Irrigation news!
We will be posting irrigation directions on each of the hose reels. Please be aware and read them before using the hoses. The expandable hoses must be completely drained of water before wrapping them on the reel. Be aware of any sharp objects that could puncture any hose as well. Take your time and accomplish your task with purpose.
This Week
Dr. Duckett’s lecture, insects in the garden, turned out to be a lovely evening after the heat of the day. Her depth in knowledge of both beneficial and malicious insects is outstanding!
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Next Week
Workday changes: friday will now be a morning shift (7 am to 10 am)
Workday priorities:
- Cultivate your assigned beds and aisles
- Edge pollination bed outside gate pulling stones above the ground.
- Cardboard and mulch around shed and compost.
Vegetable of the Week: Tomato
Soil Temp for Germ.: 70-90°F
Days to Emergence: 6-14
Seed Depth: 1/4″
Soil Temp. for Trans.: 55°F
Plant Spacing: See below
Row Spacing: 3-4′
Min. Germ.: 80%
Seed Life: 3 years
Seeds per 1/8 gram: ≈ 35-40
Fertilizer Needs: High
Lycopersicon lycopersicum The first ripe, juicy tomato of summer is a delicious milestone of the season for gardeners. Each year we test and evaluate more than 250 tomato varieties to bring you the most flavorful, best performing selections, for every desired use. An array of nutrients and antioxidants including the especially potent lycopene, found in its highest concentration in tomatoes, supports healthy eyesight, cardiovascular health, cancer-fighting capacity, and more.
Culture
- Determinate tomatoes: grow compactly, sprawling laterally, usually do not require staking, and fruit ripens over a short period of time
- Indeterminate tomatoes: grow on long vines, generally require pruning to 1 or 2 leaders that need to be trellised
- Fertile, well drained, raised beds covered with plastic mulch promote early growth and better yields
- Tomatoes are high feeders and will benefit from regular fertilization with Age Old Bloom
- To prevent blossom end rot use a high calcium amendment
- Overwatering can cause fruit to crack
Transplanting
- Sow seeds in trays 6-8 weeks before anticipated transplant date
- Strong light and cooler temperatures (60-70°F) prevent plants from getting leggy
- Fertilize every 10-14 days
- When transplanting work in compost, 1/2 cup of TSC’s Complete fertilizer, and handful of bone meal
- Determinates can be spaced 18-24 inches apart, indeterminates 24-36 inches apart
- Tomatoes can be buried up to the top 2 sets of leaves
Insects & Diseases
- Common insects: Flea beetles and tomato hornworms
- Common diseases: Early and late blight
Harvest & Storage
- Harvest when fully ripe, do not refrigerate for best flavor
- Green fruit should be ripened in a cool, dark area; make sure fruit are not touching
Workday Task List
Weeding
- Perimeter of fence (inside and outside)
- Shed and Compost areas
- Perimeter of communal raised beds
- Pollinator beds outside fenced area
Cleaning and Organizing
- Communal materials
- Shed
- Tools
General Maintenance
- Pulling dead plants and crops
- Repairing Hoses and Irrigation lines
- Repair and maintain rain barrel
- Repairing fence
Seasonal or As needed
- Soil installation
- Woodchip/mulch installation
- Harvesting crops
- Irrigating pollinator beds