Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners, 
Here is some info. I thought I'd pass along from our friends at Gardening for Life. 

See everyone at the Garden cleanup on the Oct. 19/20th weekend.Kitty

According to the Farmers Almanac, we can expect a first frost by October 14 (Columbus Day!). There is lots going on this month. Here is a sampling of programs to consider! If you know of similar events open to the public, please forward to me deb01742@comcast.net (Debbie Barr) to alert our gardening friends. Join the Farm and Garden planning team, come hear about carbon sequestration at a local organic farm, and learn why and how to identify the Asian Long-horned Beetle at a program offered by our friends at the Walden Woods project. 

Coming Up:

Food, Farm and Garden Fair Planning Meeting

Meeting TBD the week of October 21

Based on the success of the Farm and Garden Fair, you are invited to share your expertise and time in creating a new and improved Food, Farm and Garden Fair. Join our well organized and enthusiastic team at a time to be determined the Week of October 21. What programs will we offer? What is our timetable? Where can we find funding?  Complete the doodle scheduler and let us know what works best for you.  Go to: http://doodle.com/73utat5974eaz23v

Tour of Meadow Mist Farm

Sunday, October 20, 2-4 pm.

Meadow Mist is a small organic farm and a site for the Carbon Sequestration Project, otherwise known as carbon capture and storage. How does this affect you?? When you know how much carbon your landscape generates, then you can begin to create a 'carbon budget' and ways to reduce the overall emission of greenhouse gases. The carbon sequestration project aims to measure the amount of carbon the Farm sequesters annually. Limited space. Please RSVP by October 18 to deb01742@comcast.net

Talking about Invasives: MOST WANTED LIST--- Invasive Forest Beetles

October 17, 7 pm at the Thoreau Institute, Lincoln

Presented by the Walden Woods Project and SuAsCo Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area and featuring Jennifer Forman-Orth, PhD, State Plant Pest Survey Coordinator.

According to Columbia University, the Asian Longhorned Beetle  "has the potential to cause more damage than Dutch elm disease, chestnut blight, and gypsy moths combined, destroying millions of acres of America’s treasured hardwoods, including national forests and backyard trees. The beetle has the potential to damage such industries as lumber, maple syrup, nursery, commercial fruit, and tourism accumulating over $41 billion in losses. This is the highest priority to control, as ALB has the potential to alter North American Ecosystems."   Come learn what WE can do to identify this pest. See invitation below: 

The Walden Woods Project October 7, 2013

 

Come to Cousin's Garden on Saturday, Sept. 7th for a 30 min. tour starting at 2pm and running on the hour at 3 & 4pm. See how tiny seeds turn into large vegetables, as well as opportunities to pick a few veggies and take home some seeds for next year.

A map and brochure and light refreshments will be available, as will plenty of gardeners on this day at the front of the garden. Hope to see many of you there!

Late Blight Alert

Late Blight Update for Home Gardeners This from Debbie Barr: This alert is forwarded from the Back Bay Garden Club about what to do if you find late blight on tomatoes.

The University of Massachusetts Plant Diagnostic Lab has confirmed the presence of Late Blight (LB)in Franklin County on tomatoes on July 11. Advice for home gardener clientele: At this point in the season, if symptoms begin appearing on plants, remove plants, place in a plastic bag, seal, and discard in the trash or completely bury plants deep enough underground so plants decompose and will not re-sprout.

Do not put the plants in a compost pile as spores will still spread from this debris.

Visit the websitehttps://extension.umass.edu/vegetable/alerts, for more details, images, and management options. You may also track the spread of the disease at the website USA Blight, www.usablight.org.

- Dave

Composting Tour Rescheduled to 5/22 @4:30 at Keyes Rd.

The composting tour was rescheduled to Wed. May 22nd. Please see below for more details, thanks!

Kitty

Rod Robison, Department of Public Works Environmental Services Program Administrator for the Town of Concord, agreed to reschedule the Composting Station Tour to Wednesday, May 22, 4:30 PM. So.... we hope that those who signed up will come...and invite others to join us who may have been unable to at the original time. Come on your own, or bring a friend!

If you want to sign up now, please do so before May 20 by emailing: deb01742@comcast.net.

Thanks!

