One of the New Eden gardeners introduced us to this cool website. On growveg.com you can plan your garden, get reminders of when to plants your different veggies, good gardening tips and more. Click here to get more info.
Online Garden Planning Tool

New Eden’s Spring Workshops Series begin April 17th

New Eden’s Spring Workshops are here!

We are very excited about our upcoming Spring workshop series. In addition to our tried and true organic gardening classes through NOFA and our own Green Artist and NOFA certified instructor Deb Cinamon Whalen, we now have more specialized classes in organic gardening. We also have a series of workshops on raising chickens, growing mushrooms, and a 3-day workshop on building a clay bread oven with guest instructor Jonah Vitale-Wolff of Hudson Valley Natural Builders. New this year, is our on-line registration through Meerkat Tickets. Register Online or go to Workshop Page

Please note that Sheet Mulch and Double Dig workshops have been postponed until May 1st rain date.

Time to Start Those Indoor Seedlings

As temperatures dip tonight to fifteen degrees its a pleasure to look at all my little seedlings waiting patiently for last week’s

Pressing seed blocker into moistened seed starting mix.

tease of balmy weather to be more consistent.  Different vegetables thrive under different growing conditions. Most members of the cabbage (Brassicaceae) family are cool weather crops and need to be multi-leaved young plants when they are set out in mid April. Broccoli and Cabbage should be started indoor as early as 12 weeks before our average last frost date of May 15 so they have enough time to come to maturity before the hot weather arrives and they become toast.  Many of the veggie members of the Nightshade  or Tobacco family (Solanaceae) such as peppers, eggplants and tomatoes are tender, warm weather vegetables that require a longer growing season than our New England climate can provide. Time  is running out for starting pepper and eggplant seedlings as require a 9 week head start when they are planted around Memorial Day. The time for planting tomato seeds is around April 1.

Putting pressure on the seed block compresses the soil into 2" square soil cubes.

This year at New Eden, we invested in a couple of soil blockers to make our own dirt seed blocks. I used some left over seed starting mix and they held together quite well until I left a few out in last weeks deluge .

Charlotte Dion, our Permaculture expert and all around garden mentor, recommends Eliot Coleman’s ( 4 Season Gardening) seed starting mix:

Mix together

2 10-quart buckets of sustainable peat or choir, 1/2 cup lime, and 2 cups of azomite (mineral rich, volcanic ash).

Add

2 10-quart buckets  of sand, 2 more buckets of peat or choir, 1 cup of phosphate, 1 cup of greensand, 1 cup of bloodsandmeal and 1 more cup of azomite.

Mix well and add

My first soil block. See her little dimple for placing the seed? Isn't she cute?

1 10-quart bucket of compost and 1 bucket of soil and mix again. Add water until soggy and start making blocks.

This sounds like an amazing  formula for uber seedlings. I’m going to try this next year.

While the brassicas like cooler temperatures to  germinate like the 50’s and 60’s. Peppers and Eggplants like it warm into the higher 70’s and 80’s. To get the warmer tempatures I put my nightshades by the furnace and cover them in a plastic bag so they do not dry out. Keeping seeds in plastic till they sprout is one way to make sure they stay evenly moist. Make sure you look at them daily as seeds will sprout more quickly in room tempatures and you don’t want to” keep them in the dark” once they sprout.

After the seeds have sprouted, it is best to water your seedling from below so as not to drown your tender seedlings  to help avert the dreaded “damping off” fungus. Make sure that your seedlings get enough sunlight or at least 14 hours exposure via gro-lite or florescent lights at just a 6 inches above the plants to keep your seedlings from getting leggy.

Introductions!

Here are the girls… They don’t have names yet.  This is a privilege we are reserving for the first term  chicken co-op share holders.  We hope you’ll get to know each of them and love them as we do.  (I will be adding more information about each chick in time…Breed, qualities, likes, dislikes, etc…)

Aren’t they wonderful.  I am in love… :)

-Mary

To Till or Not to Till Revisited

Spring has arrived and with it the task of soil preparation for planting. If you have an established plot this could be as simple as sprinkling compost and minerals to rake in. If you’re new it will require a bit more work.

There’s lots of lively debate over the various methods used by both large and small growers. I hope my brief comparison of some of these methods will be helpful to you.

