Library Vegetable Garden Update
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Library Vegetable Garden Update


Garlic
November garden photos
Have you walked by Central Library's AFAC vegetable garden recently, and thought, "I wonder what's going on now?" The answer is, a lot!

During November Don Weber (our volunteer from USDA) got the last of the summer crops harvested. All of the bamboo has been removed, and will turned into wood mulch, and the irrigation equipment has been stored for the winter.

Don and Puwen Lee (of AFAC) have also cleared and seeded the main garden with a cover crop of crimson clover and triticale (wheat x rye hybrid), and planted garlic near the kale. Remaining herbs include sage, oregano, thyme, a beleaguered rosemary, chives, and garlic chives. Some of the thai basil has also been left in the garden, as an index of whether frost has finally arrived to our fairly warm location. They also seeded a variety of cover crops on the strip between the parking lot and the tennis courts. It is a bit late in the year, but as the weather has continued to be warm, there is a chance for decent growth. Cover crops enrich the soil by adding organic matter and capturing nutrients which might otherwise be lost to erosion or groundwater, and adding nitrogen in the case of legumes like clover. Watch for labels arriving soon, identifying the cover crops.

Starting in February and March, watch for public workshops on seed-starting and cold frames. The garden will get an early start with cold-hardy plantings such as peas in March, and seedlings such as broccoli and bok choy in April. All this, and the garden won?t even be a year old by then!




- Winter Lettuce Update
On January 7, Don Weber updated us on how the Central Library's vegetable garden has handled the recent cold weather: "In spite of about 15F temps on early Wednesday morning, lettuce survived inside the cold frames, which were covered with flannel...

- Winter In The Vegetable Garden
Don Weber and Puwen Lee have been busy getting the Central Library vegetable garden ready for winter. Two weeks ago, they transplanted the mixed lettuce seedlings (originally planted as seeds in the raised bed garden in August), both inside and outside...

- Garden Talk: Starting Fall Vegetables
Join us Wednesdays 7:00 p.m. at the Central Library Vegetable Garden for our August Garden Talk series. August 3, 7pm - Summer veggies and herbs: Cooking straight from the garden. We?ll see, smell and taste some of the great vegetables and herbs of...

- All About Container Gardening, May 4 At Central
We've turned over the winter crop to prepare our garden for SpringJoin us Wednesdays 7:00 p.m. at the Central Library Vegetable Garden for our Spring Garden Talk series. April 20 - Starting Your Spring Garden USDA research entomologist and Library...

- Vegetable Garden At The Library
Come visit the Central Library for a first-hand look at what it takes to create an urban vegetable garden. Inspired by the Arlington Reads 2010 theme of food sustainability, the Library is partnering with a variety of community organizations and agencies...



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