Seedling Sale At the Food Project in Lincoln Memorial Day Weekend

Fellow Gardeners!
We have word of a HUGE plant sale going on in Lincoln Memorial Day weekend. The sale supports the efforts of the non-profit and very cool group The Food Project. Join them at their farm in Lincoln, Mass., for a three-day seedling sale on Memorial Day weekend. They will be selling over 60 varieties of vegetable, flower, and herb seedlings, including 21 varieties of tomatoes!
See you there!
WHEN:
Saturday, May 25 - Monday, May 27 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. each day Rain or shine
WHERE:
The Food Project's Lincoln Farm Under the Big, White Tent Route 126 & Baker Bridge Road Lincoln, MA 01773
PRICING:
4- or 6-packs: $5 each Singles: $3 each or two for $5
- Dave Stacey

Concord Seed Lending LIbrary now open!

The Concord Seed Lending Library has opened it's doors and is available anytime the Fowler Branch Library is open:

M - 9am - 7pm
Tu - 9am - 6pm
We - 9am - 6pm
Th - 1pm - 6pm
Fr - 9am - 5pm
Sa - 9am - 5pm

How does it work?

1. Come in to Fowler, go downstairs and browse through the seed cabinet to see what we have. Pick out some packages to "borrow" from the Super Easy or Easy seed drawers (if you'll be returning seed) or some packages from the Difficult drawers (but do not return these for now until we've developed seed saving classes for these types of plants). You may see some new varieties you've never grown before!

2. Sign them out on the sign out form. Bring them home and plant them. Grow them out and enjoy your harvest of a few of your plants then let a couple of your best plants go to seed. 

3. At the end of the season when your plants have gone to seed, gather the seeds from those plants and "return" some of your seeds for the library to restock their cabinet, keep the rest of the seeds for yourself for the Spring. Not sure how to save seed, see here. Next year,  come back and borrow some more seeds to start the cycle again! 

Why should you do this?

It's economical, you get to try new varieties that you've never tried before, you are supporting a community effort which is encouraging seed saving and you can feel good about keeping the seeds locally adapted to our Concord environment and weather. Please note that we're supplementing your regular garden plantings, we're not a store as we have only so much donated seed. 

Please come on by and take a look and choose some new varieties that you'd like to try today!

Composing Tour and Talk - May 8th, 4:30 - 6pm @Town Landfill Composting Station, Concord, MA

Hello Cousins Field Community Gardeners,

If you'd like to learn more about how to compost, come to this talk! This is good info to make our gardens healthier and happier. Please RSVP to deb01742@comcast.net so Debbie Barr knows how many to expect.

Thanks,

Kitty

SAVE YOUR PLACE ON THE COMPOSTING TOUR AND TALK

How to Compost (so your garden will thank you!) 

Rod Robison, Town of Concord Environmental Services 

Wed. May 8, 4:30-6 PM, @ the Town Landfill Composting Station and a nearby private home 

Learn about Town composting with Rod Robison, Program Administrator, Environmental Services, held at the DPW composting station; followed by a nearby private home composting tour and demo (directions provided at the Composting Station) and vermi-culture group order pick up with Ray Pourali, Green Planet.

Concord Public Works manages a drop-off program for yard waste recycling that is open to all Concord residents. Compost and wood chips made from collected yard waste are available for free to all Concord residents. RSVP for details: deb01742@comcast.net. We will meet at the Walden Street entrance (Rt 126), just across Rt 2, on the left before you reach Walden Pond. 

and if that's not enough...

Group order for Vermi-Composting Kits and Tea!

Some of you have asked if there are alternate ways to pick up vermi-culture products if you can't join us for the Composting Tour and Talk on May 8.  The answer is YES....we can work out other dates to pick up at my house. Please place your orders by Monday, May 6  so Ray of Green Planet will bring enough for everyone. (email deb01742@comcast.net). Kits are $10 (one per outdoor composter works just fine for my 2 person household); Compost tea comes in pint ($7) and gallon ($20). I spray on seedlings using greatly diluted tea to reduce susceptibility to pests and disease.  

Growing Your Own- Part 2: Herb Cultivation and Uses - Tues. April 9th, 7:30 at Harvey Wheeler

Hello Gardeners,

 Just a note to let you know about another garden-related event about herbs. Hope you might consider attending...

 Thanks,

Kitty

   

Growing Your Own- Part 2: Herb Cultivation and Uses

Cathy Hansgate, Ladybug Farm Produce

Tuesday, April 9, 7:30 PM at Harvey Wheeler Community Center, West Concord

What are the top 10 herbs you like to grow? Can you grow herbs in the shade? Which ones are good companion plants for vegetables? How can I grow herbs in containers?? Find answers to these and other questions, as we take a closer look at herb cultivation and uses with small farm owner Cathy Hansgate, Ladybug Farm.  Cathy specializes in cut herbs, vinegars and other herbal products. She now uses organic, nutrient-dense, sustainable practices to grow veggies, herbs and fruit, and is a member of NOFA-Mass., NOFA-NY, New England Hops Alliance, and the Mass. Farm Bureau. 

