Snow White Oyster Mushrooms

What a thrill to glance at the "mushroom logs" and discover this gigantic oyster mushroom! Thanks to a "mushroom log" workshop conducted by Stephen Conaway of the Greenwich Land Trust on Feb. 27th, 2016, our group is now enjoying oyster mushrooms and shitakes as well. There's no end to the exciting experiences one can have in the garden. 

Time to start thinking about putting the garden "to bed" for the upcoming winter months. But, first, do plant your garlic cloves soon so you can enjoy your harvest next summer.

Garden in Full Glory

 

Since May, Nancy Juarez' garden project has zoomed along. But why explain all the details. The photos should give you a sense of what she has accomplished in 3 months: built raised beds, filled with soil and planted, added wood chips to pathways, added supports for vertical gardening,  fenced in the area, planted flowers in the border, and is now harvesting lots of vegetables and sharing with everyone who crosses her path. BRAVA!

What Should I Do as a Senior Project?

Here's what a student at Westhill HS in Stamford, CT decided to do. Nancy Juarez wanted to create a vegetable garden for the school community, something that she could "give" to her school as a parting gift. So she and her Dad built 9 large raised beds- about 4' by 13' by 10" deep. She  got rich soil to fill them, black fabric mulch to prevent weeds between the beds, and lots of wood chips to cover the fabric. Then she framed in the whole area to prevent the wood chips from spilling out onto the adjacent grass and road surfaces and to provide an area for a flower border as well. Next step: planting the beds- the fun part and the most creative element yet. Kudos to a young woman with great heart and great energy. What an honor to know her. Let's keep growing.

Seeds and Seeds and More Seeds

What would you do if someone said, "Give Designs by Lee a call. They have seeds left over from last year and are happy to give them to you to distribute to the schools' vegetable gardens." YES! I went over to the nursery - different feeling at this time of year- expecting to be given a small basket of seed packets. What I was offered was the equivalent of a full bushel.  I asked if they were to be shared with anyone else. "No, they're for you." Merci Beaucoup! How wonderful to know that others think of our school project and let us enjoy their kindness and generosity. I spent about 3 hours sorting, alphabetizing, and bagging them up for distribution. My dining room table is bursting with seeds. What a happy feeling!
Bottom Line: ask your local nurseries if they have leftover seeds. They can't sell them but most seeds will be viable for much longer than the year stamped on the packet.
Snow outside. Seeds on the table. Spring will come. Life is good!