Plowing: When New Eden was first established the former meadow was turned under with a plow. This was appropriate initially to break up thick sod and compacted soil in a large area. It’s not necessary or desirable to plow again now that paths and garden plots are in place and the sod has been subdued.

Cons: Plowing damages soil structure and beneficial organisms that will not recover with repeated use. Topsoil is more susceptible to erosion with deep furrows. This technique uses petroleum fuels that release toxins into the air and surrounding soil. It also requires expensive equipment.

Double digging is promoted by Bio-Intensive growers as a means of creating deep, rich soil with human power rather than petroleum. It requires hand digging to a depth of 2 feet with the sub soil kept separate from the topsoil. Usually done in a raised bed which reduces or eliminates soil erosion. This is a great way to start a new bed in an area with compacted soil, large rocks, sod and weeds. It allows easy incorporation of organic matter and mineral supplements into the soil.

Cons:Soil structure is damaged along with beneficial organisms and mycelium, but they will recover and the double dig is only done once. It is a lot of work for those of us with older spines. Don’t try to double dig near trees or shrubs or you will lose the battle to the woody roots.

Broad fork also know as U - bar

Sheet Mulching is an ancient technique that requires no digging except to remove large rocks and persistent weeds such as witch grass. With this method raw compost, manure, seaweed etc is spread on the soil then covered with alternating layers of cardboard and more compostables along with mineral amendments.
This method works well in areas near tree and shrub roots.

Cons: It will take a few months for sheet mulched beds to get to optimal performance. Requires a lot of organic matter and carbon matter to make the initial beds.

Rototiller: Easy and fast way to chomp up a bit of soil.

Cons: Repeated use of a rototiller can create an impermeable hard pan at the level where the tines burnish the subsoil. This sort of tillage mixes subsoil into topsoil to the detriment of both . Petroleum fueled tillers don’t have an emissions standard so we won’t know what they might deposit on the garden beds. I would suggest a kinder and gentler tool for those with established plots…

The broadfork! Which has been promoted by such luminaries as Eliot Coleman and John Jeavons. This is a great human powered tool that we can all use to aerate and loosen the soil without doing damage to our micro system allies. It’s also easier to wield than other implements for those who might not want to dig too deep.

That’s enough for now except to wish you all happy digging!

New Eden Community Garden Plots are now Availble for the 2010 Growing Season

The New Eden Collaborative of First Parish Church’s Organic Community Garden is now in it’s third year and has grown from 12 to 39  garden plots.We are looking forward to a great growing season for 2010.   As of January 5, there are several small 150′ plots still available.

2010 garden plot plan designed by Stephenie Strogney of the Green Artists League

Want to learn more about the New Eden Community Garden? For downloads of  our organic gardening guidelines, application form, garden covenant and other cool stuff, go to the garden tab at the top of this page.  Anyone interested in joining the New Eden Community Garden should contact Erin Stack, the garden coordinator via this website to see if plots are still available.  Application forms are not accepted without pre-approval by the NEC garden coordinator.

New Eden Collaborative and Friends Come together to Raise Alarm for Climate Change

NEC and Friends. The mutant frog at the far right of the banner is GAL artist Pam Perkins.

Members of First Parish Church Newbury, joined New Eden Community Gardeners, Transition Newburyport, the Green

New Eden gardener Jude Platteborze rings the bell to call people to action

Artists League, and students from Newburyport High School’s Environmental Club for an afternoon of music, banner making, and solidarity to raise awareness of the need to lower global carbon emissions to lessen climate change. The Environmental club also gathered in the First Parish Sanctuary to bang pots, pans, and musical instruments 350 beats as the church bells were simultaneously rung 350 times.

350 Drum roll from the Newburyport Highschool Environmental Club

350 beat drum roll for Climate Action by the Newburyport Highschool Environmental Club

350 Global Day of Action Saturday October 24, “Stewards of Earth and Spirit” and New Eden Respond

Deb Whalen wearing a Healing Earth Blanket as a cape during protest of "Dirty Coal" in July

Deb Whalen wearing a Healing Earth Blanket as a cape during protest of "Dirty Coal" in July

.

What is the significance of 350?