The program is free though donations are welcomed. Please help spread the word by sending this message to your friends...or members! You are our best ambassadors to gardeners of all skill levels. THANK YOU!  

RSVP to ensure your seat at the table. RSVP by April 7 to  deb01742@comcast.net For details, go to. www.concordfood.ning.com

Seedy Sunday at Concord Fowler Branch Library 4/7/13 from 1-3pm

Hello Gardeners,

We hope you can join us next Sunday at the Fowler Branch Library for a "Seedy Sunday" event to help get the Seed Lending Library ready for it's opening on Earth Day, April 22nd. Please see the details below:

Welcome to Seedy Sunday!

Sunday, April 7^th

1:00pm to 3:00pm

Concord Fowler Branch Library

1322 Main St. Concord MA

Learn about our new Seed Lending Library

Donate open pollinated, and/or heirloom seeds to the seed lending library

 Sign up to help get the library ready to open on Earth Day, April 22^nd

We need helping hands to sort seeds, package seeds, and to stock the seed cabinet

Volunteer to be one of the maintenance crew ensuring that the cabinet is always stocked

Tell us what kind of seed saving and gardening classes you need and want

Meet area gardeners and we’ll have a fun, sharing afternoon together

Light refreshments will be served
www.concordseedlendinglibrary.org

"One Seed at a Time" Event at the Museum of Science 3/13

Hello Gardeners,

The Concord Seed Lending Library will be represented at a table by Enid Boasberg and myself, after the speakers presentation, from 8-9pm this Wed. 3/13 at the Museum of Science. Hope some of you may consider dropping by!

Kitty

A RENO FAMILY FOUNDATION SYMPOSIUM

One Seed at a Time Wednesday, March 13 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm Admission: $15 | Buy Tickets With Cary Fowler, PhD, special advisor, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust and The Fruit Hunters creative team. Tucked away beneath the snow of the Arctic Circle is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Sometimes called "the doomsday vault," it's nothing less than a backup of the planet's horticultural biodiversity. Inside the vault, Dr. Cary Fowler and his team work with seeds from hundreds of crops that have nurtured humanity since our ancestors began tilling the soil. Their goal: to ensure that the world's food supply can survive the dangers of disease, famine, climate change, and identical GMOs. Nearer the equator, documentary filmmaker Yung Chang shows us how intertwined we are with the fruits we eat in The Fruit Hunters. Guided by devoted exotic fruit lovers, he takes us on a cinematic odyssey through nature and commerce, changing not only the way we look at what we eat, but how we view our relationship to the natural world. Following the program, taste a selection of exotic fruits and enjoy a cash bar, featuring tropical Bellinis. Learn how to extract and save seeds, where to trade, exchange or swap, and make seed "bombs" for random acts of gardening--just throw and grow! Funding provided by the Reno Family Foundation Fund

LAST CALL: SEEDS OF CHANGE: RECLAIM THE LEGACY OF SEED SAVING

This week, Thursday, March 14, 7:30 PM  

Bryan Connolly, field botanist, State Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program 

Thoreau Farm, 341 Virginia Road, Concord. 

Add "how to save seeds" to your gardening skills tool kit!  

Collecting locally adapted seeds is part of our agricultural heritage and an essential part in growing our own food.  We will learn about the history and utility of seed saving in the context of climate change,  including the seed sowing and saving cycle, self pollinating crops to grow, methods to isolate cross pollinating plants, seed borne pathogens, seed cleaning and storage. We may still buy seeds from companies and swap with friends...but it is possible to start saving seeds this growing season! Come learn how. Bring a friend...or come on your own! 

Connolly is a homestead farmer, FEDCO seed producer, and author of the Northeastern Organic Farming Association seed production handbook, the "Wisdom of Plant Heritage". 

Please consider bringing your leftover open pollinated seed from last year to donate to the Concord Seed Lending Library.

The program is free though we welcome donations to offset program cost and/or contributions of seeds for the opening of the Concord Seed Lending Library in April. Space is limited!   Please RSVP to deb01742@comcast.net. For details, go to www.concordfood.ning.com.

Gardening for Life, ConcordCAN!,  the Concord Seed Lending Library and Thoreau Farm are co-sponsors of this event.

"Seeds of Change" event Thurs. March 14th at 7:30 at Thoreau Farm

 

Find out how you can easily save seeds this summer and help grow the Concord Seed Lending Library. Join us on Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 PM at Thoreau Farm, 341 Virginia Road, Concord.  

Hope to see you there!
Kitty

Lots of events coming up!

