Good bye to 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, I think we can all be grateful for what we have - our friends, our family, our comfortable lives. We can be proud of our effort for the 2010 Garden and I look forward to 2011 and the second year of our Food Banks' Garden. While the snow covers the ground and darkness comes far too early, we will soon be planting seeds in the greenhouse and tilling the newly warmed soil.

Happy New Years!

And for interest's sake, here is the Farmer's Almanac weather forecast for the prairies for 2011....

Annual Weather Summary: November 2010 to October 2011

Winter will be 2 to 4 degrees C colder than normal, on average, with the coldest weather in mid-January and other cold periods from the second half of December through much of January and in mid- and late February. Precipitation will be a bit above normal, with above-normal snowfall, especially in Manitoba. The heaviest snowfalls will occur in early and mid-November, late December, and late February.

April and May will be much cooler than normal, with near-normal precipitation. Snowfall will be above normal, with late-season snowfalls in early and mid- to late April.

Summer will be drier than normal, with temperatures below normal in Alberta and Saskatchewan and above normal in Manitoba. The hottest temperatures will occur in early to mid-July and mid-August.

September and October will be drier and slightly warmer than normal.

Feedback from the Lethbridge Interfaith Food Bank

"The total weight of produce brought in was 2079.50 pounds, for a value of $4159!  This is absolutely amazing, and considering we didn't have such a great growing season, your garden was definitely one that kept our stock up enough to ensure enough produce for our clients.  Please pass along our thanks to your crew, you guys did a fantastic job!"

Final harvest

The final carrot harvest was completed this week. In total, we donated 2079.5 lbs of produce to the Lethbridge Interfaith Foodbank!

There is a bit of work left to do in preparation for next season's garden. We'll be spreading compost and tidying up the garden in the next few weeks. Then it's time to rest until next year!

Remember - Potluck at Ken's this Wednesday!

Tomato harvest

On September 14 & 15, we harvested tomatoes. They were green but the risk of frost was imminent.

We also harvested peppers, peas, lettuce, carrots and beets.

Our mascot "Jazz" (and our other mascot "Ken")

Approximately 600 lbs

We now have donated approximately 600 lbs and have beets, carrots and the majority of our tomatoes yet to harvest.

The weather is still wet and temperatures are cooling. We have had to prune our tomatoes hoping to encourage ripening. The danger of frost is lurking and we have a contingency plan should we need to harvest the tomatoes before they are ripened.

The beans have finished and the peas are nearing the end. Lettuce is still growing and we have harvested a few eggplants.

We have seeded radishes two weeks ago and plan to have an early fall crop to harvest.

The apple trees on site are nearing ready for picking. We'd love to have extra help when it comes time for this. Let us know if you are able to help!

Harvest

For the past couple weeks, harvest has been under way. We have now delivered about 350 lbs of produce to the Interfaith Food Bank. This includes lettuce, spinach, beets, carrots, peas, beans, some peppers and tomatoes.

Include a cheat sheet with unusual veggies....

An interesting article from another giving garden....

Rain delays

For the past week, volunteer gardeners have been trying to get into the garden to weed and harvest beets and lettuce. It has made watering easier, but we just need a couple days to catch up!

Heat units!

The garden is beginning to flourish. On Thursday, 13 volunteers met to weed the garden, thin carrots and seed lettuce.

On Friday, the first produce was harvested! Lettuce and spinach were delivered the the Interfaith Food Bank.

What we learned? Water the lettuce well before harvesting, harvest when it is as cool as possible or have water in the harvest tub to keep the lettuce from wilting. The gourmet mix proved to be hardier after harvest than the other lettuces (Grand Rapids).

How much water does my horticulture crop require?

Jose´ found a good website from Alberta Agriculture with information on "How much water does my horticulture crop require? When is the best time to water (when is adequate moisture critical)?".