Weekly Farm Report
From Friendship Farms & Fare
Week of October 26, 2015
A Community Service To West Pasco’s Urban Agriculture Community
For the full report, go to: http://media.wix.com/ugd/643592_7f943d539cd14e51a3ada85f9bb754d5.pdf
Planting & Harvest Notes
Winter Seeding and Garden Starts Underway
Seedings: 21 Broccoli (3f Springs Coast Calabrese), 54 Kale (Lacinato), Tests on 2013 and 2014 broccoli.
Garden Starts: Broccoli in South Gardens.
Harvest Notes: herbs, Red Malabar spinach, Okinawa spinach, sweet potato sweet potato leaves, all herbs that were mature
The Grand Gardens
Friendship Farms & Fare Teams Up With Other Growers:
Join us November 7th 2:00 to 4:00
The Grand Gardens in New Port Richey will have a Grand Opening on November 7th (2:00 to 4:00). Please join us at the corner of Grand Blvd. and Georgia Ave.
3F is participating with Ecology Florida, Nature Coast Real Food Project, and other local organic agriculture organizations to establish a substantial (and sustainable) community garden just west of the East Madison neighborhood.
The Grand Gardens is one of two new community gardens in the East Madison neighborhood of New Port Richey. Joining in this 3F and Ecology Florida in the project are East Madison Growers and Nature Coast Real Food Project.
Two property owners have committed to having 3F use their vacant lots for community gardens. The New Port Richey Environmental Committee has approved both lots for gardens. We are currently receiving applications for garden plots.
To acquire a plot or to join in the project as a volunteer, contact Travis Morehead at (727) 271-2333.
Financial support will be greatly appreciated. If you would like to share contributions with Friendship Farms & Fare in support of the new Grand Gardens or any our other projects, your gifts will be gratefully received. We’ll share an acknowledgment of your gift and our warm thanks. We are also happy to report that contributions to Friendship Farms & Fare are tax deductible.
You can mail contributions to:
Friendship Farms & Fare
PO Box 596
New Port Richey, FL 34656-0596
Shares Light This Week
Shares will still be a little light this week. The winter greens are coming along, and small shares of collards are available. We have good quantities of herbs. The transition to Fall (and larger harvests and shares) has about one more month.
Big Story is Heat and Extreme Aridity
Our crops are stressed due to the extreme heat of recent weeks. We were again over 90 degrees yesterday, and we were in the 90s once last week. “Cooler” temperatures are in the upper 80s. Average high for this time of year is 83.
The winter greens simply cannot thrive with temperatures in the upper 80s to 90 degrees – and above.
The heat, coupled with lack of cloud cover and lack of rain is why we are a little behind on preparing and processing the Fall Garden.
Arugula
Samples Available
One of our fall favorites, Arugula, is doing well. We have leaves available in limited (sample) sizes this week, but we should have more than previous weeks. The plants have not really taken off yet, but they are healthy and strong.
Red Malabar and Okinawa Spinach
Our summer spinaches are slowing, but we’ll have sufficient quantities for any who are interested.
Sweet Potato Leaves
Nearing End of Season
Sweet Potato leaves are our oldest summer greens, and beloved by many. We still have some available and will for one more week. Shares that request are getting 1 gallon bags of these delicious and nutritious dark green leafy vegetable.
Garden Overview
Harvests were light.
Fall seeding and garden starts are progressing nicely, although the heat is stressing the young winter greens. We planted more broccoli this week.
Now is the time to begin plnating the fall garden, and we are doing that. Try seeding, if you like. It is still very hot – probably too hot for fall crops. Amazing, we know! We are hitting upper 80s and low 90s, when the historical high is in the lower 80s.
Still, the cool weather crops need to get into the ground. We’ll try to plant more this week. We’ll continue to work with tomatoes and bell peppers.
See the Share Report for all items.
For all plantings, we use seeds from our collection or heirloom seeds from Seed Savers Exchange (http://www.seedsavers.org/).
Sweet Potato Update
111 pounds harvested
We have plenty of sweet potatoes. We had a very good harvest after the report was finished.
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Visit the Friendship Farms & Fare website for the Weekly Farm Report:
http://www.fffsite.org/#!report/c1tuh
Contact us via email, at: http://www.fffsite.org/#!contact/cl4l
Friendship Farms & Fare is a branch of Ecology Florida, a not-for-profit corporation. Contributions to Friendship Farms & Fare and Ecology Florida are tax deductible. To learn more about Ecology Florida, please visit the website:
http://www.ecologyflorida.org/
If you would like to support our mission and individual projects, you may share donations through our website (above) or at our mailing address:
Ecology Florida
PO Box 596
New Port Richey, FL 34656-0596
Friendship Farms & Fare reaffirms, restores, and advances agrarian ideals to reestablish a sustainable culture
http://www.fffsite.org/
Natural, Economic, Cultural…bringing three ecologies together to regenerate a resilient future for all.
PO Box 596 ● New Port Richey, Florida 34656-0596
www.EcologyFlorida.org
Ecology Florida advances the harmonious integration of healthy natural, cultural, and economic ecologies to regenerate a sustainable world
