From Boggy Creek Farm we took off in the direction of Austin Farmers’ Market.  It expanded over the entire park with all sorts of vendors selling vegetables, mushrooms, meat, cheese, pottery, granola.  It was pleasing to the eye and there was a vendor that sold delicious Kombucha.  Kombucha makes a tea that has been fermented so there are living probiotics in it.  It has a very pleasing taste with a nice zing.  The group also wanted to check out another farmers’ market, Barton Springs Farmers’ Market.  Vendors were similar, as its normal for them to attend multiple different markets, but some were different.  There was a guy who baked wonderful tasting bread.  A woman sat in a booth next to the crazy Koop guys (it is a local Austin radio station) and wrote poems on the spot.  With a little information you would give to her she typed up a poem in about ten minutes on a typewriter.  It was ready for you to take and she did it only for a donation.

The group caravanned over to Deep Eddy Community Garden next and met up the garden coordinator.  This community garden is unique because it is on land that the Texas Parks and Recreation owns.   The place had a communal compost pile and a few other communal plants like rosemary.  There were many plant varieties and it was really neat to see some of the plants go to seed.  In our garden the plants are usually pulled up before then to make more room for new producing plants.  With so many plants flowering it really made me want to try to save our own seed and like Beau has suggested many times, have our own seed bank.  Sunshine Community Gardens is the final stopping destination.  This community garden is significantly larger and has a really big composting facility.  In both community gardens there are signs posted in which piles to dump in and which to not.  Having something similar would be awesome so we can make and use all our own compost, too!

That was our great field trip, which was incredible and an absolute blast.  I think I can speak for everyone and say that it was a very successful and amazing Saturday to spend it in the city of Austin under the delightful sun and amongst gardeners and farmers.  It is a lifestyle worth living, or at least worth recognizing.

We were literally running around to seven different destinations accomplishing a puzzle/task and getting our next clue.  It was a race to run to the finish line in the shortest amount of time.  Our two groups, which consisted mostly of community garden members, dominated with receiving a 1st place prize and a 3rd place prize.

Coming together as a group outside of the garden was great and I really enjoyed to see it happen.  We should do more like this!

Flowers to include:

Tithonia, Zinnia, Celosia, Amaranth, Ornamental Peppers, Sunflowers, Cannas, Nicotinia, Pupmpkin tree, Gloriosa Daisy, Achillea, Asclepias, Basil – ornamental, Echinacea, Eucalyptus, Gaillardia Annual, Gomphrena, Helianthus (Sunflower), Lisianthus, Marigold, Monarda, Ornamental grass annual, Rudbeckia, Salvia.

All are a possibility to make wonderful cut flowers.

If there is preference or want input then come volunteer to help plant starting April 11th.  Alex will be giving a seeding teach-in, so there is double opportunity to learn!

What we don’t want happening this summer is a complete overgrowth with weeds.  For the plots that are abandoned we need to come up with some clever ideas to keep them from being overgrown with weeds.

Are there any ideas out there now?  If we can prevent it, we won’t have to till in August!   It just depends on how bad the weed growth is.

I would hate to see the produce that you all put so much time in go to waste, so I think that it can definitely be donated, but we need to ensure that the growth of weeds do not overtake the garden.  For those who have a plot, I was thinking that you can lay day mulch in your plot before you leave for the summer, and the people that stay here can put in a communal effort for upkeep.

One example of companion planting I am actually trying is known as the three sisters.  These three plants get along wonderfully together and has been the Indian method of planting for years.  Corn, beans, and squash.  Planting the corn first and letting it grow give the beans and squash a pole to climb up onto.  Rather than having to install a trellis for the plants, the corn acts as it.

Dated photos of your plants each week( or whenever) would help us to share your social experience with the garden as well as your valuable contemplations of your relationship with your plot and your particular management techniques. It will be a fun adventure!

If you happen to have any love poems or moving stick figure masterpieces concerning your plot or the garden, that would be cool. Anything to strengthen your shrine to your plot adventures. If you have an interesting dream about your plot, or have compliled hardcore research data, or are scared for your plots life and happiness and need advice…post about it!

Ladybugs and lacewings do eat aphids and will help control the problem!  I have seen many in the garden lately, too!  I had read the spraying the plant down with a powerful spray of water is helpful to get them off.  I am not sure if it will cure the problem, it may help.  Taking the leaves off that are infected is another technique that helps, too.  Although, the plant may need to just be forfeited and taken out so other plants won’t be infected.

Regularly checking your garden and removing what is infected by aphids help it from spreading.  They do spread at quick rates.

Eliminating ants will also help  aphids from proliferating.  The ants like to eat the sweet, sugary sap secreted by the aphids.  The other beneficial bugs like ladybugs and lacewings will not want to come around the ants.

An aphid solution I found mix a cup of vegetable oil and a tbsp of liquid dish soap.  For every one and a half teaspoon of this mixture add it to a cup of warm water to a spray bottle, so it can easily be sprayed on plants.  Try this just to see if it would work and it’s nontoxic!

I hope this helps, if you have any more suggestions, add them.

I was wanting to grow a communal corn plot!  We have a few extra plots that need to be adopted and having a communal plot would be great for the area!!

One of the benefits of growing your own corn is enjoying the great flavor of it!  I plan to have a sweet corn variety and another that I haven’t yet decided on.  I’ll pick up another variety from Producers on Saturday.

To plant on Sunday we will have to till the plot before planting, so getting all volunteers would be great!

Any other great communal plot ideas?  I was also thinking of a cut flower garden.