2 weeks

I have been really busy this week with work now that I am back in the schedule and the next few weeks are going to be the same. But I want to lay out the last few weeks.

2 weeks plan:
-Turn compost. It has been getting a lot of rain and is quite wet. So I think if i add some new brown to the top then turn it, it will help to suck up some of that extra moisture.
-Talk to Mr. Creagan
-Go to Dryden
-Lay out work days for final papers. I want to get a sense of how long I need for each piece needed for the presentation and plan them out so that I am not rushed.
-Work out presentation delivery. I think I want to do a composting demonstration.
-See a few presentations. I want to attend a few more than the required two presentations to get a sense of how people are going about presenting and what works and what doesn't.

Interview and CSA

I talked with Mr. Creagan today and asked if we could get together and talk about gardening and composting. He sounded excited to share his knowledge and I am excited to see what he has to offer that I can use. He has been gardening for over 30 years so I assume that he will have some good advice and tips.
I wanted to go to the CSA owned by a teacher at IHS, Mrs. Sherman, and another couple in Dryden but didn't find time until the weekend and when I got online to see if they were open I found that they are only open on thursdays. So I am going to take a trip out there on thursday to see if they have any information or maybe to set up a personal visit with them to see the farm or just talk to them.

Checking some things off the to do list

My plants seem to be doing okay and are enjoying the sun. I placed a bunch of compost round each little mound where there are seedlings. I am a little worried about the amount of soil there is for the plants as they grow. I might buy some more soil and when the seedlings are strong enough i may pull the, up and lay for topsoil to ensure they have enough room to grow. Also the compost seems to be coming along well and I plan to add some of the old compost to the new compost to help it along.

2 Week Plan

Here is my plan for the next two weeks:

-Continue Building Compost (In progress, some old compost has been transfered to new compost to help with the beginning processes of composting.)
-Talk to Mr. Creagan or another teacher about gardening or local gardening
-Grow plants and separate them once there are healthy plants, they are clumped in groups now (This may take longer than two weeks.)
-Spread existing compost on garden (Done)
-Interview someone
-Go to Organic CSA in Dryden

Laying Compost

Our gardener made sure that I was going to put compost in the garden so I want to get that laid in as soon as possible, maybe tomorrow. I have to work around a fence. I might just take a piece of the fence off rather than going around to the door, and up stairs. The screws are pretty stripped so it may be a challenge.

My new compost pile has begun to take shape! I have a whole bunch of dead brown stuff from my neighbor, who did a bunch of yard work over the weekend, which made me very happy. So It is new but hopefully I will get some action started within the next 4-5 weeks. I am a little worried about the walls of the compost but they seem to be holding up for now. I may have to move some dirt in around the sides once it begins to grow to ensure the integrity of the walls.

Spacing and Planning

Tomatoes: Tomatoes need approximately 2 feet in between each plant. This is for staked tomato plants which is the way I think I am going to grow my tomatoes. Tomatoes like warmer temperatures, so I will plant them on the sunny half of the garden.

Zucchini: One healthy plant about two feet apart. Zucchini like moderate temperatures, so for spacing purposes they will go on the shady half.

Cucumber: One plant every 12 inches. Cucumbers like to be warm and will be on the sunny half.

Peppers: One plant 18 to 24 inches apart. Peppers will not fruit if it is too hot, so I will plant the on the shady half.

Spinach: Spinach plants can be within a couple inches of each other. It also makes harvesting easier when they are closer.

Lettuce: Seedlings can be planted about 4 inches apart.

After looking at these spacing needs I think I am going to plant my seeds long ways, rather than the original idea of planting them perpendicular to the fence. I will post a picture of my new plan soon. I am going to plant the spinach and lettuce at the very end, perpendicular to the rest of the garden. The fence makes a corner and more shade at the end. Spinach and Lettuce like cooler temperatures and will do better mostly out of the sun.

"Tomato - Vegetable Directory - Watch Your Garden Grow - University of Illinois Extension." University of Illinois Extension-Urban Programs Resource Network - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. University of Illinois. Web. 29 Apr. 2011. .
All of the info is from this University of Illinois Vegetable Dictionary, but i have here only the tomatoes cited.

Mentor meeting 3/8

I met with Ms. Amodeo today. We talked about how last week went and how effective it was for me to make specific goals for myself to accomplish during the week. I got all three of my planned goals finished and was ready to move on to the next thing. Now that my seeds are planted there is little left to do in my hands for a couple days except water them. Ms. Amodeo and I talked about making sure that i do some more research which I find to be really helpful for learning about each individual plant and what it needs.

Compost Worries

Due to the snow I am a little worried about turning my compost. Although turning is necessary, adding too much water can harm the microorganisms. I guess that I will turn it anyways because it is such a small amount of water for such a large pile. I feel as though, it shouldn't harm it in the long run, seeing as water will seep through or evaporate. However, only time will tell.

Planting and CCE Gardening

The seeds are in their little starting egg cartons, in the window sill, and watered. So hopefully they will begin to grow. I did only one or two seeds per cell so this is kind of an experiment to see how they will do. The only worry I have right now is that the cold from the window causing a problem for the plants. I have other plants in the house near a window and they seem to do fine, but I will have to wait and see. Once those get started I might move them to a larger pot until it starts to warm up and the garden gets ready.
I was pretty busy this week so I did not attend a Cornell Cooperative Extension Gardening meeting like I thought. However, it turns out there is a discussion panel that is focusing on Home food production. This fits what I am doing so perfectly and I am very excited to listen to what some specialists in the area have to offer about home gardening.

Mentor Meeting 3/1

I met with Ms. Amodeo this week and she helped me to kind of lay down some goals for myself to complete.
- Turn my compost
- Plant all of my seeds
- Look into events at Cornell Co-operative Extension

I have a pretty busy weekend but I am going to try and fit all of these things in.

Compost, and Grow Lights and Planning, Oh my!

Today I went out to my families compost pile to take a look at what kind of shape it is in. Due to the snow it is kind of hard to assess the state in which it currently is but I know that it need to be turned. Turning compost allows for new food to reach the microorganisms that are break the yard and food waste down. By turning you increase the rate at which your waste turns into fully developed compost. It is supposed to be a little warmer this week so hopefully I might lose enough snow to successfully turn the compost sometime this week.
I got a magazine in the mail yesterday from a gardening supply store. This was by pure chance that I received it but it might turn out to be helpful. It focuses mostly on raised box garden (which I am not doing) but has a bunch of product that I might be able to copy that assist in growing, such as structures that allow something on which plants can grow.
I also began talking with my parents about where I will be able to set up my seedlings. We talked about using egg cartons as little grow pots so that I don't have to go out and buy special for my plants. We have also decided on a west facing window in which I can place my plants to try and grow them on natural light. If I find that isn't working due to the lack of sunlight I might set up some grow lights in our laundry room so that they can live there until it is spring!

Planning

Today, I went through The Encyclopedia of Vegetable Gardening and marked down many varieties and types of vegetables and herbs that I want to put in my garden. I know that I want to put lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, and beans in the garden. I also want to plant rosemary, thyme, oregano, and garlic. However I might add plants later as I find more. I also want to plant some flowers around the garden.
I found a new community member/ teacher that I want to look into talking to. Her name is Mrs. Sherman and her husband is in charge of a local organic CSA. He will be very helpful in tips for helping to keep my garden healthy and sticking to organics.