thbrown
Posts 8
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All three sites (Becker, Elk River and Zimmerman) are wrapping up our seasons now that the cold weather has arrived and the crops have pretty much finished producing.
Becker Site - had the poorest soil and site to contend with. Dig It garden: They did get a few radishes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and four carrots. Marigolds & Beets didn't make it.
Elk River Site - had the best conditions for growing. The First Timers & Salad Lover's Special gardens both did well. We had Jr. Master Gardeners also helping to plant, care for, harvest and sample the produce form these gardens.
With the Salad Lover's Special garden we had the best luck with cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes. The basil, pineapple mint, and lettuce grew fast and finished early in the heat. We also got a few onions and marjoram. The peppers and oregano did not produce well. The Nasturtiums produced late into September.
The First Timers garden had the best luck with bush beans, summer squash, and tomatoes. The lettuce and spinach grew fast and finished early. We also had a few beets and onions plus swiss chard at the end of the season. The carrots and peppers never really produce anything.
Zimmerman Site - had decent growing conditions considering this was only the 2nd year for this site. The First Timers & Dig Itl gardens both did pretty well. Our biggest challenge here was the gophers which got more aggressive as the season went along. I felt like Bill Murray in Caddyshack trying to think of ways to stop the little creatures from wreaking havoc. I refrained though from going too far.
The First Timers garden had the best luck with bush beans, summer squash, and tomatoes. The lettuce and spinach grew fast and finished early. We also had a few carrots, beets and onions. The peppers didn't do well.
The Dig It garden had the best luck with radishes, carrots, and marigolds. There were a few beets. Had some problems with germination of beets and carrots. The three sweet potato vines that survived looked just great - however - Mr. Gopher only left one sweet potato to be harvested. The same went for the potatoes. There were 10 nice hills to start, but Mr. Gopher only left one to be harvested by the end of the season.
And so ends the season for the Sherburne County Master Gardeners. We sure had a great time trying this project and hope we can do something just as fun next year!
PS Picture is my son with some of the carrots and potatoes harvested at the Zimmerman Dig It! site.
edited by thbrown on 10/28/2010
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