crescent Moon Organic Farm
145 Crescent Moon Trail, Sopchoppy, FL

Directions: Take HWY 319 South into the town of Sopchoppy.

Follow the road signs.

On-Farm Workshop

Growing fruit trees/March 25

1:00pm - 5:00pm

Trouble shooting workshop. If you already have fruit trees planted and are experiencing problems, come to this trouble shooting workshop.

Includes also preventative pest management strategies, grafting demonstrations, and discussions.

Registration: $20/per person includes lunch. Please register at famu.registration@gmail.com before March 20, 2012.

Location: Myrtle Creek Farm
2184 Tram Road, Wacissa, Fl

Directions: From Tallahassee, Take Capital Circle SE to Tram Road. Follow road signs.

Heidi Copeland from the Leon County Extension Office is teaching a one day workshop on preserving your harvest.
canning your beans or whatever.
only $5
Saturday March 24

the Wildwood Church Hall
on Ox Bottom Road.

download the flier.

Growing Here - A Series of Workshops

For anyone who wants to know more about how to raise vegetables and fruits successfully in our climate.

the last in the series.

March 18 - Full Earth Farm: Fertility Management with Compost and Cover Cropping. - Speakers - the Man in Overalls, Nathan Ballantine along with Farmers Aaron Suko and Herman Holley

Sunday March 18 1 - 5pm $30 each workshop

Current RHSFA Members $15 individual workshop. Membership is $25 a year.

Frenchtown Garden Report - 3-8-12

2012-03-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

It was a beautiful day in the garden. Great weather, good folks, and a lot of work done.

Isadoro and Jose, employees of Laura Phipps out at Ayavalla Plantation, were there when I arrived and I got to practice my Spanish. Laura, the chair of Damayan's board and a longtime Damayan supporter, wanted them to learn some more about growing gusanos - worms. I did my best to explain it and then I drove them to my house so they could see it too. I think my Spanish worked well enough. Before they left, Isadoro asked me how to say gusanos in English. "Worms" came out pretty funny and the look on his face when trying to say it made it funnier.

Robbie came out and helped weed and plant. Laura also stopped by with a load of hard-boiled eggs, freshly laid by her hens, that was a big hit with all the kids. We had Jamel, Jamal, Chris, CJ, Nadia, Narissa, and Jason there helping out as well. Jason hasn't been around for awhile because he's been living in North Carolina but he says he's back for good. It was good to see him. Another friend, Brian, and his little one Leo, also stopped by for a spell on their way home on the bicycle.

While some of the folks weeded, I mowed down the grass. Then we added some fresh compost to the beds (thanks Nathan for the compost delivery) and planted some tomatoes and peppers that Esposito donated and some eggplants that Laura brought with her. Look at all that help from our friends! CJ and Chris loaded and dumped the compost and Nadia, Narissa, and Jamel helped do the planting. They had a ball.

Besides the hard-boiled eggs, we also munched on spinach, onions, chives, sorrel, and the last of the broccoli.

I hope everyone enjoys the weekend.

Mark

Frenchtown Garden Report - 3-1-12

2012-03-02T15:34:00.000-05:00

Hello All,

I had a very laid back time today while all the FSU students weeded away! I know I've said this before, but these FSU students are a real gem. Today we had Jake, Britney, Charlie, and Lauren! Lauren was our original FSU volunteer leader from The Center until she passed the torch to Jake last year. She had some time and decided to stop by. It was great to see her.

So while the FSU folks went crazy on the weeds I hung out with the kids - KJ, Markel, Sequoia, CJ, Narissa, and Alfonso - and we made lettuce-spinach-carrot wraps. We did make some for the workers! We also harvested a good amount of spinach and handed a bag to Ms. Donna, Ms. D, a new rec center staff person who's name I can't bring up right now, and a senior that was there as part of the weekly senior friends day. We also harvested some collard greens for another senior that was there. We also handed a bag of spinach to a woman that was at the playground with her son.

CJ, KJ, and Markel helped me sprinkle grits on the fire ant mounds. Hopefully, that will do something! I think that was about it. Time flew as we chatted and ate.

Next week the FSU students are away for spring break but I'll be there for those that want to come out.

Have a great weekend.

Mark