350 parts per million is what many scientists, climate experts, and progressive national governments are now saying is the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. Accelerating arctic warming and other early climate impacts have led scientists to conclude that we are already above the safe zone at our current 390ppm, and that unless we are able to rapidly return to 350 ppm this century, we risk reaching tipping points and irreversible impacts such as the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and major methane releases from increased permafrost melt which would create an environmental catastrophe of “biblical” proportions. To watch a short animation that explains how much we have to lose if we don’t turn our carbon emissions go to  /http://www.wakeupfreakout.org/ Join the “Stewards of Earth and Spirit” , Green Artists League, and the New Eden Gardeners and show your commitment to saving our planet and our children’s future.

Planting 350 Bulbs!
We invite everyone to join us in planting one package of bulbs each along the
Old Burying Ground stone wall across from the church. The ground will be prepared.
Our hope for a greener future will manifest abundantly next Spring!

Community Healing Blanket- This free and open workshop is for children ages 2-102.
Artist/activist and Green Artist League Co-director, Deb Cinamon Whalen will lead a Healing Blanket Workshop in Holton
Hall (church basement). A Healing Blanket is made of all natural elements (nuts, seeds,
wheat, etc.). When finished, it will go to a town in Appalachia that has been devastated
by mountaintop removal coal mining. The blanket will be displayed publicly to raise consciousness and hope and then will be placed on the ground to heal and replenish it.

3:50 Come ring the First Parish Bell 350 times as a call to action to combat climate change. At the same time, Transition Newburyport and others will be sounding a drum 350 times in Newburyport.  We will create a symbolic and (hopefully auditory) resonance of solidarity.

3:30 Group Photo – Bring your creative garb and partake in our 350 group photo to be sent to be sent to the United Nations with thousands of other -photos from around the word to show the groundswell of demand  for stricter climate treaties.

4 PM Eco Service
Join us outdoors in our Chapel Under the Trees around a bonfire to share prayers
from around the world for the earth and for success at the upcoming UN meeting.

Schedule of Food and Organic Gardening Demos for the Sunday’s NE Harvest Celebration

We at the New Eden Collaborative are very excited about Sunday’s New Eden Harvest Celebration. We have a full roster of free educational workshops to get you excited about growing and preserving your own. All classes will be behind the church either at the parking lot or down in the community gardens.

11:00 Tips on Season Extension and Creating Good Root Storage- Erin Stack

11:30 Butterfly and Beneficial Insects at the New Eden Gardens for Beauty and Pest Control – with Dorothy Saffarewich

12:00 Lacto-fermentation Food Preservation  (Sauerkraut) – Charlotte Dion

12:30 Getting Ready for Spring this Fall: Seed saving, composting, cover crops -Charlotte Dion

1:00 Fruit drying -Tory Dolben

1:30 What Makes for Prize Winning Canning and Pickling Entries -Tory Dolben

2:00 Announcements of  Prize Winners for our Produce and Food Competitions

2:15 Permaculture tour at the New Eden Gardens and Discussion -  Charlotte Dion

Don’t forget to bring your tasty food and produce entries to the contest test. Judging will begin at 12 Noon!


Green Artists League at work on New Eden’s Sustainable Future Mural

The Green Artists League (GAL)  have embedded “articulturists” in the New Eden Community Gardens dedicated to offering

GAL intern Cathy Stevens painting on the New Eden Collaborative Mural at First Parish Chuch

GAL intern Cathy Stevens painting on the New Eden Collaborative Mural at First Parish Chuch

challenge, support and reinforcement of the creative process of  members of the New Eden Collaborative. In the summer of 2008, GAL began working on a 9′ x 60′ mural on “Visions of a Sustainable Future” based on input from New Eden Collaborative members. GAL artists frequently work on the mural during the Friday distribution hours of the Greater Newburyport CSA ( Community Supported Agriculture) to create an opportunity for dialogue on our challenges, solutions, and hopes for a sustainable future.

GAL is pleased to introduce our 2009 summer intern from Montserrat College of Art, Cathy Stevens. An illustration major, who wanted to learn about collaborative/ activist art, she will be dedicating a large part of her internship to working on the mural and other Green Artists League projects at the New Eden Collaborative.

the Green Artists League is beginning the design of the second phase of the mural that will focus on a sustainable Newburyport cityscape. GAL encourages “co-creation of the mural” and is soliciting your dreams and your hopes for a sustainable future. Please submit your vision for our sustainable future via comments  to this post.  These suggestions will be incorporated into the design of the mural.

Detail of mural in progess

Detail of mural in progess