Teaming With Microbes

I picked up this book at the Concord Main library, not sure if it is at the Fowler. It was an enjoyable read, written by an "amateur soil biologist" and columnist on gardening, from Alaska of all places. Turns out the book is quite popular. There is a rich and lively micro world in the 8 inches of soil beneath your feet in your Cousin's garden plot.

http://www.amazon.com/Teaming-Microbes-Gardeners-Guide-Soil/dp/0881927775

Great Meeting Last Night and Not So New Invasives Info

Thanks all for coming last night and making it a successful meeting!

Thanks to Mark and Pamela Hanson, our guest speakers, who joined us to talk about different topics that we're going to put together over next Fall, related to all things gardening. Stay tuned...

I forgot to mention something that we'll need to do during in the month of May after our cleanup April 9th & 10th which is to pull then drop any garlic mustard weeds we might see.  If you're interested in why we want to get rid of this, see this link: http://www.invasive.org/weedcd/pdfs/wow/garlic_mustard.pdf

Pretty nasty stuff!

Let's all be on the lookout around the perimeter of the Garden for this weed and "pull it then drop it" so it doesn't go to seed.

Thanks all!

Spring Meeting March 16th

Attention all Cousins Field Community Gardeners:

We will be having our Spring Meeting at the Harvey Wheeler Community Ctr. inConference Rm. A from 7-9pm on March 16th.

After discussing our gardening business items, we will have a guest speaker, Mr. Mark Hanson, who will be talking about ideas around a Concord Grange. He would like to put together a series of gardening workshops and would like to share some of his ideas as well as ask you about your ideas. You may have seen him before, as last summer he spoke at a workshop at the Main Library during the "Go Green - Think Green" week about composting. 

Please join us at this meeting to welcome both Mark and his wife Pamela as well as to think about ideas for topics that community gardeners may be interested in.

We look forward to seeing you then!

Tomatoes, Calcium and Soil Warming Tips

One of our Gardeners would like some help with these questions below. I'm sure these may be on all of our minds prior to planting season. Please post a reply if you have some ideas, thanks!

• How to avoid tomato blight on our small plots? - There's not that many locations to plant.
• Adding calcium to the soil with egg shells - how much?
• Keeping soil warmer in early season - red plastic, plastic row covers?