Hello Gardeners,

Please take a look at these interesting garden/food-related events from the Gardening for Life folks, coming up. We are all invited. I hope you find them interesting and get to attend several.

Kitty


GARDENING FOR LIFE NEWS

Come join us for Grow Your Food 101 with Meighan Mathews, Growing for Good and Linda Ugelow, Dancing Tomato Farm Tu. February 5, 7:30 PM @Harvey Wheeler Community Center. SPACE IS LIMITED. PLEASE RSVP TO deb01742@comcast.net

To help us bring our garden dreams to reality, join us for a presentation by two skilled speakers who will help you begin planning a small food garden before the growing season has begun. We will discuss compost, building the garden site, fencing, cold frames, seed ordering, starting seedlings at home, and lots more. Ideas - and handouts - presented to both inspire and educate. Grow Your Food: 101 has been a hit for the past three years with gardeners of varied experience. The program is free, though donations to cover costs are welcomed.  Space is limited.  RSVP by February 1 to deb01742@comcast.net.  

NEXT UP:

JOINT FEDCO SEED ORDER organized by Debbie Bier for home gardeners, community and small scale farmers is coming SOON. Deadline for the group order and details to follow at our February 5 program. Thank you Debbie!

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 17, 7 pm at Fenn School: the CONCORD MUSEUM FARM TO LECTERN SERIES PRESENTS 

JOEL SALATIN (Free, but you must RSVP!)

Joel Salatin is a full-time farmer at Polyface, a multi-generational, “beyond organic” farmYy in Virginia. Author of Folks, This Ain’t Normal -  Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World (on the Concord Reads booklist),  Salatin speaks in defense of small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. His humorous and conviction-based speeches are akin to theatrical performances, often receiving standing ovations. Book signing to follow. 7:00 p.m. at Fenn School; RSVP  978-369-9763  ext. 216.

WINTER FARMER'S MARKET

Wayland Winter Farmers' Market takes place weekly on Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM through March 9.  The market is located in the greenhouses of Russell's Garden Center, 397 Boston Post Road, Wayland, Massachusetts. Questions?  Call:  508-358-2283 .

GO TO:  http://www.russellsgardencenter.com/wayland_winter_mkt.html to see which vendors will be there each week.  

FEDCO seed order coming up!

Hello all,

Debbie Bier is putting together another FEDCO seed group order which we are invited to participate in, if you like. I know I'm going to! Please see the details below and note the order is due by Feb. 25th! Thanks.

Kitty

I have opened 2 group orders for Fedco (http://www.fedcoseeds.com). One for seeds, the other for Moose Tubers (potatoes and onions sets, etc).  You may join in either or both to enjoy discounted prices and savings on group shipping. Our group is concordma

WHY FEDCO? They are a cooperative, have good pricing, are sworn to not get seed from any source that sells GMOs, are New England based, they have many heirloom varieties, and much of their seed is grown in New England.

DISCOUNT. What discount? We don't know yet.  Last year we saved 30%!  It depends upon the total ordered by the group. The more we order as a group, the higher the discount. Last year, we had over $600 in combined orders, so qualified for 30% off. 

Whatever discount rate we qualify for as a group will be the rate we get through mid-September for additional group orders. There is a minimum for a group order - something like $25 or $50. If folks want another order with a later closing date, I will open another one when this one is over... Let me know. 

DEADLINES. I have set the deadline earlier this year.  It takes a couple of weeks after the order is closed to get the seeds. I will let you know when they arrive. Please see the deadline info below. Use the order numbers when you check out instead of paying Fedco (you will pay me instead). 

PAYMENT. Here is how payment will work this year. I have in the past floated the group the total and had you pay me when you picked up your orders. I found that our big order is not something I can manage to float for the group. So this year I ask that when you check out your order, that you send me payment in full for it. Check, cash or paypal to this email address work fine.  I WILL OWE EVERYONE $ when the seeds come in. That will be for the group discount due you, and any out of stock items.  I'm sorry, but I cannot extend the group discount to anyone who doesn't pay me within 5 days of order closing (see dates below). 

FEDCO WEBSITE. You can save an in-progress shopping cart on their site, which is really helpful! Just sign in with your email address and zip code. You can finalize and check out your order any time before 5 pm on the dates below.  

This is what cooperation for mutual benefit looks like!  None if us could qualify for discounted pricing alone. Thank you all.

GROUP NAME: concordma Seeds: 99064, deadline Feb 25, 2013' 5 pm Moose tubers: 69037, deadline March 1, 2013, 5 pm

Best,

Debbie Bier

63 Prescott Rd, Concord

 978 884-4769  (cell)

 978 369-8454  (direct)