The Rains Have Arrived

The Center Avenue Community Garden is getting a very good soak, over 2.5 inches as of mid-day on Friday.

November Growth in the Garden

Here are some pictures from a foggy Monday morning at the Center Avenue Community Garden.

Karen taught a lesson in Brenna's preschool class about the benefits of composting awhile back, and had a great time reading a gardening book to the kids, showing them items that they CAN and CANNOT compost, and helping them plant some sweet pea seeds into these 6-packs.  She took them back to the garden's greenhouse to grow, and sure enough, they've sprouted!

Shelling peas and fava beans are scattered among the sunflowers and tomatoes that are going to seed along Center Avenue.

 Garlic and lettuce are beginning to break through the soil in the new spiral bed along Center Avenue. Thanks Carlos and Jennifer for planting!

 Kale, fava beans, and a few other vegetables are taking to the soil where the Three Sisters grew this Summer.

 Some good-looking chard  and onions.

 Colin charging into the garden, one of his favorite spots to play. The grape along the left side of the entrance is still kicking!

  Cool picture of some chard and kale growing amongst some flowers.

 More fava beans.

 Red Russian Kale

 Not sure what this red leaf is. Anyone know? (Note: Thank you Bob, David, and Jenn who all informed me that this is a Castor Bean plant, and actually poisonous, and SHOUD NOT be eaten - it may have arrived through the wood chips.)

Here's Colin helping keep the garden tidy.  First, he pulls some weeds....

 Then he hitches a ride with them to the compost bin...

  Finally, he tosses them in the bin!  His response? "Let's get some more, Dad."

Colin checking for any dry spots in one of the garden beds.

Apple Box Oven

We went on a Costco run recently, and rather than quickly dropping the box we transported our goods home with into the recycle bin, we re-used it, and transformed it into an outdoor stove-top and oven.

Brenna and Colin made some amazing meals in this oven for a couple of weeks!

Party Favor from the Garden for Colin's 2nd Birthday

I forgot to mention this back in August, but we thought of a fun way to enjoy some sunflower seeds, and promote the Center Avenue Community Garden at the same time.

In early August, we harvested a couple of the Orange sunflowers (Colin's favorite color), let them dry out, and gently pulled out the seeds that were left.

We packed a few seeds together with a little note about the garden, and a link to David's blog, and added them to a simple party favor basket for Colin's friends.

We thought it was a cool way to spread the word, and give others the opportunity to plant a few sunflowers on their own, and hopefully watch them grow!

Roasting Strawberries in the Yard

Wednesday at the Garden

Colin and I stopped by the CACG to drop off our compost, and spent a few minutes running around.  Here are a few quick pics of what's been happening at the garden:

    Colin acting as the gatekeeper in the northeast entrance.  The scarlet runner beans have taken off over the    top of the mulberry branch entrance. David thought there might be some other vegetable growing over as well. Which was it again, David?

              David secured a measuring tool near the greenhouse to catch the rainwater amounts.

    Another view of the entrance.

      I moved the pallet garden bench that Mike and I built underneath the volunteer tree that's been sprouting  up.

     The artichoke plant that was transplanted along Center Ave has found a nice home underneath a  Sunflower.

          Carlos, Jenn, and I planted some lettuce and garlic into the herb spiral near the sign along Center Avenue.

   A variety of vegetables are growing comfortably together in a garden bed along Center Avenue, including red leaf lettuce, kale, calendula, and broccoli, among others.

                    Colin running wind-sprints along Main Street in the garden.